Chapter Four

Tears coursed down Ianto's cheeks as he watched the entire scene play out, how would they ever be able to fix this. Even if they managed to separate him from the demon, how would Jack ever be able to look at him again and not feel pain? Ianto suddenly cried when he felt a stabbing pain shoot through his temples.

"I've run every test possible on him, as far as I can tell whatever this creature is; it's destroying Ianto's body." Owen explained.

Jack shook his head, as he sat at his desk. "What do you mean, destroying?"

"When you died of radiation poisoning, you died because your internal organs were slowly melting from the inside out. This entity, whatever the hell it is, is slowly breaking down the basic functions of all Ianto's major internal organs. His heart is beating three times its regular pace to keep up with everything else, his liver is failing, his kidneys are shot, and his lungs look as if he was in some type of fire. This entity is slowly shutting down all of his major organs."

"What happens if Ianto dies?" Jack asked.

"Well, one of two things: Either the entity will leave because it needs an actual body to sustain it, or it'll take him over and he'll discover the fun of Zombie Land—we've got T-shirts."

Jack shook his head. "You're not a zombie Owen; you don't eat people's brains."

"Give me time!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Okay, would the creature have any way of knowing Ianto's healing process is twice that of a normal person?"

"Not that I know of, what are you thinking?"

Jack rubbed his temples slowly. "Ianto can't die, or rather, Ianto can die but he'll come back."

"That's an assumption; your Doctor never mentioned anything about dying."

"Ianto has a super fast and super human immune system; I think it's safe to say that he'd bounce back like a rubber ball on a wall."

"You want to kill him?"

"No, I want to fake killing him. Do whatever it takes to effectively make the creature think you're killing Ianto, without actually killing him. If this creature is really like you've said, then likely it will escape and look for another host."

"What then Captain? Kill the next person? In case you haven't noticed, I'm already dead so I'm not an option, you bounce back faster than Ianto and the girls are probably the only people with a normal pulse in this place."

"Exactly."

"I'm sorry?" Owen's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"The girls will leave, I don't care where, but they have to leave. We can't have anything human and living in the room."

"Jack—you're human and living."

Nodding, Jack handed him a gun. "If the creature enters me, don't hesitate to shoot me. Right between the eyes."

"I can't do that—"

"You've done it before!"

"Oi! One bloody fuck up! Jack—"

"Owen! Listen to me, we drop all of Ianto's vitals as low as we can, rendering him dead, how long can he survive like that?"

"Five minutes tops, three if you don't want to risk brain damage."

"All right, so effectively we kill Ianto, then when the creature escapes we trap it."

"In what?"

Jack looked around then snapped his fingers with a grin. "That device you used to capture the entity last year."

Owen shook his head. "I'm pretty sure that thing is dead."

"Well we're going to find out, aren't we? Have Gwen pull it up. Then get them to leave, I don't care what you do, but get them out of the hub."

"What are you going to do?"

Jack grinned. "Interrogate it."

o0o

Jack strode towards Ianto, his eyes set solely on the man before him. Ianto's body had been strapped down to the gurney, wrists and ankles restrained. "The number of times I've imagined this scenario." Jack grinned as he descended a couple stairs, placing him just within the creature's eyesight.

"I can feel your fear Captain, don't pretend to be strong."

Jack nodded. "Got me there, I'm scared out of my mind by you. You read my thoughts; in fact you can even stir up old memories. How's that possible."

"Teleope." Stated the creature.

Letting out a brief laugh Jack nodded again. "We met one of your kind a while ago."

"Doubtful, I'm the last left."

"Why here? What's so damn special about Torchwood—about me?"

The creature let out a giggle that sent chills down Jack's spine. "You truly don't know do you?"

"Know what?"

"You're the creature that will live for years. Outlive a Time Lord himself—well basically. You are the most impossible creature in twenty different galaxies, and those are only the ones in the confederation."

"So, aliens want me dead because I'm immortal."

The creature laughed again. "Wrong—we want you dead to dissect you, to study and understand you. The bonus is whoever kills you wins the money. The Master had the right idea—kill you until you can't be killed anymore."

"And what if I can't be killed? Then what? You're just going to waste away, and I guarantee you this—I'll outlive any and all of you, bring on your worst." Jack replied as he moved closer.

"This is only the beginning Captain, you may defeat me, but there are billions where I come from. Who wish you dead far greater than me. But we'll find a way to kill you; The Master only narrowed the search. Something is going to take you down."

Jack smirked. "So you think by embarrassing me, by doubting me, that you're destroying me?"

The creature smirked as he lifted Ianto's head from the table. "Don't bother hiding those emotions from me Captain, I'm a better lie detector than anything you could possible find. I see the thoughts running through your mind, wondering if you deserved to be raped, if you deserved to have your flesh torn, to be violated in such a way that left you crying like a pathetic being on the floor. Perhaps the others have it wrong, we can kill and torture you, but what's one thing that Captain loves above all else—"

"A pretty face."

"Sex—and being in power, the power I could feel as I stole you, because I didn't just embarrass you, I took you violently and enjoyed it."

Jack schooled his features, desperately trying to control his emotions. He wouldn't let the creature see his fear and anguish over what had happened. It would be a very long road before he could look at Ianto again without cowering or wondering if he'd be attacked. Logic told him he wasn't the wrong one, that he was a victim of a horrible tragedy. But suddenly he understood why it tore women apart when it happened, because it's harder to accept when it's actually happening to you. After the Valiant he'd just buried those memories, unwilling to discuss them with anyone but Ianto, and even he didn't know the Master had raped him several times.

"But then perhaps you try to liken it to sex—just like all your other experiences, after all you are…ooh what does he call it, Innovative. So how was this time any different?"

Jack snapped and a second later his fist was inches from the creatures face, then suddenly he was looking into those baby blues—those beautiful blue eyes that he'd fallen in love with. And he felt all his will power disappear. The creature, sensing Jacks' hesitancy, began to cackle. "You're weakness isn't living forever—it's the poor excuse for a human I'm stuck in!"

Jack was about to respond when Owen stepped into the room, gun stuck in the back of his jeans no doubt and a small device outlined in his jeans pocket. Walking down the stairs, he smiled and looked over at Jack. "Right then, let's get started, shall we?" Taking out several syringes, Owen began to line them up, filling each one with a different medication. Once he was prepared, he turned around to Ianto and smiled. "I'm sorry Ianto—I wish there was another way to do this."

"Owen what are you doing!? Owen!" Ianto screamed, suddenly scared, never even considering that he'd probably survive. He began pounding furiously on the doors as he felt the needle stuck in his arm. Ever so slowly Ianto watched as the walls encasing him began to disappear. He could hear the creature screaming for its life.

Jack all but slapped his hands over his ears as the creature, and Ianto let out a horrific scream along with the whine of the heart monitor. Ianto was as good as dead. Owen was quick as he grabbed both his gun from the back of his pants as well as the device from his pocket—it wasn't the one Jack thought it was.

Brows furrowed he watched as the creature tore from Ianto's body, the figure of his lover collapsing back on the gurney in a useless and lifeless heap. Jack resisted the urge to move as the creature came towards him. Slamming his eyes shut, Jack prepared for what he was sure would be the worse. Suddenly he heard what could only be described as suctioning and more of that screaming. Then the room went silent.

Jack slowly opened his eyes, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. He looked at Owen, who was holding a device with smoke filtering out the top. Then his glance fell to Ianto. "Ianto!" he cried running over to his lover. Hands pressed to the man's chest, Jack's eyes searched for some sign that Ianto was alive. "Wake him up!" He demanded, looking over at Owen.

Owen put the device down and rushed to Ianto, checking for a pulse—there was none. "Jack, he's gone."

"What?" Jack looked down, stunned. He couldn't be, Ianto couldn't die, he just couldn't. "No—you weren't supposed to actually kill him!" yelled Jack as he shook Ianto.

"Stop it," Owen sighed as he moved over to his friend and Captain and grabbed the man by the shoulders. "He's gone Jack, I'm so sorry."

Jack shrugged off Owen's rare compassion and moved over to his Ianto. "He'll wake up—" He whispered, eyes beginning to tear up as he gently touched the cooling cheek. "Please wake up."

"Jack I—"

Jack didn't reply, didn't even offer Owen a glimpse. Owen watched, feeling his heart ache as he watched the already broken Jack Harkness lift up his lover's body and cradle it in his arms. Owen took his cue, went to go find the girls, leaving Jack alone in the autopsy room, crying into Ianto's shoulders. Some days, Owen hated working here.