Chapter Two
Very late, I know, but "better late than never!", as they say!
This is dedicated to AdoreThem, for a lovely review and getting my creative juices going once more with this fic.
AN: This is going to go very differently than I think some of you were expecting... and I'm going to be mean to Ianto again... maybe. At the moment I'm just hoping that this won't turn into a long story, like Splash and Sudden Parenthood are planned to be. :S
Disclaimer: Weeeelll... no. I don't own Torchwood.
Yet the expected grasp of finger-bones around his neck never came. Ianto's brain screamed not to open his eyes, but when Ianto did, he found the skeleton gone.
He frowned in confusion, his heart still hammering behind his rib-cage. Cautiously, he took a step forward, away from the wall, and checked all the cells. The weevils were starting to stir, opening sleepy eyes and yawning in an oddly fixating manner.
Ianto left the bag of bloody meat lying on the concrete, hurrying up through the Hub to Jack's office.
Jack was sitting behind his desk, arguing with Gwen. Gwen had a stubborn expression on her face, and Jack looked impatient.
Both of them looked up when Ianto came in, without knocking for the first time in as long as either of them could remember.
"Ianto?" Jack asked, frowning. "Are you OK? What's wrong?"
Ianto smoothed his shaking hands down his suit, trying to order his thoughts. "There's something in the Hub," he managed.
Jack's eyes widened. "What? Where? What happened?"
Ianto took a deep breath. "When I went down to feed the weevils, they were all asleep." He tugged nervously on the end of his black tie. "And there was a living skeleton, or something. A weevil skeleton. It started to attack me, but then it vanished."
Jack stood up abruptly, whisking open the top drawer of his desk and swiping his Webley. "Right, then." He tapped his ear-piece. "Tosh, Owen – we've got an intruder in the Hub. Tosh, I need you to run scans, find out where it is and what sort of creature it is. Owen, get all the information you can on weevils and living skeletons." He ignored Owen's startled splutter and carried on talking. "Ianto, with me, we're going to check the cells. Gwen – the storerooms."
Gwen frowned. "Shouldn't I go with you, Jack?" she asked.
Jack swung around to stare at her. "Why?"
"Well..." Gwen gestured helplessly at herself. "I always go with you."
"Not this time," Jack replied, flashing her a chilly smile whilst shepherding Ianto out the office.
-T-
Jack's gaze swept the cells where Ianto had encountered the skeleton. "It was here?"
"Yes. That's the bag I dropped."
"And the weevils were all asleep?" Jack frowned.
"Not a sound from any of them." Ianto fidgeted uncomfortably. "I don't know why."
"I don't like the sound of this," Jack admitted. "The other levels are all locked, right?"
"Uh-huh." Ianto nodded. "But I doubt that would be a huge problem if it managed to get into the Hub in the first place."
Just then, their ear-pieces crackled into life and Toshiko's voice sounded in their ears. "Jack? Ianto? I've done a search for life-forms apart from us, and there's nothing. So I did a scan on energy-readings, and – again - nothing. The system says that nothing is in the Hub."
"Have you checked the CCTV?" Jack asked sharply.
"That's what's worrying me," Tosh replied tightly. "According to the cameras, there was nothing there, and nothing wrong with the Weevils."
"But I saw—" Ianto started, but Toshiko cut him off.
"Yes, we know what you think you saw. But what if it was all in your head?"
Ianto snorted. "Tosh, I'm not going crazy." All the same, he couldn't help but look to Jack for reassurance.
Jack swallowed and squeezed his arm. "OK. So what're you saying, Tosh?"
There was a pregnant pause at the other end. When Toshiko spoke, her voice was laden with worry. "I don't know. All I have to go on is what the equipment says, and what Ianto says. I think it might be an idea to get Owen to check you over, Yan, just to make sure."
Ianto's eyes widened. "Tosh, there's nothing wrong with me. I'm fine. The equipment must be playing up."
"If it is, that's a first," she replied quietly. "I'm sorry, Ianto, but all the evidence says—"
"OK, Tosh," Jack interrupted, seeing the distress on Ianto's face. "We'll be right up." He switched off the comm. before she had a chance to respond.
Ianto was stared at his feet as if he'd never seen them before. "Am I going crazy, Jack?" he asked, the lost tone in his voice tugging at Jack's heart-strings.
Jack smiled sadly and drew him into a hug. "Whatever it is, we'll deal with it," he promised. "You're not alone in this."
Sorry that that was short, but I've put up two chapters of fics already today, and I'm tired and my (sprained) hand really hurts. It seemed as good a place as any to leave it off – bet it's a different twist than which you expected! :P
Reviews are loved, huggled, and taken home and read bedtime stories with hot mugs of coco. :D
