35

They waited for another hour before Ianto called a halt and examined the marking with his torch light, standing so close his nose almost touched them.

"Well?" Jack was impatient and couldn't hold it anymore "Are we close?"

Ianto looked up.

Jack smiled and turned to nod to John who holstered his weapon and started to climb the ladder, reaching the top and turning the large crank handle. A whoosh of air flew down the ladder and everyone sighed with relief at the sweet smell of freedom.

Jack touched Ianto's shoulder "I will follow John to sweep the area. We are trained in this, did it for years. Anything out of the ordinary, we will see it. Stay here hidden until one of us comes back and signals, OK?"

After the two had left Owen looked at Ianto and asked "What's the signal?"

"Fucked if I know" Ianto replied grumpily, tired and fed up with being the leader all of a sudden. Owen nodded and accepted the answer as he looked up the ladder once more, the others settling against the wall to wait as Rhys stood with his gun watching both sides of the tunnel.

Ianto knew nothing was near them so let him have his macho moment, something Gwen seemed to enjoy watching and Ianto was slightly relieved to see her looking at someone other than himself. He had known full well what she had been thinking and his skin crawled, he felt cheating was one of the highest sins.

After about twenty minutes that felt like an hour Jack's head appeared and he grinned down "Clear."

"Oh. That's the fucking signal then?" Owen shouted up and then laughed as he stepped back and motioned for Tosh to climb up ahead of him.

Ianto then helped them up one by one knowing the problem was coming as Janet stood watching silently. He had been pondering and knew there was little choice as he took off his backpack and dumped the stuff on the ground then before Janet knew what he was doing he put the straps though the dog's torso and placed it back on so he was sort of plastered on his back like a big angry baby.

"I know. Undignified but there ya go" Ianto puffed as he strained to climb the ladder with the weight, getting to the top to find Jack waiting to help him hoist the dog out. Stephen was almost in tears with relief, clutching at Janet as they struggled to get him out of the backpack and then Ianto turned to go back down.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked, seizing his arm and Ianto looked at him then saw what it looked like. Did Jack think he was leaving them now?

"My stuff, I emptied the backpack and I want it back" Ianto explained and Jack nodded, releasing him to watch him disappear. Gwen rolled her eyes at the display and went to slump on a huge sofa. Enid joined her which annyoed her and Gwen rose to go back to the portal, annoyed with the display Jack was putting on of lighting him with the torch as if the black would swallow him whole or something. Talk about overkill. After a moment's consideration she pulled her own torch from her pocket and joined him with a warm smile. She bent so her cleavage was in the best position shoudl Jack need some ... comfort.

At the bottom of the ladder Ianto placed the things back in the backpack, feeling around in the shadows for things that had rolled away and as he clambered back up he felt a sharp pain, looking up as Gwen winced down at him. Jack was gaping at her with shock.

"Sorry pet, dropped my light. Did it hit you?" she asked.

Ianto knew he should go back down for it but was too angry, clambering up to sit and touch his forehead, his fingers coming away bloody.

"Shit" Owen crouched and checked him "That's gonna leave a mark."

Jack was glaring at Gwen who was simpering about her torch. He snarled "Well, you've lost it now!"

Jack went to close the lid and Ianto sighed "No. Gotta get it. It's a signal to anyone else that stops at the ladder. They might become curious and climb. No, go down with a strong light and search for anything we dropped. When you get back up we employ the locks so no one else can climb."

Jack looked at him then nodded. He was right. As Jack climbed back down Enid looked around the room with Toshiko, noting the cleanliness of the place even after all this time. Gwen was just watching Ianto with a frown. Who made him King Dick?

"Air locks" Jim explained to Enid kindly "No dust. The air is circulated from outside via venting systems so if the atmo failed those in here would be safe. Amazed it all still works. Those Terra-formers knew their stuff. A sixteen man crew worked down here at six month stretches, swapping crews with mother ships orbiting."

Stephen and Janet had retreated to a side room and found a bed. Snuggled on top with relief as they both sought some comfort and rest. Ianto rose and went after them, standing in the doorway as he looked at the bed they were on and the other large one in the room then sighing as he pulled a blanket over them both. He went to the room next door which was a large bathroom with four shower stalls. Nice. Water runs? Yes. Hot. Good. Next room was another bedroom with five single beds, another two small rooms with a double in each then another two small rooms with two single beds in each. Sixteen people, some must have been partners? Made sense, long haulers.

"OK. Stephen chose a room for him, Jack and….me I guess. Gwen and Rhys can take a double, Owen and Tosh take a double, Mickey and Martha ... you can push two singles together I guess? That leaves Jim, Enid and Andy in the five bed berth with John. John … your boy Junior and his girl Sally in the other singles? Amazing, we can all fit … a bed to spare." Ianto sighed as he thought of Eugene then looked around the room. "Everyone OK with that?"

"Maybe me and Rhys should watch over the boy in that same room" Gwen snarked "We will take that room, you and Jack take one with singles then Martha and Mickey don't have to 'Push them together' after all!"

"Stephen will not agree to that. He is wanting rest, safety. His grandfather. Anyone else not happy with my decisions?" Ianto demanded angrily "Come on. Speak!"

"Actually … we will swap with Mickey and Martha" Rhys said, making Gwen swing to look at him with surprise "they can have the double. Me and Gwen don't always sleep in the same bed back home so … if I am helping with night watch I won't wake her shaking the bed to get up. She always bitches if I get up in the night for the loo."

Ianto knew there was something more to the statement and wondered if he had known about her goo-goo eyes for Ianto. Well. Good. She needed a good shock or three to wake up to the man she already has. He still hadn't noticed her move to Jack as a target.

Ianto nodded.

"Sorted then."