Chapter 56
By the time Jack reached UNIT Headquarters he realised that there was less than an hour left before Ianto was due to be transferred. Despite having broken the speed limits for most of the journey, blue lights running, there just wasn't enough time. He was severely tempted to drive straight to the medical facility, storm it and take Ianto, then deal with the aftermath later. It took more than a little self control to prevent him from doing just that.
Captain Marian Price was standing in the corridor outside Colonel Mace's office as Jack bulldozed his way through security. She watched as he shrugged off the attempts of the two uniformed men to hold him back, disarming them effortlessly, as his coat tails whipped wildly about his legs like those torn and ragged clouds at the edge of a hurricane. His face was set in an expression that meant business, his jaw jutting out, teeth tightly clenched and his eyes burning. He looked ready to take on anything that UNIT could throw at him.
Mace's secretary got up in a feeble attempt to ask him to take a seat and wait, but Jack was in no mood for polite requests. He just held up a hand to her in a gesture that brooked no arguments.
"I have an appointment."
With that, Jack just pushed open the door to Mace's office, Price following in his wake. Apparently the restraint she had seen him exercising the previous day had now snapped and he wasn't wasting time on niceties.
"I have a lot to discuss to with you Colonel, but not much time. So I am going to tell you my terms first and then, if you agree, we talk."
"What the hell are you going on about, man?" Colonel Mace had leapt up from his seat at the sound of someone crashing into his office.
"Ianto Jones is due to be transferred to your high security prison facility in -" Jack glanced at his watch, his heart racing as he saw just how little time was left, "in approximately forty five minutes. I want you to postpone that transfer. If you don't do so immediately, then you leave me no option but to leave now and share the information I possess with your superiors, and trust me, when they see it, they will haul your ass over the coals, demand an inquest and probably bring about a public inquiry into how UNIT is being run. Is that clear?"
"You, sir, have no right to come storming into my office, making unreasonable demands and threatening UNIT. Who the hell do you think you are?"
"I could be your worst enemy, Colonel, because I swear to you here and now, that if Ianto Jones gets locked up in your damn prison, then you will wish you'd never heard my name!"
"Do you really think that I am going to give way to that type of threat, Captain? Get out of here and don't come back until you are ready to apologise!"
Jack turned on his heel and was about to leave when Price caught hold of his arm. He hadn't even noticed her presence and although he tried to shake her hand off his arm, he found her grip was stronger than he'd anticipated.
"Jack? Hold up there." She caught his eye, pleading with him to let her intervene. "Alan, I think we should listen to what Captain Harkness has to say. I trust him, he wouldn't make idle threats and he certainly wouldn't resort to this without having an exceptionally good reason."
"Marian, the man's a law unto himself. I cannot allow him to behave like that in my office." Mace stabbed his finger in Jack's direction.
"If you don't want to listen, I haven't got time to waste standing here."
"For God's sake, gentlemen, can the two of you stop acting like overgrown schoolboys for one minute? Can't we just sit down and discuss this civilly – please?"
"I don't have time for this-" Jack hissed.
"Please?" Marian looked at the chairs and then back at Jack. He was livid, his face flushed with anger and his eyes flashing dangerously.
Jack rested his hands on the back of one of the chairs and looked directly at the military man standing behind his desk with a look of belligerence about him. He forced himself to speak slowly and quietly, in one last attempt to make progress.
"Colonel Mace, all I am asking at this point is that you keep Ianto in the medical centre until you have heard me out and checked that what I am telling you is the truth."
"Alan? It's not much to concede." Marian Price stood next to Jack, she felt that he deserved her support. "Dr Martha Jones also expressed concern at the detention of this man. If there is any doubt at all – we can't permit it. You know my personal feelings about that facility. The only reason it's allowed to get away with the way it treats inmates, which is appalling, is as a concession to the growing public demand that something be done to punish those who pose a security threat to this country. If he doesn't present such a risk it would be inhumane to send him there. You know that Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart has major concerns over our ethical standpoint these days, let's take the chance to prove ourselves worthy of the organisation he moulded." Marian knew it was a low blow to mention the Brigadier, but she was aware of how much the Colonel admired the previous leader of UNIT.
"Marian, I know you despise that place, but if Jones did half of what that report says he did, he should be detained there, without question."
"I can vouch for the fact that Ianto is no threat to this country's security –"
"Captain Harkness, of course you would." Mace sat down heavily, aware of a tension headache building up. "I'm sorry, but the rumours of your relationship with that young man really do negate any emotional plea you may make on his behalf. Sit down for God's sake, man. Marian has a point, this won't be settled with a shouting match."
"I have proof – and not only of his innocence, but of the indisputable guilt of someone you have working for UNIT, someone who really does pose a major security threat."
"I take it you want to trade one for the other then?"
Jack pushed his cuff back from his wrist to look at his watch. Only thirty minutes left.
"Please, I'm begging you. I'm not asking you to release him immediately, but don't send him away without hearing what I've got to say."
"Marian? You think I should agree to this, don't you?"
Marian Price nodded. He respected her as a good soldier, close friend, confidante and more.
Colonel Mace pressed a button on his intercom and spoke to his secretary issuing an order for Ianto Jones to be held in the medical facility until he gave instructions to the contrary, pending further investigations that were being pursued by himself and his staff.
"Thank you." Jack sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he finally took a seat.
"Don't thank me yet, I'm still not happy with your attitude, Captain. I suggest you start with the proof you have of a threat within this organisation. That is a serious accusation you are making and I hope you have some damn good evidence for any allegations you intend to make."
"Yes and I think Captain Price will be able to corroborate at least some of the facts."
Jack took a bundle of crumpled papers from the inside of his coat and flattened them out on the large desk.
"These are crates located in a cavern in the cave system, searched by my people alongside Captain Price's yesterday." Jack looked up to Price who nodded in agreement at the photos he showed.
Jack pointed at the worn labels that clearly showed serial numbers that matched those on photocopies of the transfer documents that he pulled out of the pile of papers and laid next to the pictures.
"These crates contain parts of the laser weapon used by the Torchwood Institute to destroy the Sycorax ship. They were designated for storage in the UNIT Black Archive – they never got there. The signature provided on the documents is that of a William Horwood, previously employed at Torchwood London, prior to his secondment to UNIT. He was responsible for the design of the laser weapon array on the Valiant-"
"The energy weapon we used to destroy the ATMOS factory?"
"Yes, that was a job well done by the way. Your call, Sir?"
"Captain Price took charge of the deployment of Hawk Major for that operation. I understand that it does have alien technology incorporated within it, although such information is, by its very nature, highly classified."
"Exactly, and Horwood allowed the original weaponry to be diverted from UNIT into the hands of an unstable and unregulated group. This could be the tip of the iceberg, who knows what else he siphoned off to that group from UNIT stores. Captain Price's men arrested Gates, a previous colleague of Horwood, and we know for a fact that he was selling genetically engineered viruses, capable of being used as agents of biological warfare, to the highest bidder."
"Damn, if this is true, we have a major breach in security." Mace looked at the paperwork that seemed incontrovertible; there was nothing there that couldn't be readily checked on UNIT databases.
"It is true and you do have one hell of a problem. I'm prepared to give you the chance to deal with it in house, or I'll have to go above your head. I'd rather we came to an agreement between us, but if that's not possible I have copies and backups of all this information."
"I'll arrange for Horwood to be taken off duty and placed under house arrest until we can verify your claims. Marian, I take it you can substantiate Captain Harkness' records of the material found in the Brecon caves?"
"Yes, Alan. I've examined the findings from yesterday's mission, those crates were found in the same area as the creature-"
"Creature?"
"It's being taken care of by the exobiology team. They think we should call the Doctor in."
"What creature?" asked Jack again, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"When we have dealt with this, perhaps you'd like to see it?" Marian thought Jack knew of the caged alien they had found, but no doubt there were other, more pressing, issues that were his primary concern. "No harm has come to it, we're assuming from its dentition that it is a carnivore and it has been fed and cared for. You may be able to enlighten us as to its species and planet of origin."
"I'd be happy to offer any help, as long as this is resolved."
"Marian – I'd like you to deal with this please, as you have the technical knowledge and background to find out what's going on. Could you get over to the Black Archive and take charge of the investigation?"
"With pleasure, Colonel." Price stood up, saluted her commanding officer, then turned to Jack. "May I take these papers with me?"
"Of course, and please contact my team back in Cardiff. Toshiko Sato will be able to provide you with any further information you require."
"Thank you, I shall. Trust me, Captain Harkness, I shall get to the bottom of this." Jack was relieved that she was to carry out the investigation into Horwood, she was a UNIT officer he had come to admire and she inspired confidence.
"Now, Captain, I have heard your very convincing arguments regarding a treacherous agent within our ranks. Now, I should like to hear your reasons why UNIT shouldn't go ahead with this man Jones' imprisonment forthwith."
"The evidence presented to UNIT that precipitated this order – I would like to see it."
"Not possible."
"Damn it Colonel, this isn't helping!"
"I don't have it here. But from what I have heard, he rebuilt a Cyberman under your nose, one that could have generated another army of the abominations. The report suggests it almost brought about the destruction of your entire base, Captain. Are you going to deny that? Furthermore, you withheld information about the entire affair from UNIT. You failed to inform us of that thing's existence - that isn't something we can sweep under the carpet."
"I am under no obligation to divulge to UNIT what Torchwood does. Any information shared is at my discretion."
"So, bottom line - he did sequester a conversion unit and a Cyberman in Cardiff?"
"Yes – and as a consequence of his actions he was suspended without pay for four weeks and then placed on probation for a period of one year."
"That doesn't change the fact that he assisted a Cyberman, an enemy alien, escape from the scene of a major confrontation. Collusion with the enemy is still treason."
"Maybe, but he did not take it from Canary Wharf with a mind to initiating a Cyberman invasion. His only concern was to save his partly converted girlfriend. He wanted to reverse the conversion process, to have her restored to human form."
"Do you have proof of that?"
"Yes – if I can show you something from this?" Jack held up his PDA.
During his frantic drive to UNIT Tosh had called to let him know that she had useful information and that she had transferred relevant extracts from the memory stick to the SUV computer. Jack had rapidly downloaded the files onto his PDA as soon as he had parked in the restricted zone outside the UNIT offices.
Tosh had painstakingly skimmed through hours of material seeking anything that could possibly exonerate Ianto's actions. She had succeeded in isolating scenes where, from the conversation alone, never mind the emotions in Ianto's voice, it was patently obvious that his one desire was for Lisa to be released from the metallic implants and devices that permeated her body. Jack had not had the opportunity to view these scenes, but trusted in Tosh to do the right thing. So, as he watched these scenes with the Colonel, he was seeing them for the first time.
The images that flicked up on the screen captured snapshots from what Jack realised must have been long, heartbreaking months of care and attention. He surmised that Ianto couldn't have got much sleep in all that time. He observed the care he took administering painkillers, set up feeding tubes and how he talked all the time of what they would do when she was better, when she was human again.
"Those are not the words or actions of a man intent on promoting the menace of the Cybermen or of building an army of them. He was just blinded by love into believing that the woman he knew was still there. The Cyberman manipulated him, using the memories of his girlfriend to get him to help it."
Colonel Mace sat quietly, his elbows on the desk, his clasped hands propping up his chin.
"I'll grant you that, Captain. It would appear that his actions bore no malicious intent and at worse he was deluded. That would certainly give me cause to reassess the charges placed against him. But that is not within my jurisdiction. I can only advise my superiors of concerns regarding the arrest warrant. It would take time and my advice could still be ignored."
"There must be something you can do! Because I meant what I said, if Ianto is not released, then I shall take my findings regarding Horwood to the highest authority."
"Although I cannot have these charges dropped just like that, I'd like to suggest a compromise. I can recommend that Jones be transferred to your custody, in your capacity as leader of the Torchwood Institute. UNIT could sign over responsibility for his detention to you. How you would intend to carry that out would then be at your discretion."
Jack stopped breathing for a moment as he let Colonel Mace's words sink in. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. Ianto wouldn't get the reprieve automatically, but he could take him back with him to Cardiff. He could only hope that Mace could persuade his superiors. He collapsed back into the chair, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"If you can do that, Colonel, I shall forever be in your debt."
