III. Suspicion
Ianto Jones knew something was going on.
He felt it. He couldn't describe what it was exactly, but something was different—about Jack, about Tosh. They seemed to be hiding something, and for some reason Ianto had a strong suspicion that it involved him. He didn't know why he felt that way, exactly—he had just had such a peculiar sensation, standing at the railing next to Jack, gazing into the autopsy bay, that he couldn't ignore it, especially after Jack had sent him off on his own but wouldn't really tell him why.
He and Jack were supposed to have gone after some Weevils in Bute Park, but Jack had called on the com and said he had to stay at the Hub. It wasn't that they never went out on their own after the occasional rogue Weevil, or with the others on the team if there were larger numbers to deal with, but there had been something odd in Jack's voice, something that felt off about the sudden change in plans. What was going on at the Hub that Tosh couldn't say anything in front of him, that Jack had to stay back and wouldn't tell him more on the phone?
Jack had suggested that Ianto give Owen a call, but it was late at night and even though Ianto knew perfectly well Owen wasn't sleeping (or drinking or shagging, for that matter), he did not want to call him now, not when he had almost been looking forward to going out with Jack. They usually ended up at Ianto's flat to clean up after Weevil hunting, and Ianto enjoyed those nights far more than their quick trysts in the Hub. It always felt more real, whatever it was that they had, when they were away from work, and it had been a while since they had either gone out or just gone back to his place.
Feeling slightly reckless in his disappointment, Ianto pulled into the dark park, grabbed his gear, and headed out with a torch. His mind was distracted, though, as he tried to puzzle out how a Rift spike could happen right in the Hub, and why Jack had been so closed about it on the phone. He did not hear the first Weevil as he walked across the empty grounds. It attacked him from behind, wrapping its arms around him before he managed to stun it in the leg, dropping it to the ground; a second shot to the forehead took it out completely.
He managed a second and a third Weevil with no problems after making sure to stay more focused and alert. The fourth one caught him by surprise again, charging straight at him from behind a large tree and bowling him over before he could hit it, and Ianto saw stars as the back of his head struck the ground hard.
He barely managed to keep it off his jugular. The stun gun flew from his hands as he struggled, and he desperately twisted around for his automatic. He managed to get off a poor shot, and the Weevil flew off him with a guttural yell. Two more shots put it down before it could charge him again, and Ianto stood up and leaned over, gasping hard. He gingerly felt the back of his head; his hand came away covered with blood. Swearing under his breath, Ianto blamed Jack for sending him out alone only to see him end up with a head wound and a dirty suit. It was not how he wanted to spend his night.
A quick turn of the park failed to turn up any other Weevils; perhaps the noise had scared them away. Fortunately there was a large sewer drain nearby. Rather than transporting them all back to the Hub on his own—four Weevils was a lot for one man to handle alone—Ianto dragged each beast over to the drain and lobbed them in, returning them to where they belonged; they would take care of the dead themselves. Then he climbed back into the SUV and set off for his flat. He needed to change and clean up before returning to work. Or maybe he would stay home and get some sleep. He didn't need to work every night, especially if there was something going on he wasn't supposed to know about.
As he drove, he thought more about Jack and Tosh's odd behavior and what was going on at the Hub. He tried to put it from his mind, but couldn't: some nagging voice in the back of his mind told him it was important. Something had happened in the autopsy bay, something both Tosh and Jack were keeping from him, something that was more than just a Rift spike. He decided he would clean up and head back to the Hub to try and find some answers. He was good at discreetly looking into things, after all, and if it had something to do with him, maybe he could help.
Just as he parked the car and headed inside, his mobile rang.
"Ianto, where are you?" asked Jack. No greeting, no check-up, just the clipped question; something was definitely going on.
"I'm at my flat, actually," Ianto said, frowning as he searched for his keys. "I need to clean up a bit."
There was silence on the other end of the line. "Are you all right?" Ianto thought that Jack sounded concerned, but he couldn't be sure if the other man was simply distracted and forcing it.
"Nothing a shower and a stiff drink won't fix, sir," replied Ianto, trying to sound light. He didn't like worrying Jack, because he sometimes tended to overreact when one of the team took a hit, and really, Ianto's head didn't hurt that much. He would ask Owen to look at it in the morning just to be sure it wasn't anything serious.
"Right. Good. Were you planning on coming back tonight?'
He was, but he didn't want Jack to know that; sometimes it was important to make Jack work for something. "Not really. Why, do you need me to come back?"
Jack chuckled on the other end of the line. "I always want you to come back, Ianto. But I could really use your help. Tosh is working on a project, but she needs to get some sleep before she collapses. You know how busy she's been around here lately. Someone needs to keep an eye on the Rift while I take care of some other things."
"What things?" Ianto asked automatically, turning the key in the lock and flicking on the lights as he entered the flat. He wished Jack were there with him instead of on the phone. He hated the feeling that Jack was hiding something, because it was almost painfully obvious from his evasive answers that he was.
"I can't really say," Jack said, sounding reluctant. "I just need to head out for a few hours, and with the activity we had earlier, I want someone to keep an eye on the Rift."
"Did anything come through?" asked Ianto, taking off his jacket and frowning at the dirt and mud from the park. He really should change when he went Weevil hunting; it was the third suit he'd dirtied in the last four months from chasing after the damn creatures.
Jack didn't answer right away, which meant that something had probably come through the Rift, but that Jack didn't want to tell him. Why not? Ianto's instincts were telling him that the odd feeling he'd felt gazing down into the autopsy bay had something to do with it—with the Rift and whatever they were hiding. From him. Why him?
"Not really, but we need to watch it," Jack finally answered. Ianto nodded to himself, knowing Jack would tell him nothing, but pushing anyway.
"Why not just set the alarms then?"
Again Jack hesitated for just the barest of moments, reconfirming Ianto's suspicion: something was definitely off. "Tosh needs some sleep in order to get this done right," he repeated. "It's important, and I want someone awake if there's another spike."
"What's Tosh working on?" Ianto asked as he slipped off his tie. He could probably wring more answers—or clues, at least—from Jack in person, but Jack wouldn't be at the Hub later if he had something else to take care of. Maybe Ianto could get something out of Tosh when she woke up.
"Just some calculations she thinks will held predict these spikes, especially here in the Hub. So can you sit around and read or something while she takes a break?"
"Yes, Jack. I'll come back," Ianto replied, both reluctant to return and wanting to figure out what was going on. "Just give me a few minutes to clean up and I'll be there to babysit for you."
"Thanks, Ianto. See you soon."
Ianto sighed wearily to himself as he headed toward the bathroom. Though he knew perfectly well Torchwood and everyone in it had their secrets, something about this one niggled at him. Something was different, and he didn't like being in the dark when it came to what was going on at the Hub.
Especially when the quiet voice inside him was growing more and more insistent that it somehow, in some way, had something to do with him.
Author's Note:
Yes folks, that was past Ianto. Or present Ianto, if you prefer. I think of him as past Ianto myself, because he is from the future Ianto's past. Confused yet? Me too. He will continue to hang around so start taking notes if you need to keep things straight. I know this was short, but with the change in viewpoint, it needed to be its own chapter or things would get more confusing than they already are. Next chapter later this week and back to future Ianto. Excuse me while I start biting my fingernails at the response…
