SUSPENSION 11

He was certain his skull would split apart at any moment. He was by now blinded by the pain in his head as so much information coursed through every nerve ending in his body. Revelation after revelation; eons, ages, wars and cataclysms. Ianto absorbed it all, through every pore in his skin. His voice had gone and the noise around him was sheer nonsense and deafening. He just wanted for it to end, to be given the answers to his questions, to be made to understand. Though he was sure that deep down he really didn't want to know. There was darkness and chaos and in the midst of it stood one figure. The white light filled his vision again, the torrent of knowledge stopped, but the chaos remained swirling in his peripheral senses, and there he stood. The one fixed point in the universe destined to live through billions of tears as the ages slid by him. Ianto saw him and reached out his hands as if searching for an anchor. The man reached back, his hands outstretched desperately seeking the contact. Ianto hitched his breath in horror, drowning in someone else's madness, but he held out his hands anyway, realising that he was the anchor. Jack's anchor and suddenly he understood what the Mara were trying to tell him. The touch was like fire and ice, burning and cooling, torment and serenity. Everything stilled as if suspended in amber and Ianto finally found his voice.

"Jack?"

"Ianto."

A blanket of black enveloped them.

Jack was distracted from his personal demons by the com beeping in his ear. He touched it and smiled at the sound of Tosh's voice.

"Jack I've got a massive energy spike, right here in the Hub. GET BACK HERE NOW!"

Jack put his foot down. "Two minutes Tosh. Is it the Rift, is something coming through?"

"No Jack, it looks like a dimensional breach, like the one in London, only smaller.... and yes something is coming through." She sounded scared, and rightly so she was there alone.

Jack cursed. "Tosh, arm yourself.... better still get out and go into lock down."

"Too late for t........"

He viciously swung the SUV into the parking bay and got out running as fast as he could, swearing at the security protocols for getting into their base. Webley in hand he pounded up the stone steps into the main area of the Hub, he scanned the area.

"Tosh!"

"Over here Jack. Get over here. It's Ianto... It's Ianto he came through the breach."

He found her bent over a figure lying on the grill floor by the couch and got down by her side. There was Ianto lying pale and unconscious in the same clothes he had disappeared in less than hour before. Jack gathered him up in his arms and carried him down to the autopsy bay, yelling instructions to Tosh as he went.

"Call Owen, tell him to get back here ASAP."

Tosh didn't hesitate.

Jack carefully deposited Ianto on the metal table and hooked him up to Owen's monitors and breathed out a sigh of relief when he noted that all of Ianto's vitals were reasonably normal. He grabbed a blanket and spread it over him and then stepped back, wondering why on earth the young man was back there so soon. Ianto showed no signs of waking up so reluctantly Jack secured a set of straps across his chest and went up to join Tosh at her work station.

"The energy levels?"

Tosh was rapidly tapping keys. "Everything is back in the green. What the hell is going on? Is that our Ianto?"

Jack nodded "Yes, at least I think it is. The Mara took him away about an hour ago."

Tosh's eyes widened. "What is going on?"

Jack really didn't want to go into details. "Is Owen on his way?"

Peeved at Jack's deflection she nodded. "Yes, says he'll be here in few minutes."

Tosh folded her arms across her chest. "I'd like some answers Jack."

He shrugged at her. "I don't have them. The Mara threatened his family, Ianto went with them.... There must be some kind of rule about having to take people who are willing to go.... either way they must've gotten bored with him and sent him back."

Tosh looked over his shoulder in the direction of the autopsy bay. "You said those things were ageless, could move through time."

Jack nodded.

"Then how long was Ianto away for?"

He felt his heart flutter with worry at the thought. "For us? An hour. For him? Tosh, I have no idea... days... years even."

"It can't be that long, he looks the same."

Jack followed her gaze to the young man. "Maybe they have a way of preventing the aging."

"That isn't possible, is it?"

Jack knew only too well. "Yes it is."

They were distracted by Owen entering through the cog door.

"Where is he?"

Jack pointed and then followed Owen down to the autopsy bay. Owen got straight down to business pulling out various bits of equipment to give the unconscious Welshman a very thorough examination. Jack and Tosh stood on the upper level watching in silence until Owen turned to face them pulling off his latex gloves.

"He's fine, just deeply asleep; best to let him wake up naturally, it'll be less freaky for him."

Jack arched his eyebrows. "That's it?"

Owen nodded. "We'll know for certain when he wakes up and starts speaking in tongues.... so far as I can tell he's unharmed, physically, that is. Now having completely ruined my night could someone please get me a cup of coffee?"