Title: Remember, Remember
Published:
Written by: Bambieyes1234 and Bad-Werewolf.
Summary: When Adam accidentally draws out more of Ianto's dark side than he intended, it means nothing but trouble for the Torchwood team... especially Jack.
Jack took full advantage of the moment of weakness, lashing out with all his mental strength, trying to restrain rather than cause harm. He was afraid of accidentally hurting Ianto in the process, if he tried to attack more violently.
The unknown alien attempted to thrash out of his restrain, intent on causing as much harm as was possible. He smashed his mind violently at Jack's, trying to get him to loosen his grip. He, as soon as Jack's grip loosened slightly, attacked violently. Though Jack sensed it wasn't this alien's full power, it was as if he was distracted by something.
Jack wasn't about to wait to find out what the distraction was, lest he lose this opportunity... instead he chose to try to add to his attacker's confusion, physically pushing Ianto back, against the nearest wall, hard- careful not to break the contact on his face, as that could cause serious harm to them both- as his mind tried once more to restrain it... The attacker stumbled, flinching as he lost his advantage over Jack. As soon as he made that mistake he instantly tried influence Jack's mind to his control but it was to late, the mistake had already been made. It gave Jack a chance to attack.
"Who are you?" Jack repeated. It was taking all his mental strength now to hold down the unknown force in Ianto's mind... and he could still hear Ianto's screaming, but there was nothing Jack could do to help him while this alien presence was holding his full concentration... and all his anger focused on this alien must be hurting it, whether he intended it to or not. For hurting Ianto, he wasn't too bothered at causing it pain in return.
The attacker slammed back violently into his mind, causing him a great deal of pain but he had felt worse from the Master most of all. The attacker paused for half a second as this thought crossed his mind, he could feel a bit of irony from the attacker just before the attacker slammed a hand into his stomach hard before shoving him violently away. The attacker in Ianto's body paused for a moment, in pain from the sudden snap of the mental connection.
Jack stumbled backwards, reeling in pain- more from the broken telepathic link than from the assault itself- as he looked up at Ianto. Fear flashed through his mind, and he had no doubt across his face as well, as he leapt to the first conclusion that his attacker's thoughts had led him to. He shook his head, taking another step back, refusing to admit this to himself, as he asked again, "What have you done to Ianto?"
The attacker smirked down at him, his eyes wild and insane. A look that pained him to see on Ianto's face."Nothing he didn't ask me to do, sure he now regrets it but that hardly matters now, does it?" There was a sneer in his voice that implied that it did matter in someway then he calmly pulled out a gun from his suit, a smile on his face as he said to both himself and Jack."This brings back memories." And then he pointed the gun at Jack.
Jack was now almost certain of who this really was, and those words cut him deeply, "Why?" he asked, backing away, his hands out to the sides to show he wasn't armed and had absolutely no intention of hurting Ianto's body, regardless of who was in control of it at this moment, "Why would he do that?" Why would he let YOU into his mind?
The attacker didn't move his gun at all; he merely raised an eyebrow and stepped forward."He was so afraid, so ashamed of some faked memories that he was begging me to help him, to get rid of them. Then he offered me his body as he was scared of killing again. Your 'friend' Adam has the power to alter memories and when the boy found him out...I think you can guess what happened next. The boy didn't even give anything but a stray thought about you and your little gang when he willingly restored me, even when he found out who I was." The statement was obviously intended to cause pain for Jack by the gleeful but truthful tone.
Jack shook his head slowly, backing away another step. He didn't want to believe it. Ianto should know better than to trust this... monster... he was sure of it. "You tricked him." he said with certainty, "He would never do that on his own."
The attacker laughed, grinning down at him like a hunter to the hunted."Really? Well, you obviously don't know Jones as well as you thought you did. I've been through his memories and can't recall you ever trying either," he shrugged, stilling smiling."I never told him anything but the truth even when he asked if I would give him his body back after I got rid of the fake memories. Don't you get it? He not only gave me his mind, body and, in some ways, soul he begged me to take them."
Jack closed his eyes, bowing his head. That really did hurt... more than anything else that- if he was right about his attacker's identity- this being had ever said or done to him before. But then something else clicked in his mind, "Wait, you're accusing Adam of causing this?" he asked suddenly, looking up again. He had only just stopped tears from falling, and he really hoped it didn't show.
"Accusing? You make it sound as if it wasn't a fact, maybe even more so then you. Think about your little 'friend' Adam and tell me what you feel for him."The attacker demanded of him, his face cold and unconcerned as he clicked the safety off of the gun.
"He's been a part of Torchwood for three years, I-" he stopped himself, actually thinking about it... and slowly realising that he really didn't feel anything for Adam. All the facts were there, he remembered fighting Weevils and the occasional apocalypse with him, but... there was no sense of comradelier, no emotion. He actually would not care if Adam died... and that was not something Jack had ever thought of anyone else who worked for Torchwood before. Sure, he'd wished a specific few of the less pleasant ones dead, when he had been kept as a test subject for experimentation, or practically enslaved to hunt aliens for them, but he had never outright failed to care, one way or the other, before.
"I... really don't care about him." Jack said, shocked at his own words, as he spoke them, even though they were the truth.
The attacker hummed absently, twirling the gun around his hand."See, if only you had realised that before Ianto wouldn't have offered his soul to me. I wouldn't be here, so really it's your entire fault." He said, obviously trying to make him suffer before killing him.
"Why Ianto?" Jack asked, anger creeping into his voice to hide the pain, "Why did you take him?" his voice rose in volume a little bit with each question, "What was he, an easy target? What did Adam do to him, and what have you done to him now? Let me speak to him!" Jack yelled... but then he hesitated, backing down quickly, and adding, "Please." very softly.
The attacker paused for a moment."Ianto is me, I am Ianto. Due to a regeneration gone wrong I ended up as him when he was four, I turned myself human. Ianto never existed, he was only a cover."The attacker's voice was emotionless as he said this; he honestly didn't care for Jack's pleas."Adam placed images of Ianto killing and violating several young women, Toshiko Sato being the last, and the unshakable belief that he had done it."
Jack was sickened by the thought of what Adam had done- and the cruel honesty of this alien's tone left no room for doubt that he believed it to be true- he shook his head looking away in disgust. "You can't be- you can't be Ianto." he whispered, utterly shocked.
There had been the vaguest hint of a plan forming in his mind, but that detail would ruin it. Possession, he could have tried to talk his way around but this... really not.
"I'm not Ianto, Ianto is me. We're the same person, two sides of a coin." He shrugged, still twirling that gun around carelessly."Don't you remember that foolish professor at all?"
Jack flinched, hating to have his theory of this being's identity confirmed so clearly. He shook his head slowly, "Are you telling me Ianto... is gone. That it's just you, now?" he asked, stepping back, away from the Master... until he backed up into his desk. The Master watched him; he had stopped twirling the gun now."In one way yes in another no," he replied cryptically, watching Jack wearily as he moved.
Jack's hands rest on the edge of the desk... he had briefly considered the option of going for his gun, which did rest on that very desk... but without the certainty that the Master had already killed Ianto, he wouldn't be able to force himself to do it. He didn't even try to pick it up, or make the threat. "Just answer the question. Did you kill Ianto like you killed Yana!" he snapped.
The Master raised an eyebrow dangerously at him then he smirked."Not exactly...although I do know he's probably wishing he were dead right about now."
"What have you done to him?" Jack asked, his voice cracking as his anger failed him in the face of this information. Ianto was still alive, and the Master was right... it was Jack's fault that this had happened, that Ianto was suffering now.
The Master actually chuckled as Jack asked that question."Do you remember that lovely time we had when I re-decorated your prison in all of your intestines? Ianto's have a lovely first hand view, I can hear him screaming in horror now, begging me to stop. He does scream loudly," he commented with an expression of glee.
Jack's breath caught when he heard this, and once again he had to fight back tears. "Why? If you're telling the truth, if he's part of you, why are you hurting him?" it hurt Jack to even suggest it... that Ianto could possibly have anything to do with the Master. He strongly preferred the theory of possession... it held a sense of detachment that would have made this so much less painful to think about.
"He shagged you; I think that's reason enough."The Master retorted nastily."Its punishment for the whelp's pathetic attempts to escape my control, I had thought no one could be that foolish." He replied.
Jack's eyes widened at that. Yeah, really hadn't thought about how the Master might react to that sort of thing... and he just had to choose the most inappropriate retort, "Well if he is part of your mind, doesn't that say something about your own subconscious desires?"
The Master's face turned disgusted by the very thought."Isn't it obvious that while Ianto is me, I am nothing like him." He snapped, aiming between Jack's legs and pulling the trigger of the gun.
Jack screamed in pain as he was shot, falling to his kneels, and curling up in agony for several seconds, unable to breathe let alone speak. And the first word he does manage to gasp out is in an alien language and roughly translates as 'fuck'.
The Master snickered at him, leaning against the nearest desk -Owen's desk- as he watched Jack lay curled up in a ball of pure agony. His snickering quickly turned into laughing."Ah...that was fun."
After several more seconds, Jack finally manages to look up at the Master, gasping for breath, fighting against the pain. He grunts slightly, before speaking, "You're not... the first person to do that..." another groan of pain and then his tone turned from mocking to pleading, "Let me speak to Ianto... please."
"Hmmmm..."The Master hummed mockingly with a thoughtful look on his face before his face turned cruel."No, you can't speak to him."
Jack finally loses the battle against the pain, both physical and emotional, and tears begin to run down his face as he bows his head again, "Please, Master."
The Master let out a slow hiss but his face was firm."I like it when you use my name... but the answer is still no."
Jack bit his lip, slumped forward and still fighting back the urge to scream in pain, "What do you want from me?" he asked coldly.
The Master pushed off the desk, approaching Jack until they were basically nose to nose."I came here because I'm fixing the damage Adam's done, so I just want you to shut up and not fight me."He replied.
Jack looked up at him in surprise, "Why do you care what he's done?"It hurt to see that malice in his lover's eyes, and he couldn't hold the Master's gaze for long before turning his head away to the side.
"I don't. He just annoys me, I want him gone." The Master replied, coolly as if he thought that he needed no reason."He's a fool with power, more dangerous then the Doctor in some ways." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"And how would invading my mind hurt Adam?" Jack hissed through gritted teeth.
"I've already got Adam contained, I just need to erase his existence. Imagine how distressed Tosh would be if he didn't turn up for work ever again," the Master mocked.
And those words caused something else to click in Jack's mind, "She seemed a lot more interested in you, recently..."
"I freed her somewhat from Adam's control," he smirked slightly now. "I can't help it that she's now grown interested in me."
Jack shook his head, turning back to face the Master, "What do you really want, then, Master?" he asked. He had just as good as said that Adam was a minor annoyance at best... there had to be something else, another reason for the Master to be sticking around Torchwood, instead of just disappearing to plot his evil schemes without their interference.
"I hardly think that's any of your business," He replied before shooting him in the chest.
The Master, after whipping Jack Harkness's memory of Adam and his true identity, deleted all the footage from the last two days so thoroughly even Toshiko or the Doctor wouldn't be able to drag the footage back. He had also learned that telepathy on a dead human actually worked, which was amazing but he sure it would only work on Harkness and not someone else. That man had proven himself the exception to also as many rules as the Doctor and himself.
He couldn't resist the urge to re-watch the footage of when the Freak had found out who he was the looks of horror and the tears had him in hysterics laughing. He was rather lucky that Harkness would be unconscious for the next two hours, as he had over used his telepathic skills. He would have to go after Mr. Not-so-sarcastic soon then after Tosh, as soon as the clip ended even. He wanted to try something before it became too late.
When the phone rang, the Master quickly pressed pause on the footage as he lunged forward and grabbed the phone.
"Hello, this is To-" his automatic greeting was cut of hastily by Toshiko's panicked voice.
"Ianto, where's Jack? Adam's missing, we were supposed to go out together tonight at 7 but he never showed up, I called him but he didn't answer!" Tosh
The Master rolled his eyes, briefly hoping that this was just a side affect of Adam's control and not just a side to her no one from Torchwood had ever seen.
He forced his voice to be worried but calm. "Jack is unavailable at the moment but I'll be round as fast as I can. I'm sure his battery just died," he said reassuringly.
"Hurry..." Tosh told him, as if he hadn't just said he would be there as fast as he could be.
It would seem he would have to change the order around a little; he would fix Owen last.
I have no ideas left for this fanfiction, and the writing, to be brutally honest, horrifies me.
If anyone wants to adopt it, you may.
