AN: I know in canon that Small Worlds came first, but in this Jack took hold of the case earlier than he did in canon to reflect that there are less victims gone missing than noted in the canon episodes.


A big massive thank you to everyone that has read and reviewed my stories, even just a little note saying that you're enjoying the story makes me happy :)


Chapter 9: Countrycide.

"So there are 15 people that have gone missing in this area in the past five months, the last person was time stamped because she was halfway through a phone call when reception failed in this area, she also told her husband that she was an hour and a half from home when the call failed, so we can narrow the place she disappeared to in this area." Andy told them, a map of the Brecon Beacons on the wall of the boardroom.

"Any leads?" Gwen asked.

"The lead detective on the case is baffled," Andy shrugged.

"There's a 20 mile radius of all the missing persons, are we sure they are connected?" Tosh asked.

"There's significant reason to believe they are connected." Andy replied. "It's a remote area of road and too high a number of missing persons all proven to have passed through this area to brush it off."

"Any links between the victims?" Gwen asked looking through the missing persons files.

"No bodies have been recovered." Jack replied, Andy had brought this to him first before Jack took the case.

Andy nodded. "But there's no link between age, race, sex, or even religion."

"Could this be rift related?" Suzie asked.

"Does the rift go out that far?" Matthew asked.

"There's no proof that it does." Jack said wearily.

"So maybe aliens have camped out in the Beacons?" Gwen suggested.

"No proof to that either, so we go into this, eyes wide open." Jack said sternly.

"This has probably nothing to do with aliens, might just be some damn suicide club." Owen snarked.

"Regardless we can check it out." Gwen said to Owen.

"Well the best place to set up camp would be where the most recent victim went missing." Jack said.

"I'm sorry, camp?" Owen asked.

"Would you rather stay in a place run by strangers?" Jack retorted.


Ianto gathered the camping equipment and set them into the two SUVs. Jack insisted on everyone going to this mission and Ianto was rather worried about it since Jack was acting incredibly nervous and insisted on going over basic safety procedures with their property.

Jack drove one SUV down to the Beacons with Ianto, Suzie, and Matt whilst Owen drove in the other with Gwen and Tosh. Andy and Jane stayed behind in Cardiff to watch the hub.

Once they reached the Brecon's Jack and the others started to set up camp, with Owen moaning the entire time, eventually Matt got so fed up he told Owen he'd set up his tent for him.

"What is that smell?" Owen yelled in frustration.

"That would be grass." Gwen replied frustrated.

Jack laughed. "The human race is unique in the fact that it goes camping. Celebrate your uniqueness."

"There's a good reason why we're the only shmucks to camp Jack. The aliens all figured out that it was pointless and disgusting." Owen kicked a tent pole again.

"We should play a game, who was the last person you snogged." Gwen said chirpily sitting next to Tosh at the firepit that Ianto built.

Jack almost groaned out loud remembering the last time they played this game.

"How old are you? 12? Who says snog anymore." Owen grumbled.

"Well mine was Rhys." She said happily, she'd tell everyone about her boyfriend. What about you Matt?"

"Me? Oh er, it was this girl I met last week, at a pub near my new place," Matt said shrugging.

"Just a kiss or…" Gwen trailed off suggestively.

"Just a kiss, we're supposed to be on a date tomorrow." He said pointedly.

"Well we'll try to get you back in time for this hot date." Jack grinned happy for Matt.

"What about you Tosh?"

Tosh looked uncomfortable. "It was Owen actually." She replied.

"What?"

"It was Christmas, there was mistletoe." Tosh elaborated and shrugged as if it meant nothing to her.

"I was your last snog?" Owen replied shocked. "Well bully for me."

"Owen?" Tosh said moving the game along.

"Jane." He grinned.

"What?" Jack spluttered, he didn't see that one.

Ianto smirked. "Well, she did almost knock you out after you tried it on with her."

"She punched you?" Jack laughed.

"It barely hurt." Owen muttered.

"She ended up treating you for a concussion." Ianto said happily, glad to see Owen get his comeuppance.

"How do you know Tea Boy, are you shagging her?" Owen asked hotly.

Ianto shook his head. "No, we're just friends, I helped her find her flat."

"What about you Jack?" Matt interrupted quickly.

"Are we counting non terrestrial lifeforms?" Jack joked.

"You're sick Harkness." Owen choked.

"I can never tell when he's lying." Gwen chuckled.

"What about you Ianto." Owen asked still trying to get back at him.

Ianto's happy mood disappeared in a flash. "It was Lisa." He said quietly.

"Who the hell is Lisa?" Owen snarked.

"Lisa was his girlfriend, she died in the Battle of Canary Wharf, the Cybermen tried to upgrade her." Jack answered so Ianto didn't have to lie.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Ianto." Tosh said sincerely touching his arm.

"Sorry mate." Owen said sounding suspiciously honest.

Ianto shrugged still looking down at his hands.

"I'm going to get some fire wood." Owen stood up and left quickly.

"I'll help." Gwen said feeling bad for starting the game.

"I'm going to check the equipment to see if there's any rift readings." Matt said after a moment with Tosh following him.

"You'll be okay." Jack patted Ianto on the knee.

"Yes sir." Ianto replied.


They sat in comfortable silence until Gwen came running back shouting they found a body in the woods.

"Why now? Police canvassed these roadsides three times in the past 5 months and never found bodies." Jack said watching as Ianto wrapped crime scene tape around the area.

Owen looked up from the body. "Maybe they got interrupted."

"Hmm."

"Well it's not the latest missing person, victim is male." Owen said professionally. "Late 40s 50s, no blood spatter or blood pool suggesting this is a body dump."

"So he was dumping the body and got interrupted." Gwen added unnecessarily.

"Yes, thank you for summing up what I just said." Owen said rudely.

"Maybe it's a warning. Marking out their territory." Ianto said from where he had just finished with the tape.

"Cause of death?" Jack asked kneeling down.

"Can't tell, he's just a carcass. Organs are all stripped from the body, hopefully post mortem." Owen continued kneeling over the body.

"Weevils?" Tosh asked sounding unsure.

"Doubt it. Weevils don't finish their victims off this way." Owen replied.

Jack started when he heard the car engine.

They all ran after it, Owen asking the question that spurred everyone into chasing their SUVs as they trashed the campsite they set up.

"Damn it." Jack cursed, he ordered Suzie and Matt to stay behind just for this and it still happened. Jack and Ianto arrived before the others Gwen hot on their heels as she was a good distance runner.

"Matt!" Gwen broke off spotting their downed agent.

Owen rushed over, pushing Gwen not too gently aside to assess his patient.

"He's fine, got knocked out." Owen said sounding slightly relieved.

Matt groggily gained consciousness minutes later groaning at the pain in his head.

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"Got jumped from behind." He replied. "I can't believe I didn't hear them."

"What about Suzie?"

"No idea. I'm sorry." Matt said apologetically, feeling like a failure.

"Don't worry." Jack said although he was worrying, they had Suzie captive.

"SUV will be miles away now, gunning it at 90 miles an hour." Owen said grumpily as he finished checking over Matt and now they all scoured the campsite for salvageable equipment.

"Actually it's 3.4 miles west from here." Ianto said holding the hand held PDA that he had on him.

"Yeah hitting the motorway." Owen continued.

"It's been stationary for the past 4 minutes, I'll go as far to say it's parked." Ianto replied with a smirk.

"There's a small village there, the only one for miles." Gwen said consulting a map.

"This is suspicious." Tosh said warningly.

"Yes it is." Jack agreed. "Ianto, call Andy and Jane, get them here for backup if it's needed. In the meanwhile we need to find our SUV's."

Ianto had already pulled out his phone and dialled Jane's mobile and brought them up to date as they began the walk to the village of Brynnblaid.


The walk to the village took just over an hour with their phone reception failing almost before Ianto managed to finish calling Jane and Andy. Once they got near Jack sent Ianto, Tosh and Matt to find the SUVs as quickly as possible, whilst Jack took Owen and Gwen to the village houses itself. He warned Ianto and the others to be as vigilant as possible and not to let each other out of sight.

Jack took Owen and Gwen to the houses, wanting to find Suzie as quickly as possible, Gwen found the first body and reacted violently to it, Owen said it was just like the body they found in the woods, organs and skeletal muscle stripped from the bone so only the husk was left.

When they reached the last house to check, Owen still having a further look at the first body Jack pushed Gwen to the other side of the door they were covering, a peak inside showed this was the one with the boy in it.

"Stay there, I'll go first." Jack ordered. He nodded to her and she opened the door as much as she could so Jack could get in.

The shotgun blast hit the wood of the door Jack having ducked out of the way almost before he even saw the boy, Gwen did what she had been told and stayed where she was luckily.

"Put the gun down, we're special ops." Gwen cried out to the boy.

"I thought you were them, I thought they were coming back for me." He cried in shock.

Jack kicked down the door properly, the flimsy lock and the damaged wood from the shotgun offering no resistance to his boot.

After hearing the boys sob story and learning again that there was a few other victims on the line as well as Owen running for them as soon as he heard the shotgun.

"We need to find out where their headquarters is." Owen said as they stood around the kitchen table, with the boy clutching his shotgun.

Jack snatched the shotgun out of his hands easily and set it carefully on the table, it wasn't the boys so there was no telling if it was used often, clean or in proper working order.

"Your job is to keep him alive." Jack said. "I'll find the headquarters."

"You can't leave us." Gwen protested.

"What about Ianto and the others, the plan was to meet back here with the SUVs." Owen said.

"Then meet them here," Jack replied knowing that in likeliness they were captured by now, his insides were churning in the unknown whilst knowing what could be happening to them.

"Suzie doesn't have time." Jack insisted.

"I agree, but we can't go in there half cocked, we do that we're all in trouble not just Suzie."

"They are probably watching us right now, it's their village."

"Their village?" Gwen noticed, "What do you mean?"

"There was one body in the pub, but there should be at least two people living there." Jack started.

"So the other could be the guy we found in the woods." Owen interjected.

"Each of these houses look like there should be at least two people living in them but we only found one body in one house, where is everyone else? The pub has had trade lately, where are the villagers?"

"They are probably victims as well." Gwen cried out angrily at Jack questioning it.

"Probably, don't assume. Assumptions like that can get you killed." Jack lectured. "Most important thing is to find Suzie, stop whatevers going on here and get this kid home."

"My names Kieran," He grumbled.

"The pub is easier to defend." Jack continued. "We'll set up base there."

"You do realise that this is the set for every zombie movie ever made right?" Owen said as they made their way over.

Jack helped board up the pub, remembering this time to lock the cellar door.

Gwen ran through everything they knew so far to try and find some sort of explanation or something they could use.

The lights of the pub turned off suddenly, casting them into almost total darkness, the creepy shuffling only caused to increase fear which was what they wanted, the front doors and side doors were pushed and smashed against from the outside to try and get in before a sudden silence that was even more creepy.

Owen, Gwen and Jack had a secure grip on their weapons covering each other and all points of access, the boy Kieran was tightly gripping the shotgun he got back but not in a defensible position, he was freaking out and scaring Gwen and Owen even more.

The entrance to the cellar was tried this time, and Jack spun to cover it with his gun as they tried to cave the doors in. Silence followed their defeat.

"Are they going to quit?" Gwen breathed as quiet as she could.

Jack and Owen didn't respond, their ears straining to hear any sounds.

Kieran stood up and pressed his back to the wall on the other side of the bar away from the external doors, his eyes wide and frightened trying to control his fearful panting.

The door to Kierans left suddenly gave and a shocked moment of stillness before the three members of Torchwood bolted into action, Kieran's arm was grabbed, he dropped the shotgun and batted the grip away and bolted away but tripped, he tried to scrabble forward but was seized from behind and dragged backwards. Jack managed to shoot over Kieran at the assailants trying to seize him, he heard several of the shots hit but Kieran was taken and the door shut after him. Since it was an internal door probably another staircase up to the staff accomadations they were in earlier or office it had bolts on the other side of the door and they were locked out.

"Shit, we lost him." Gwen cried out, "what now"

"We need to get him back, as well as Suzie. What else is there in this village? Gwen, do you have that map?"

Gwen nodded and took it out and spread it over a table, and focused her flashlight on it.

Jack scanned the layout on the map.

"Here." Owen spotted it first. "Some sort of big house, the scale is a lot bigger than these cottages."

"You think they could be holding them here. We've checked all these houses." Gwen said.

"It's logical." Jack agreed. "I hit one of them that took Kieran, I'm going to talk to him. You two need to head out now and try and catch up, don't get separated, don't even turn from each other for a second, these guys are quiet, and stealthy"

"Could they be using some tech to move like that?"

"No, it could just be practice. Ever met a ninja?"

Gwen shook her head trying not to laugh at the inappropriately timed joke.

"Get going, and keep your eyes open for the others. If you head through the woods here, it might give you a bit more cover." Jack showed them.

"I was thinking that. If they have lookouts we'd be able to get closer in the bracken and dense woods rather than waltz up the driveway." Owen said.

"Good get going." Jack turned from them giving them the map before heading to the door.


Ianto, Matt and Tosh headed to the other side of the village where there were a few houses in a row and expanse grassy areas of which the SUV was beyond. The screech of a fox startled them all, they all gripped their weapons, telling each other and themselves it was a fox or an animal.

Ianto tried one of the front doors whilst Matt and Tosh tried one of the other doors, all were locked. Ianto went down the side of the row of houses, whilst Matt went down the opposite side with Tosh going through the alleyway in the middle. The area was silent giving an eerie feeling that played on all their senses and played on their fears. Each had their guns out and pointed in front of them.

Ianto crept around the side of the house trying to slow his breathing, he took his gun from its relaxed position as he went around the side of the house, as he got to the back of the houses, he didn't see Matt or Tosh yet, he glanced at the PDA he had and saw the signal was coming over the hill, the scream startled him again and he almost dropped the PDA, he gripped his gun in both hands, PDA back in his pocket, trying to find the source of the scream, just a fox he told himself. He startled when he turned to the side and saw several dead animals hanging from a hook. He closed his eyes willing his heart to stop racing, he spotted Tosh come into sight, her gun drawn and alert.

Ianto nodded at her, and she spun on her heel and looked back into the alley behind her.

"Wheres Matt?" Ianto said as he came closer, he looked down to the other side of the houses where Matt should be emerging but he wasn't coming into view. "The SUV should be beyond the hill." He added unneccesarily.

"Maybe Matt found something?" Tosh said as Matt still didn't emerge.

Ianto moved closer to the end of the house, noticing Tosh trying the back doors of the house closest to her, she tried to give the door a few kicks to open it but they were all locked.

Ianto reached the end of the row and saw there was nothing there, it was silent, where had Matt gone? There had been no sign of struggle, he turned back to Tosh and saw she was gone as well.

Ianto tried to bite down on the fear, he had seen Tosh seconds ago, she was in his peripheral vision, how had she disappeared. He turned towards where he had last seen Tosh and moved quickly, she probably went back down the alley he told himself.

She hadn't, Ianto looked down the alley and there was nothing there, Ianto breathed deeply trying to think of a plan, if Tosh and Matt had been taking so suddenly without a hint of warning to alert them he had no chance now, Ianto deduced that maybe the best thing was to get the SUV like planned to help Jack help the others. Ianto didn't know what to do, he wanted to help Matt and Tosh but Tosh has been a field agent for years now, and Matt had a background in intensive various field training, Ianto had barely finished the training Jack gave him a few weeks back, he was in no position to be of any help. If he could get word back to jack that they had been taken he'd be more prepared right?

The choice was taken from Ianto when moments later he saw something out of his peripheral vision as well as a swoosh of cloth, he darted towards the source gun trained, and found nothing, he felt it again behind him, the feelings of paranoia crept up and he fought down the despair that had crept up and tried to focus on where the assailant was coming from, he tried to focus on his hearing like Jack taught him but if he believed that there could be two of them. He was pushed from behind, his gun falling from his grip to brace his fall, he turned as he fell to meet his attacker and saw darkness.


When Ianto awoke, it was when he was being dumped into a darkened room, he groggily sat on the floor as he heard the door lock behind him, the dull thud of a bolt being slid home adding to his helplessness. He focused on his surroundings around him, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, he noticed the room was quite big, but dirty and full of random things, including a fridge for some reason, it reminded him like an old style ice house that was converted.

Ianto crept forward and found Matt and Tosh lying on the floor, both still unconscious. Ianto checked their pulses and made sure they were in the recovery position and breathing comfortably. When he checked Matt he stumbled over another body he carefully looked at them to try and figure out who it was, his hands found long curly hair, it was Suzie, his hand found something wet and sticky around her temple, she had a bad contusion on her head that was probably the reason she was still unconscious, he checked her vitals were fine before backing away. He scrambled around for a bit longer and found a hook to be used as a weapon and sat down by Tosh to protect them until they woke up.

What seemed like hours later, but in reality ten minutes or so Suzie started to stir. She rolled onto her back and bit back a groan, a hand shakily coming to her forehead.

"Suzie?" Ianto asked quietly, coming closer.

"Ianto?" She sounded groggy, but recognised his voice.

"You got a bad hit on your head, I can't see much the light's terrible." Ianto told her. "Tosh and Matt are here too. Some sort of basement, the air quality is bad and sound reverberates slightly."

"You're rambling." She groaned.

"Sorry."

"Don't be," Suzie replied. "Help me up."

"You shouldn't get up."

"Tough, we're in a hostile situation." Suzie slowly got up with Ianto's help.

"Tosh and Matt are still out, hopefully they'll be up soon." Ianto said once she was sitting comfortably.

"Were you knocked out?" Suzie asked.

"Not really, I was awake by the time they shut the doors on us." He admitted. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Suzie replied. "There are some things you just can't control, this being one of them, we'll get out of this." She patted his hand.

Tosh and Matt woke up by the time Ianto had managed to help Suzie get rid of the majority of the blood on the side of her face with the handkerchief that he always kept on him, it wasn't too deep of a cut luckily, but Suzie was extremely groggy and unfocused.

Tosh immediately started to look for a way out. Matt helped her check the room out whilst Ianto checked the light fixture on the ceiling. The light had no bulb, whilst Matt scoured the room, Ianto ended up noticing the piles of shoes leading to a frightening realisation as to what that meant.

The locks to the door rattled, Ianto and Matt darted to either side of the door whilst Tosh took a defensive position in the room, Suzie not being as able footed slid on the floor towards some cover.

A shot gun entered the room before the middle aged woman who held it did. She was visibly shaking with fear apologising and asking for their health saying she couldn't help them. She admitted it was all for the harvest. She frogmarched them all upstairs by the shotgun, and led them into a room that smelled of death and decay surrounded by heavy plastic coversheets acting as flimsy doorways.

"Whats the harvest?" Matt whispered as they walked up.

"It doesn't sound good." Suzie admitted, leaning on Ianto for more support than she'd admit. "Considering what we found in the fridge downstairs, they are harvesting the people that are going missing."

"We're meat." Ianto muttered.

"We'll get out." Suzie comforted him.

Ianto nodded.

Moments later the full realisation of what was happening crashed around them, they were humans feasting on human flesh, cannibals.

Tosh, Ianto, Suzie and Matt stood in a line, their hands tied behind their backs their two captives a couple stood before them.

"Meat needs to be tenderised first." The man said as he surveyed them, making comments that they were all good stock and healthy, making jokes about Chinese food, Ianto stopped himself from correcting them and telling him Tosh was Japanese.

Ianto whispered to Tosh and Suzie that were stood either side of him as the man turned towards his partner. Tosh looked scared whilst Suzie understood his plan.

The man placed the baseball bat back on the side the threats firmly given to his victims, he stalked forwards eyeing the women carefully, he stepped to Tosh first slowly stating about tender meat as he caressed her, Tosh looked towards Ianto not wanting to consider what fears he was inflicting on her. Ianto nodded seriously at her reminding her of what he told her to do.

He moved onto Ianto next, going to grab Ianto but not expecting the full on grin that Ianto gave him. Ianto headbutted the man Tosh and Matt took the incentive and darted past, Matt pushed the woman violently into the wall to stop her pursuing them.

Suzie pushed into the man taking him down hoping Ianto would run away with the others, Ianto did but the woman had regained balance and bodily threw herself at Ianto's retreating back and took him down in a rugby tackle. Suzie tried to hold the man down but he threw her aside and stood up, he stalked past Suzie giving her a kick for good measure, he grabbed the scruff of Ianto neck and pushed him against a table face down, he said something in his ear and left.

Both Suzie and Ianto were forced to their knees and a bag over their heads in the room. They could sense that more and more people were entering the room the quiet hum of voices as they passed through the room. Another person was thrown in beside them, but they had no idea who it was.

Tosh and Matt made a mad dash for the woods, Matt followed Tosh realising that Ianto and Suzie were not following. Matt heard them being followed by the man that seemed to be leading the show, he was shouting out to them.


Owen and Gwen were cutting through the woods up to the main house, they had passed a main road where they saw the flashing blue lights of a police car.

Gwen flagged down the car eagerly, Owen restraining from rolling his eyes. Gwen spoke with the officer, thinking that he was there for the same reasons as they were. The officer was a native welsh, and said that he was there as part of the village meeting at the big house tonight.

Owen felt that it was strange coincidence, but figured that if there was an alien influence here, this officer was just showing up for the same date they had each month not knowing any better.

Tosh and Matt were making a run through the woods, hands tied awkwardly behind their backs, trying to evade the man chasing them. Matt saw Tosh take a tumble and panic when she struggled up, but she righted herself, but they lost precious seconds. Matt was taken down by a rugby tackle, a punch to the head making his earlier slight concussion worse, he tried to clear his head as the man got off him but when he managed to stagger onto his knees, he could barely see where he had gone through his blurred vision.

The man had caught up with Tosh and instead of what he done to the other man he straddled her, both meaty hands on her neck and started to strangle her, it was an intimate way for someone to die to have that persons life literally slipping away in their fingers. He didn't notice others approaching until a cold muzzle of a gun was pressed to his temple, he carried on strangling the Asian girl anyway.

"Get off her bastard." Owen shouted angrily.

Owen kicked him off Tosh roughly, his weapon trained on his as he helped Tosh up. Tosh told them quickly everything she knew, that Ianto and Suzie were still back there and Matt had escaped with her.

"It's the Harvest." The man had claimed.

"Whatever." Gwen barked roughly. "You can arrest him now." She addressed the police man.

The copper didn't move.

Gwen repeated herself.

"Arrest my own uncle." The copper laughed.

"Going to arrest me are you Huw?" Evan laughed.

The Police officer joined in his uncles laughing, his gun pointed at Owen's head, Gwen belatedly got her own weapon drawn at the Police officer and a stalemate was starting.

"Shoot him." Evan demanded.

Owen shook his head slightly at Gwen who was in tears at the situation. There was no way they could get out of this alive if someone shot. So Owen allowed them to be captured.

Ianto and Suzie sensed the presence of all the others that Evan mentioned, the bags over their heads were roughly torn off and they were greeted by the sight of almost two dozen middle aged men and women some carrying bats or sticks, each one of them looking at them akin to hunger. They moved forward as one and Ianto and Suzie tried to protect their defenceless bodies by the weapons and punches and kicks that were delivered on them, tenderising the meat.

When Owen, Gwen, Tosh and Matt were all dragged into the slaughter house they saw all the villagers sitting or standing around the room, all waiting for Evan to return.

"Who are these people?"

"Who else are they? We all live here." Evan chuckled darkly.

"But all the villagers are dead." Gwen said naively.

"This is our village, this is our Harvest." Evans wife Helen told them proudly.

"Only in the countryside you sick fucks." Owen said bitterly as he realised they were all in it.

They were all pushed into the kitchen that was surrounded by large plastic sheets stained in blood, the boy Kieran was sitting on the floor, his arms and legs tied up.

Gwen asks after the boy as Tosh and Matt looked around for their missing teammates.

"Where's Ianto and Suzie? What have you done with them?" Tosh cried out.

Evan backhanded her, but Tosh looked back defiantly.

"They are just meat." Evan chuckled mirthlessly, nodding at his partner/wife who knelt down and dragged someone into view pulling the bag from their head.

They saw Ianto, his face bruised and bloody from a vicious beating. The woman pushed him forward so his back was against the table he was next to, his face contorted in pain giving Owen the assumption that ribs were bruised at the very least. The woman Helen bent back down and dragged someone else up, it was Suzie who looked in a worse condition, Ianto was alert whilst Suzie seemed to be fighting to stay awake, her eyes were drooping and rolling slightly, as blackness threatened to take her under.

Evan walked over to Ianto and Suzie, he picked up a meat cleaver that was lying on the table.

"Time to be bled." He stated darkly as he grabbed Ianto.

The others stared in shock at what was happening around them, they were going to have to watch this.

"Like veal," He stated as he grasped the back of Ianto's neck and pulled, making Ianto's neck more accessible, Ianto made a small whimper through the gag as he knew what was coming.

"It takes longer, but it makes it taste so much better." He said longingly pressing the meat cleaver to Ianto's neck.

"You sick fuck." Suzie barked from next to them where Helen was holding her hair to keep her head from lolling around.

"I'm busy here pet." Evan chuckled.

"Right, make yourself look big eh, go for the boy who you tied up and got your mates to beat up, pathetic aren't you." Suzie snarled at him. "Does it make you feel big tying him up and threatening to kill him? Compensating for something are we?" She smirked.

"Shut it you bitch." Evan growled turning on Suzie pushing Ianto away from him, he raised the meat cleaver to her face to shut her up.

"Or what?" She asked defiantly.

The glass bowl on the table began to shake slightly, the light fixtures and loose objects also started to shake.

"What is this?" Evan asked. He focused on Suzie who had lipped him ignoring the shaking.

"I'd imagine," Suzie started as the shaking grew more intense. "That it's the end of your little sick factory here."

"I don't think so bitch." Evan growled pressing the cleaver to her throat.

A loud crash accompanied one of the walls crumbling inwards, by a heavy duty old style tractor that crashed into the side of the house, Jack jumped out of the cab and began to shoot everyone whilst they were still in shock, he only did shoot to injure shots. Jack shot Evan first in the leg before aiming at the other villagers.

Once the smoke cleared and Jack surveyed the damage taking a last shot at the bent copper who was reaching for his gun. Jack cut the ties that were binding Owen and the other Torchwood members closest to him.

Ianto's muffled cries all drew their attention. Owen barrelled past Jack to Ianto and Owen, none to gently punching Evan who was still conscious.

Jack rushed after him and drew Ianto to him, thanking whoever there was that he was okay.

"Shit, Jack we need some clean material here, Suzies bleeding out." Owen said his hand already pressed to her neck wound.

Jack had been taking the gag and ties off Ianto and froze in shock. "What?"

"Gwen get to that coppers car, you must have a first aid kit in there?" Owen asked,

"Yeah, there has to be." Gwen agreed rushing to the police officer and fishing his keys from the pocket before running from the room, Tosh going with her to cover her after taking Jack's spare weapon from him.

Moments later Gwen and Tosh were back. Gwen was carrying the first aid kit, whilst Tosh had the found the house phone, maybe the only one in the village that actually worked and called for ambulance, she also called Andy and Jane who had gone to their original camp site and were trying to trace them.

Owen ordered Gwen to open the kit and hand him all the bandages and worked as hard and fast as he could on the cut on her neck.


An hour later the ambulance and police teams were going over the entire village, an ambulance had already taken Suzie and Owen to the nearest hospital in the hopes of helping her. Ianto was sitting in the open boot of the SUV waiting to go home, whilst Tosh was speaking with a paramedic nearby.

"I need to talk to Evan." Gwen said to Jack earlier within earshot of Evan who smirked. "I need to know why this happened."

Jack had pulled her to one side. "Firstly desperation gives him the advantage in any interrogation, so no you don't speak with him."

"It's too much Jack. All of this?"

"Listen, anything he will say to you is going to play on your fears, they are sick people Gwen, okay. Just accept that."

Jack watched as Gwen watched Evan be lead away Evan had taken a sinister glee that Gwen was so bothered by his operation, and grinned at her happily as he was pushed into the back seat of a police car. Jack was oh so very tempted to give UNIT a call and find them a nice cell for the rest of their lives.

Once Jack decided they were of no more use here he gave Tosh the keys to the other SUV and put Matt and Gwen in the car with her and took Ianto with him. He knew that Ianto had bruised ribs so had tried to make him comfortable. Once everyone had been taken home Jack went to the hospital that Suzie and Owen were at.


Once inside he found Owen.

"What's happening?"

"Jack." Owen stood up. "It's not good. The cut on her neck is closed now, took some stitches but shes taken some nasty hits on her head, the pressure on her brain is too high, if it creeps up any more the next option is surgery to relieve the pressure."

"Okay."

"But, she's also taken some nasty body hits, her kidneys, liver, lungs pretty much any organ has been hit, so her body is in shock, we're keeping an eye on all her major organs, in case of them going into shut down. Jack she's in a bad way, I'm not sure if she'll make it." Owen admitted.

"You said she was beaten, they did the same to Ianto" Jack asked.

"I've already spoken to Tosh, she oversaw the paramedics checking him over, Ianto himself admitted that Suzie kept trying to attract the attention. Ianto is fine, he's got three cracked ribs and bruises but I don't think he's in any danger."

Jack nodded. "Is there anything we have that could help Suzie?"

"No," Owen sighed. "It's the pressure on her brain that's the worst. There's a fear of infection but we've got her on antibiotics and given her a tetanus shot just in case."

"You're going to be here a while." Jack stated.

"Yes, you?"

"Oh yeah." Jack took a seat next to Suzies bed in the ICU.

Several hours later Suzie crashed and Jack was forced to jump out of the way as Owen and a team barrelled into the room to help her.

Jack was forced from the room and paced the corridor as he heard the voices inside and the pitiful sounds from the heart monitor. Ten minutes later Owen emerged.

"We're taking her up to surgery now." Owen said as the bed was rolled out the room. "We can't wait any longer, she crashed, but we got her stable, but the pressure in her head has increased too rapidly, she could have an intercranial hematoma, we need to minimise the risk. I'll call you when we are out of surgery. Go home Jack. I'll stay with her." Owen said as the lift doors shut on Jack.

Jack sighed and left the hospital driving slowly across town, not knowing where to go, or what to do, it was mid afternoon now, they had been at the hospital for hours, he had told the team not to go to work today. To recover from the nights events, but asked Andy and Jane to keep an eye on the rift monitors and to call Tosh and Gwen in for backup if needed.

Jack was bored of driving around so went back to the hospital and lingered around the waiting room they directed him to when he learnt that Owen and Suzie were still in theatre.

"Jack." Owen had come through the door, he was wearing hospital scrubs.

"What happened? She OK."

Owen shook his head. "She crashed again, mid surgery. It took some time to stabilise her, but we did. There was evidence of a small hematoma in her brain when we tried to relieve the pressure, I've sent for more scans and I got these."

Owen opened the file that Jack noticed he was carrying and put them on the light board. He turned the light on and Jack saw the three images that Owen was showing him.

"Suzie has slipped into a coma, with these scans I don't think she'll even pull through."

"But." Jack stuttered.

"She must have had a hematoma either during transport or before that's why the pressure wasn't sky high. But crashing twice, once during surgery caused complications, shes on a respirator and her brain functions are minimal, she's brain dead Jack." Owen told him quickly.

"But, she." Jack stared at the scans trying to make sense of it. "She was supposed to be okay." He whispered.

"Come on, I can take you to her." Owen said, "And I want to call the others in, to say goodbye. Rare we get to say goodbye."

Owen took Jack to Suzie's room where she was attached to a heart monitor, respirator and an EEG to monitor her brain waves.

Jack noticed that the respirator was forcing her lungs to breathe and the EEG readings were flatlining, the heart monitor beeping slowly.

Jack sat by her side.

"I'll give you a minute." Owen left the room.

"I'm sorry. I was supposed to save you. I thought by getting rid of the glove, that you would be safe." Jack said after a few moments, he picked up her hand, she was a bit cold.

He watched her face for any sign of life, the tube down her throat and the electrodes across her forehead belied that evidence.

Owen came back, saying that he called everyone over to say their goodbyes.

The team all entered separately and said their goodbyes to Suzie, none of them disturbed Jack who was sitting silently staring at Suzies unmoving face.

Ianto was the last to enter and stood by the end of her bed.

"I'm sorry sir, this is my fault." Ianto said after several minutes silence.

It took Jack several seconds to realise that Ianto had spoken to him. "How on Earth is it your fault?"

"I was there too, but she…I should be in the same position as her."

"She saved you." Jack said finally.

"She did. She said that she couldn't let me die. She thought she was on borrowed time, like she was supposed to be already dead, she said that she wouldn't let Evan kill me. He had the cleaver on me, she distracted him from me. It should be me that's dying."

Jack stood up, stumbling a tiny bit as he readjusted from sitting down for so long.

"She saved your life Ianto. It was her choice to make." Jack told him hugging him. "She was a hero."

Ianto hugged Jack back as tightly as he could with his sore ribs.

"Do you want a minute alone with her?" Jack asked wiping Iantos tears away quickly before he wiped away his own.

Ianto nodded and Jack left the room.

"Is he okay?" Owen asked as Jack stepped out.

"Survivors guilt." Jack muttered, knowing what that felt like.

"For what?" Gwen asked confused.

"Suzie and Ianto went through the same thing." Tosh explained. "Ianto was very brave out there. He headbutted Evan, then pushed Helen aside, but she grabbed him, which was how Matt and I escaped. I think Suzie knew she couldn't run she had a concussion already, so Suzie jumped on Helen to give Ianto time to run but Evan recovered quite quickly." Tosh giggled slightly at the memory of Ianto grinning and headbutting Evan.

Jack smiled. "Brave man. It's always the quiet ones that surprise you."

"Wow, Tea Boys got balls." Owen said in awe. "And no Jack, don't say you've seen them, want to see them or anything like that please." He said quickly as Jack opened his mouth.

Jack smiled again. "I wasn't actually. But Ianto's full of surprises."


Reviews!