25
Ianto was slightly shocked by the effortless way the men worked, showing they did have a few brain cells and it saddened him to think that such a good asset had been used like this.
He wanted to speak but didn't instead trying to memorise the face of the man who helped him from the van and apologised with a look of sorrow that showed his embarrassment at their part in this game.
Ianto would have liked to have explained to him that this was all a game. A magic trick and he was just a prop but the pledge had been already shown in the taking of him and until the turn where he would show a trick or two to bamboozle them, he could not let them know the act was going as it should.
Ianto loved magic. Some of his kind had even gone into show business, enjoying the gasps of the audience, his own father had been deft with his hands. Ianto remembered well how he had explained to his children about the Prestige Act.
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"First comes the pledge." Ifan said softly as both little sets of eyes bored into him, "You let the audience see that you are not tricking them. You are just another normal lube. Then, comes the turn. You do something surprising like the bird you are showing them sitting innocently on you hand suddenly disappears!"
"But there never was a bird" Ianto interrupted his Da from his Mama's lap, "You magiced it on your hand!"
"Exactly little Yan" his father smiled, "Magic. They now see that you are capable of it and they all believe that is the truck. The turn was your grand thing. They will clap, gasp and shake their heads as they try to figure out what you did."
"The third part?" Rhiannon asked eagerly, as enthralled as her little brother as he sat at their Da's feet.
"Ah! The Prestige." He grinned, "What do you think I do for the prestige?"
"You bring the bird back!" she declared happily and Ianto silently watched. That was not the third part. It was more wonderful and unbelievable than that.
"Yan?" his father turned to him with a raised eyebrow "What do you thing the Prestige is?"
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"Yan?"
Ianto blinked as he shook himself from his fugue. Jack's voice in his ear almost frantic and he realised he had been gassed somehow, drugged. He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there.
Shit.
He focused on the wristwatch of one of the men and calculated a fifteen minute passing, cursing softly again as he looked around the simple room they were in.
The door opened and a man entered, Ianto recognising him with confusion.
"Mister Saxon?" he asked with surprise.
"Hello" he smiled back, "I am running for Prime Minister you know"
"Yes sir, I've seen the posters." Ianto replied somewhat nervously, "Quite impressive."
"Yes. You see, there is someone I have to get my hands on…as it were and it appears you can give me a hand with that." Harold sat and looked politely back at the prim young man.
Ianto caught the innuendos and knew that was a more dangerous situation that first thought. Harold Saxon had not been the one mentioned in any communications and was now so close Ianto could smell his….weirdness.
He was tapping his finger against his knee as he looked at Ianto, a four beat tattoo that was quite unnerving and Ianto felt his eyes boring into him.
"How may I be of assistance to you sir" Ianto asked politely, trying a bland smile.
"Your captain has something I want….need" Harold said and Ianto nodded. "A hand."
"Ah. That thing in the jar?" Ianto asked with wide eyes, "He keeps it near him and we have a poll going to guess the name he has for it. Only thing he doesn't talk to me about"
Harold laughed softly as he relaxed, seeing this man was not only willing to help but quite naïve in thinking he might get out of this. Ianto returned a polite smile.
"So. You will tell your …..Cariad…to give it over and I will give you back" Harold said with a flip of his hand.
"Not a problem" Ianto smiled, "Have you a means of communication? I will give you the website."
"Website?"
"Yes sir, Torchwood has a secure website. We can stream live" Ianto said and Harold reassessed the young man and his lack of fear. Perhaps he was worth keeping after all.
As Jack threatened and roared on the screen Ianto calmly gave silent signals that he knew Jack would appreciate later, the hand now clutched in Jack's hands as he told this Saxon all the things he was going to do to him if he touched his beloved.
As they got ready to meet a soldier entered dressed differently to the personal guards Ianto had a final revelation, looking around the room and he signalled to Jack who momentarily broke character as he stared back, not understanding straight away. Ianto repeated the signal for flight. Jack took a breath and placed the hand down, rubbing at his face.
"Where are you?" he asked.
Ianto made the sigh for high. Bird.
Jack nodded and looked at the hand, "You know Ianto, this better be worth it."
Saxon swung to look at the man who was looking at the screen with honest apology. Then he whispered a sorry as Jack lifted the hand once more and they arranged a meeting place for the next day.
By the time they were half way back to the room Ianto was being kept in there were warning alarms sounding.
"Sir, someone is trying to break our firewalls" a young woman was breathless and wide-eyed as she hurried towards them, "we are being hacked."
"What?" Saxon roared with horror.
"The Valiant had been compromised" she continued "We appear to have lost flight control and she is descending."
Saxon swing with a roar to confront the young man who had done this but found an empty space where he had been.
"Where is he?" he demanded, spluttering with rage as the soldiers all looked around with confusion.
The footage played on a loop as Saxon sat watching the screen, his face so close that his nose was touching it.
The young man seemed to …shimmer. His black suit with the pale silver pinstripes seemed to undulate and then…..
A small black raven flew up towards the camera and momentary blocked the screen off in black before it shot off down the corridor, Saxon still unaware that he had just been played talking to the young woman in the background.
He sat back and blinked.
Well.
How about that for a trick.