It went silence. What had Ianto said? Everybody just looked at Ianto and didn't really take in what he had said. His soul? What did he mean by that? Gwen looked confused at Tosh who just stared at Ianto. It seemed like Ianto was done and he wasn't joking. Jack looked with a surprised look at Ianto and Owen started to check the test results and when he had gone through every test, he turned to Ianto and asked.

- Are you serious? Did he… how could he…? I had never heard…

Ianto didn't have the energy to argue with Owen so he just looked straight up in the sealing and repeated what he just had said.

- He took my soul, not the whole… I think but…

Ianto didn't know how to continue. The man had taken his soul, he felt hollow but at the same he felt that a bit of his soul was still with him and if the man had taken his whole soul would he be still alive? Probably… Jack interrupted Ianto's thoughts.

- Your soul…

Jack sounded a little confused. Jack had always worried about losing Ianto with someone killing him with like a gunshot but he had never thought that his soul was in danger. Owen stepped in and continued instead of Jack and said with a little absent.

- So that's why your eyes are like that… maybe…

Gwen looked at Owen with confused eyes.

- What… do Ianto's eyes have something to do with his soul?

Owen had his eyes on Gwen but he was deep in thoughts so he didn't really look at Gwen. Owen then after a few seconds snapped out of it and looked at Gwen. Owen turned to Ianto and picked up a flashlight. Ianto's had closed his eyes again and lay totally still.

- Ianto I need you to open your eyes or I will do it for you.

Ianto opened his eyes slowly and focused on looking at the sealing. Ianto didn't want to meet any of his teammate's eyes. Owen held the flashlight before Ianto's eyes and started examining them. Owen mumbles something and then said to himself.

- I think it's why… because I can't see anything else who can cause it…

It sounded more like he talked to himself then the other. But then he said.

- Jack… have you had heard that the eyes are the mirror to the soul. I start to believe that, didn't you say that you saw a spark in Ianto's eyes and Ianto said that his entire soul wasn't gone. So I think that…

- That his eyes reflect how much of his soul is left.

- Maybe, it's not impossible.

- But if I just saw a spark then it's not much left…

Jack focused his eyes on Ianto again who had closed his again. Jack was now worried, what if that's true. Ianto's soul is nearly gone… if the whole disappeared what would be left of Ianto. Jack didn't want to think of that, he turned his attention to Owen and asked.

- Okay if this is the case what is our next action… Owen if he took a part of Ianto's don't you think it would be a chance that he can give it back also?

Jack talked with the others as much as he talked to himself. Ianto just laid and listen to what they were discussing but it didn't feel like they were talking in the same room as him, they felt a bit away or actually it felt like he was a bit away. Ianto felt as he could drift away any minute if it weren't for his friend's voices and Jack's hand on his. He felt so empty and quite alone. He remembers this feeling but this one was stronger and lacked the feeling of anger and sorrow. When Lisa had died he was a wreck but Jack had been the one to bring him back to life and make him feel like he was someone again and he didn't feel so alone anymore. Maybe could Jack do the same again? With that Ianto drifted into the darkness and his feelings were gone.

Jack noticed the change in Ianto's body and conscious. He looked at Owen who still was looking at the papers that he printed out about Ianto's health. Gwen who was at the time talking about who that man in the basement could have been got interrupted by Jack who laid a hand on Ianto's forehead and said.

- Ianto?

Ianto didn't response so Jack looked at Owen who now had put down the papers and pulled his focused to Ianto.

- What is it Jack?

- I think Ianto slipped into unconsciousness. He doesn't response…

Owen started examine him and confirmed that Ianto were unconscious and everybody understood that it wasn't good but it wasn't the worst.

- Ianto's breathing is normal and his pulse is also so that's good. We can't do much more than wait until he wakes up again.

Owen was more worried than he sounded. He just put on his doctor face. Jack looked at Ianto and made a promise in his head to Ianto that he would solve all of this and get Ianto back to normal. Jack thought Ianto looked so at peace and didn't looked different from when he was sleeping which he had done many times in Jack's own bed when he had stayed. Jack never wanted those moments to end when he just could for once wake up before Ianto and watch him sleep. Nobody touched Ianto's soul unpunished. Jack didn't have mercy when it came to messing with his Ianto. Ianto often was the one which who would stop Jack from doing something he would regret. Like the time when John Hart had made a visit to Torchwood 3. John really had pushed Jack buttons and Jack nearly did kill him but Ianto stopped him and now a time after Jack was glad that Ianto had done that because despite everything Jack had done, he didn't like to kill people and especially not close old friends. Jack didn't ever thank Ianto properly for doing that but Jack hoped that Ianto know how thankful he was. Ianto was just amazing and he would stay that way if Jack had something to say about it.

- So let's talk about what is to come next until Ianto wakes up.

- Should we go to the conference room?

- No. I want us to stay close to Ianto in case the man comes back. We don't know how he can transport himself so I want to be sure that he doesn't get the opportunity to come near Ianto's soul.

- Of course, I'm going to go and make some coffee for us. Be right back.

- Thanks Tosh and Gwen take those two chairs with you when you come down here.

- Sure Jack.

Owen seemed to be done with the tests and instead sat down in his own chair by the desk and Jack took a chair that stood near the wall and sat down beside Ianto. Gwen come down with the two chairs and placed them so they all sat in a circle. Gwen sat down on the one closest to Jack and then Tosh came down with four cup of coffee who she handed to each member.

- Plastic mugs?

- They all have been giving coffee in plastic mugs. Tosh sat down and said.

- Yes, our real cups broke in the earthquake, if it was one..., except from Ianto's who still stands in the carbine.

- Oh, yes of course.

Gwen drank a bit of coffee and didn't react to what Tosh had said and neither did Jack but Owen did.

- What do you mean Tosh? If it were one?

- I mean that I'm not sure it was an earthquake. Of course I haven't looked it up properly because my computer is broken but I'm going to look into it as soon as my laptop has reloaded.

This gave Jack something to think about. What if it weren't a real earthquake? Instead it was a planned one that was meant to happen.

- So somebody can have made the earthquake for some reason and maybe that somebody is the man we meet…

- But Jack why? I mean, if we assume that the man did plan it what would he get out of it?

- It's a very good question Gwen. That is a question we need the answer to but we also need to know who he is. We can't assume he's human just because he looked like it and besides if he did this to Ianto then we can assume he's alien.

- Jack when you mentioning it, I did an alien scan before the earthquake started and I got a weak signal about it but I didn't have the time to locate it.

- Do you still have the signal?

- Not fresh but I have always a record of the signals we pick up for the last 24 hours.

- Very good Tosh. Then maybe we can read the signal and found out something more. When the computers are restored Tosh you check up the signal and do a search though the records if we have picked up something similar before. Gwen?

- Yes Jack.

Gwen wanted to do something and if this was a new alien that they never had come across it was quite exciting. Owen didn't like or approve of the way that Gwen seemed excited about what was happening.

- When everything are back and Tosh gives the approval, you check thought the CCTV down in the archives, we should have at least one working camera down there.

- Will do

- Gwen I can hock you up to one of my laptops because your computer sees like it has seen its last days.

- Thank you Tosh

Gwen liked the task she had gotten because then maybe she could get a closer look at the new alien. Jack had really also wanted to look at the CCTV but he didn't think that he wouldn't able to control himself if he saw the whole scenario with Ianto and the man again. Jack instead decided that Gwen would handle it better so then it was just Owen and Jack left.

- Owen I want you to keep an eye on Ianto and also search on the internet for similar cases and in the U.N.I.T. database…

- But Jack we aren't allowed access to their base if we haven't…

- I know the agreement but we don't have the time to ask them but I will deal with them if they call so just send them over to me and I will explain.

- Just don't mention too much so they want to send over someone to look at Ianto and maybe take over.

Jack would have to watch out for that because U.N.I.T. didn't work the same way as Torchwood and didn't respect Torchwood either mainly because after what happened with Torchwood 1 even if Jack had explained that they didn't have anything to do with that they didn't seem to understand that. Jack didn't want them coming over and think that Ianto was theirs to examine.

- Owen just in case use the full secure code then maybe we don't have to deal with them.

- Yes Sir.

- And me myself will sit down here and write the report and then secure the base and search for cracks. So let's get to work then.

Jack put his hands together and stood up. The others started to move around and starting with their tasks. Gwen sat still because she couldn't start before Tosh said it was okay. Gwen observed for one second when Jack stood by Ianto's side and just looked at him and stroked his hand and then bent down and kissed his hand. Gwen felt a little stung in her chest but shook it off and then thought that she would start to see how much the "earthquake" had caused.
Jack let go of Ianto's hand and then went up to his office to get his computer.

Ianto's mind.
It was dark and everything was further away. The bridge that he felt to the other side was gone and he was petrified. But it wasn't just darkness that surrounded him it was also a sentence, some words built by letters he didn't understand. He felt confusion and fear all too strong but strangely enough the only thing he could wonder was if he would he feel the bridge again or was the feeling forever lost?

Jack opened the door to his office and gasped in chock. He had prepared to see a messed up office but this was more than that… this was chaotic. The only thing in the room that hadn't fell over was his desk but then everything on it had. He could see some spots of the floor under everything that covered it up from alien tech to books. Jack was just glad that the real dangerous alien technology was locked up in the wall. Some of those stuff was in jars and if the contains flow out of the containers then more than just his team would be in danger. Jack looked for his computer and saw it the corner of the room. He picked it up and from the outside it seemed fine. Jack let out a breath when he looked around and wished that he wouldn't have to be the one to clean up the whole mess, one more reason to get Ianto back.
Jack went down the stairs and Tosh looked quite irritated and Gwen was going around and checking things. Owen sat and looked on his computer and Ianto as before just lay on the table still. Jack raised the desk that was near the stairs to the medical bay and placed a chair that had fell in front of it and sat down. Jack pressed the start-button on the computer and it gave a little strange noise but then started up like nothing wrong. Jack started working when he heard Tosh telling Gwen that she could start using the computers. Everybody was working and Owen come up with results. He found no cases that had been in similar situations and had the same symptoms.
Owen didn't like when he stubble upon something when he had a clue how to solve it. Ianto's condition was critic so much could Owen tell but Owen had never had a trouble with a soul. That was nothing that he could fix, the soul was untouchable Owen used to think but now everything seemed possible. Owen draw the sweat from his forehead when he heard mumbling from behind. He turned around and went to Ianto. Ianto was mumbling something, his mouth nearly moved.

- Jack, come here

- What is it? If it's the U.N.I.T. just pass them over.

- No, it's not them. Ianto is mumbling something but I can't make out what.

- Eh?

- Owen analyzed Ianto as Jack came to his side.

- Ianto is still unconscious.

- Is it weird that he is mumbling? Don't people do that in their sleep?

- Yes they do. But it's not that he's mumbling rather than what he is mumbling.

Jack tried hearing and understanding what Ianto was saying but he couldn't make sense of it. Jack leaned in closer but then Ianto suddenly opened his eyes wide open. The eyes were dark as the darkest eyes and Ianto just laid still and stared up in the sealing.

- What is happening? Why are his eyes black?

Jack couldn't answer Owen's question but exactly when he was about to speak Ianto started to scream and then they could hear what Ianto had mumbled.

- Dhez! Broken! Death!

Owen and Jack looked at each other. What did it mean? What did that first word mean? Then everything started to shake again and Ianto went quiet as the earthquake grew stronger.