9

Ianto has been searching for a while and the feeling is growing as he turns a corner.

Ianto stops, hearing something- he looks up and he runs up the stairs, gun in hand- rounds a corner and- arrives behind the Blerg, who looks at him, confused, then looks down to realize he is now at the edge of a dangerous drop- Ianto shrugs. Ianto calmly pushes him over the edge and the engines change pitch for a moment as they imbibe the unusual fuel- The engine changes pitch again and she falls out of orbit, the anti-grav disengaging as whatever their plan was began.

"Rhys" Ianto says softly, then he gives the order and up on the bridge Rhys calmly jams the key into the chair and twists it as he orders the crew to join the search then he removes the key and leaves the room as the Berg watch with confusion.

Ianto races up to the fourth floor- throws open the door- and finds himself in zero gravity. Ianto pulls himself to the door of the secondary meeting quarters, opens it.

He looks at the charges planted on the ceiling.

"How the hell do I get you off my boat?" Ianto mutters as he looks up at the charges, while he floats into the room. The crew members that were not on the bridge are floating, loosely connected by their shackles in the far end of the room and Ianto feels a sick anger in his gut. Ianto looks at them, then the charges and his eyes narrow as he suddenly sees a way out of it.

Ianto floats on top of the lab, one floor below the bridge on which the Blergs are all gleefully celebrating as they try to work out the controls for the vessel, planting small charges on the ceiling. He sets them, grabs the other explosives, then pushed away, shooting down the shaft that runs the upper levels of his boat for the lift.

He hits the detonator blasting though the membrane of the vessel, in a circular motion, like a huge can opener, we move into slow motion, the fireballs flaming out in graceful licks and Ianto zooms back down the shaft to the bottom and hooks into the cargo bay, scrambles to arrange the sleepers on the floor of the Away Ship at the bottom of her belly- Rhys pulling them in and they close the door with a resounding thud.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Rhys asks.

"I have no other choice, too many charges I can't locate" Ianto sighs says as he checks everyone is buckled in, "Whatever gas they used to disable the crew dissipated quickly, I wonder if they will be so euphoric one she starts to really drop atmo."

"Are you OK?" Rhys asks from the co-pilot's chair as he watches Ianto's hands shake while stroking the face of one of the young cadets. Ianto then moves to the pilot's seat grateful that Rhys left it open. He needs purpose to this now.

"I can't believe we were overtaken like that" Ianto snarls angrily as he slaps at the button to disengage the couplings and they drift from the only home away from home he had, "I have never been so pissed in my life."

"Well, they are going to be in bits about it soon enough" Rhys quips as he holds up the key and Ianto accepts it, looking back at the large boat as it starts to roll above them and Ianto sighs as he moves the Away Ship out of the rolling ship's path. Their eyes follow the hulking beast as it turns in a slow corkscrew overhead and then moves away like a whale that has grown bored with them as playthings and the secondary charges now go off, the vessel seems to blow apart like paper.

"Shit" Rhys huffs as the force of the blast gently pushes them back, "pretty."

Ianto watches it all fly apart, the embers lighting the area as the fires flare and die without oxygen to feed them, his heart heavy as he realises he has left the tunic on board.

He will not be able to sleep without Jack's scent tonight…shit. Jack.

Ianto groans as he looks for the nearest vessel with their colours and hopes Jack isn't watching that shit-storm he has created.

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Jack sat stock still as the screen exploded with noise and bluster, multiple voices as the reporters all screamed that it was Ianto's vessel, the crying of one woman shrill and Jack reached for the remote, silencing the noise and he breathed deeply, closing his eyes.

Not him.

It was not him.

Jack felt the warmth that had been in his heart since that first true kiss, still there.

Still true.

Ianto was not on that ship.

Jack was sure.

He turned the screen off and rose to walk shakily to the window and watch the children play, his son lying on a blanket in the sun as his doting Grandpa proudly rubbed his little belly. Jack didn't know what his father was saying but knew it was praise and the little one grinned happily back at him.

Jack watched his family and breathed deeply.

It wasn't him.