11

Faith had walked the evening air. She had sat at a park bench as dusk approached and turned cards, tapped her finger and sighed. She had talked softly of what she had foreseen and Ianto did not like this. She was never wrong about her visions and his only saving grace was that she assured him that it was not a fixed point. A variable. He had time to adjust the settings as it were.

Ianto knew he would have to do something about these little shits popping in about the place and he had many options but decided the easiest would be the most unpopular amongst the others in the area. Ianto knew he would need some super strength to do it, it might deplete him and he would need time to recover but it ws becoming clear that he had little choice but to do this.

Close the portals, lock it down and clean up the mess.

The first part was doable but the second? That was going to be a problem and he knew it would not be an easy task to track down heavens only knows how any of these little horrors currently in the realm of man.

Ianto slid into Jack's office and settled in the chair to wait for Jack to finish his phone call. He did o with his usual flair, telling the persons on the other end to polish his knob, then slammed it down with glee, leaning back in his own chair to look at Ianto.

"I must reinforce the shields of this realm. Only way to stop the portals popping open all over the place. More are going to come and it will be the start of a major invasion that could wipe out man. Only the Rift will be able to penetrate it." Ianto said as he watched Jack swing his feet up onto the desk.

"How will you do that?"

"I will cast spells, incantations and magic shit" Ianto said blandly, making Jack grin.

"You are telling me because …?"

"Because I will be vulnerable during and for a short time afterwards. Anything on this side of the veil will feel what I am doing, will know what is happening and may see the opportunity to have a go at me. This will not be easy, I will expend a great deal of energy and will be vulnerable to attack." Ianto explained.

"Well… do it here so they can't get you… right. No?"

"No. I have to go to the Wilding Wood, the clearing where the Mara play. It has mystical properties, the leylines and such... it has a power to it, a connection to all around it. The best possible place to do it, if we want it to stick." Ianto shrugged.

"Out in the open. At night?" Jack grimaced, knowing the answer even as he said it "great."

"Yes. Jack… this is not getting better without intervention. They are emboldened now and I think that they believe me old and weak. This is a power play by someone who is looking to take my dirt. It happens every few millennia." Ianto leaned forward and smiled softly as he saw Jack's dismay "Hey. Life is a battle remember? Even an immortal knows pain and the fear of their life-force maybe not being as powerful as they hope. I will not die. This will not kill me… but there is a possibility that while I am compromised I can be caught."

"Genie in a bottle" Jack whispered.

"I hate that term. Yes. I can be caught, contained. And if so...enslaved" Ianto nodded, letting Jack take a moment to think this through.

"So… you cannot die but you can lose your strength, power. In that time if you are enslaved… when it returns you cannot break frees?" Jack asked with interest.

"Exactly. Upon finding my powers resorted I will not be the same person anymore. IF enslaved during my power down .. I will be forced to remain subservient until I am either released or … destroyed. My power shared with my master, my life theirs. My power… theirs. I will be… well… hobbled."

"But.. you are immortal" Jack pointed out "Right?"

"Jack… all must have a beginning and an end. Even us. Will we cease to exist? Become trapped between worlds in the void? Who knows? I do know some of my kind no longer exist here. Immortals bashed to some sort of limbo. It can happen" Ianto rose and started to pace, his discomfit in even talking about this thrumming between them.

"So what do you want to do then Tiger?"

"I… I think… something's happening Jack! Something is happening" Ianto said, turning to run from the room and Jack followed as the klaxons started to sound and the team scrambled to their workstations.

"Multiple spikes" Toshiko called out with excitement "Three…four…six… oh my god. Ten!"

"They are coming" Ianto said with sorrow "the invasion begins. I have to do this now. No more time"

Jack turned to say something but as he did Ianto seized his face in his hands and kissed him hard, the team sitting there with their mouths open as they watched Jack cling to Ianto like a heroine in a movie welcoming her man home from sea or something. Then Ianto released him and stepped back.

"Ianto…"

"I must do this" Ianto said sternly "for is it not a Friday? It is time. It is me who can do this, must. For I am the Friday Man. I love you." Ianto said then took a deep breath "Meet me there. No time to wait for you, I have to start now before more portals open."

"Fifteen" Toshiko said softly, trying got work out what was happening and then to the shock of all except the man he loves Ianto swirled and twisted transforming into pale blue smoke that slowly swirled up into the rafters then dispersed.

Jack stood staring at the spot then turned and started to run for the doors, shouting at the team to get ready for a night of mayhem, turning to look back as he pulled his coat on for himself. Felt weird. He fiddled with his VM and the aviary doors started to open above. "Balls to the wall kids… the circus has come to town and those clowns are as deadly as Pennywise!"

Then he was gone and Owen blinked, then shot from his seat to race after him.

Gwen reached for her phone "I'm calling Rhys."

Toshiko rolled her eyed and turned to watch the CCTV as Own reached the SUV and managed to get in as Jack started to move off.

Action.

Above them Myfanwy took to the skies.