Waking up wedged between car seats wasn't something Ianto particularly enjoyed. Unfortunately, it had happened every morning since he and Martha had started commandeering abandoned vehicles. They'd decided that it would be best to avoid using the vortex manipulator and were searching out other means of transportation. Given the destruction of the UK, it was easy enough to find cars, trucks, and other forms of transport. Ianto's delinquent teen years were another advantage as it'd taught him how to hotwire vehicles.
"We can switch places tonight," Martha volunteered as Ianto tumbled out of the backseat.
Stretching the kinks out of his back, Ianto shook his head. "Trust me, I've slept in far worse conditions over the years. Jack's bed alone is enough to send you to the chiropractor."
"Still, it's not fair that you get the uncomfortable place to sleep all the time," Martha protested, reaching out to knead Ianto's tense shoulder muscles. "Maybe when this one runs out of gas we should get something with more room to lie down."
Ianto made a non-committal noise. As much as he wished it was otherwise, Ianto knew that they wouldn't always be able to find transport. As the year progressed it would become more and more difficult, if not impossible. By the end, Ianto was certain they'd be doing a lot of walking.
After barely a week, every city or town they passed through was only a shell of its former self. From what they could tell, most major population centers had been destroyed. London had been derelict, and the scans they'd taken near Paris showed a population of only a few dozen. Whenever they did find people, though, they'd stopped. Share information, let people tell their stories, and tell their own. Even if it was only a handful of people, Ianto and Martha would stop. They were, literally, all each other had. The only way the people of Earth could communicate was for the few who were brave enough to travel to pass along information.
"How did you find out aliens existed?" Martha asked him as they drove along a deserted stretch of road at the end of the first week.
"I was living in London, working at a posh restaurant—one of those places where you have to wait weeks to get a reservation. There was this group of people who came in every week without fail and always set in my section. I didn't think anything of it until one evening I was given a business card when I gave them their cheque. Said they wanted me to come in the next morning for an interview. Apparently being able to memorize an order from a group of picky eaters without needing to write it down catches Torchwood's attention. Next day I was a junior researcher at Torchwood One."
"How old were you?" Martha asked, staring at him in awe.
"Twenty-two. I was at Torchwood One for nearly two years and I've been in Cardiff for just over a year," Ianto explained. "The first time I saw aliens was during the battle of Canary Wharf. You don't get out much when you work in the archives."
"It's probably why you survived."
Ianto preferred not to think about Canary Wharf and everything that had happened afterwards. That was the darkest point in his life. He'd desperately wanted to confide in Jack, to confess everything, but he'd been unable to. Every time he'd tried, he'd felt choked by the words.
"Since we're sharing histories, how did you meet the Doctor?"
They were about ten miles away from where the scanner said there'd be a group of people when the radio in the car suddenly flared to life. All they'd had since Saxon and the Toclafane had taken over was static, so it startled them both.
i"Citizens of the Earth, this is your Lord and Master,"/i Saxon's voice boomed over the speakers. i"No doubt things have been quite dull for those of you left. No radio. No television. No internet. Very dull. So, being the benevolent leader that I am, I've composed a new song just for you. It's dedicated to the lovely people at Torchwood Three; in particular, Mr. Ianto Jones."/i
There was no song.
There was nothing even vaguely resembling music.
Instead, there was only Jack, screaming in absolute agony.
After fifteen seconds of it, Ianto stumbled out of the car and vomited on the roadside. He could still hear Jack's cries over the sound of his own retching. The scream sounded exactly like the one that had been torn from Jack when he'd confronted Abaddon. There hadn't been a mark on Jack after his defeat of the monster, but it didn't make the death any less painful than the one Ianto had no doubt Jack had just suffered.
Ianto sat back on his heels, covering his face wit his hands. Some part of him had known that Saxon would torture Jack. It was what the monsters always did. He'd just managed to put it out of his mind. He'd been so focused on what he was doing that he hadn't allowed himself time to think about what was happening to Jack. Saxon had given him no choice but to remember.
"Jack will be okay," Martha said quietly, crouching down next to him. "He chose to do this. He's distracting Saxon and giving the Doctor the time he needs."
"Just because Jack comes back to life, it doesn't make the pain of the death any less," Ianto reminded her, dropping his hands down so they rested lifelessly on his lap.
They stayed on the side of the road for a few more minutes until Ianto forced himself off the ground. He had volunteered to go with Martha so that Jack's sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing. He wanted to make his lover proud of him. Cowering on the side of the road wasn't a way to do that.
"Here, this'll take the taste away," Martha said, handing him a stick of gum from the pack they'd found in the car.
Ianto grunted his thanks and climbed back into the driver's seat. The radio was blessedly silent once again.
Neither of them spoke a word for the remainder of the journey that day. In fact, it was left to Martha to do the storytelling that night because Ianto simply couldn't find the words. For the next few days, even while he slept, he couldn't escape the sound of Jack's screams.
The broadcast, however, likely had the opposite effect than Saxon had intended. Rather than demoralizing him, it made Ianto more determined to see their mission through to the end. He would make sure they succeeded if only to ensure Jack's safety. He would do whatever was necessary to get Jack back with him.
And then he wasn't letting Jack out of his sight ever again.