4
Ianto and Jack were almost ready but Ianto knew he needed one more thing, returning to the Tower before dusk late that afternoon with his bruised face in full view.
People gaped and asked, he told them truthfully the squad had done it and kept up the wide eyed defense of Yvonne's involvement making sure the cameras saw him. He headed to his old office and the woman behind the assistant's desk rose with obvious delight "Mister Harkness Jones! There you are... oh my goddess."
"It's looking worse than it feels Doris, Doctor Harper gave me some good pain relief. I am just here to let you know that I will likely be back next week. I am going to meet with Mother next week and we shall forgive this… weird time. We have all been under great stress and really… we all needed to remember the principle to live by. Peace and love."
"Oh… yes dear" she smiled "I have missed you."
"And I have missed you too sweetie" he winked "I also need to grab my coat… I do hope my office is still intact, please tell me someone has not taken it over already."
She bristled "Oh no! Don't' you worry about that! It is as you left it! I knew you would be back. This job is your life and personally… I do not think anyone else knows Mother as you do."
"Doris that is a kind thing to say. Ah… there is it" Ianto unhooked the old beat up brown jacket from the back of the door and turned to smile at her.
"That old thing?" she asked with surprise "It was always there. I have never seen you wear it."
"It was my grandfather's" he smiled as he rubbed his thumb over the collar. "Came from the Before Time, he put it around my shoulders the last time he saw me and hugged me goodbye."
"Oh… antique?"
"Yes. It is lined with real sheep's wool… it is cool in the evenings up on the mountain and we are going camping to shake this funk off. I feel the need for some comfort… in light of everything" Ianto did those sad puppy dog eyes that always made Jack melt and she flapped at him with concern.
"Oh darling… you go and have fun. Love those kids and then come back here and fix all the mistakes we have made" she gushed.
"Oh dear… there will be a few" Ianto rolled his eyes and she smiled as the sun came out again.
Ianto left her to ponder things, and then talk to her friends about the poor man and his face. Mother must be so angry!
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Jack leaned back and fiddled with the tech on the desks as he talked to some of his colleagues, all of them horrified by what had happened and more than one pissed enough to tell Jack there would be words with that elite squad who 'forgot' their insignias.
Jack sat and picked up another piece of tech, flicking it from hand to hand as he told them he was heading up the mountain for the weekend, hoping to make Ianto calm down. They all agreed that was the best idea.
Jack left them all riled up for an argument, his pockets full of…. Er… stuff and things.
Heh… heh.
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Owen and Toshiko were primly kneeling in front of the screen for evening prayers, the screen flickering to life, along with the camera. They bowed their heads and started to pray, then the camera light blinked out as they were counted and accepted as present.
Owen was up and moving as Toshiko reached out to pick up the photographs of her parents. She then calmly walked to the garage where their quad bikes were waiting, heavily laden. They got on board and looked across at one another, and then with deep breaths they started their bikes.
They headed up the same old path they usually took with lights on and noise. They reached the camp site that was already set up with a fire going and Ianto kneeling by the transistor radio. He was seeking the right channel… the right… ah. There it is. Talk back. Two men arguing about something and he turned it up, and then placed it in one of the seats.
Toshiko got off her bike and walked over to kneel by the little girl who had a doll in her arms humming to herself. Toshiko picked her up and headed to Ianto's bike, strapping the little girl into her seat and Henry came running from where he had been playing with his little cars, clambering into his seat with glee "Are we going somewhere fun Auntie?"
"Yes… come on darling" she crooned, placing the little crash helmets on them with loving care.
Then she got on the bike and looked over at the men waiting on their own bikes, Ianto of course on Toshiko's jacked-up ride. Then she nodded and all started their engines, the extra mufflers Owen had fitted while waiting made the bikes quieter and to anyone down below… silent.
Jack and Owen led the way with the night vision goggles and no lights on any bikes, Toshiko behind them and Ianto came up the rear with a weary eye behind them in case of discovery but they had a feeling there would be no problems here. The dark was their best cover and they knew they were on borrowed time. As they wound up the trail Ianto felt a twist in his gut knowing they were doing something that went against everything he had been taught… and the only option left now that they knew the truth.
Owen and Jack stopped, waiting for the other two to catch up then Owen pointed "there. That is the way out."
Jack brought binoculars up and checked, the infrared telling him there were sentries out there like they had been afraid of. The new security protocols were already being put in place. "Fuck."
"OK. So… plan B?" Ianto asked.
Jack lowered the binoculars and looked over at him "Are you sure? We do this and… we really cannot turn around. It's final."
"Jack, this was final the moment we spoke it out loud around the fire pit" Ianto replied softly "do it."
Jack pulled the piece of tech from his pocket and peered back down the mountain at the distant lights of the town below and took a deep breath. Then he pushed a button and the Harper House erupted with a huge fire ball… the resounding boom following a few seconds later.
"Wow" Owen said softly "Use enough explosive there Cappy?"
"Well… we don't' want much left. We want them to think you were in there" Jack replied "Then they come looking for us and find the camp… think we went down the other way after seeing the explosion… it will be fucking hours before they finally get that we are gone."
"I never liked that house" Toshiko said with glee.
"And I am cold… the kids are asleep and it's time to book it" Jack said as he looked through the binoculars again. The sentries were leaving.
They started to wind through the night trail with their hearts pounding.
They were leaving the Bubble.
Holy shit balls.
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They rode for at least two hours, their bums sore, their hands cramping and Ianto worried for his little ones as their heads nodded in their seats ahead of him. Finally they turned off the trail and onto what looked like… a road?
Owen whooped and let the engine out s he flicked on his lights, racing ahead and they all felt the thrill of speed now as they passed marker after marker. Finally seeing some bikes waiting in a parking lot and Owen screamed in there to leap from the still slowly moving bike to embrace the man who had run to greet him.
As the others came to a halt they saw another man running to catch Owen's slowly meandering bike with a laugh. Owen turned and shouted "good catch Andy."
"Andy?" Ianto said with delight as he recognized their old school mate and Andy swung to look at him then pale as he took a physical step back.
"What the fuck… Owen… you said you were bringing the last of the resistance with you… not her favorite pet and one of the leaders of the bloody kill squads!" Andy spluttered.
The man Owen had been hugging stepped around him "OI! I told you already… Owen is a good man."
"Rhys love… I … this is Ianto Jones! Yvonne's personal PA… he was behind a lot of the raids!" Andy spluttered.
"Fucking moron" Owen said angrily "Who do you think warned us each time one was going to happen ya fucking idiot! And who do you think made sure the kill squads didn't catch each escape group? These two are the masterminds behind each one!"
Andy stared at Owen then looked over at Ianto who was busy checking the sleeping kids "Really?"
"Andy Pandy and Rhysie Bear… meet the Dragon and the Pirate!" Owen said with a flourish "Ianto is the one who lead the entire fucking resistance charge. Planned each escape within in inch!"
Ianto stepped away from the bike and turned towards them, letting them see the bruising on his face as he smiled softly "don't listen to him. He's a born liar. Remember that time he told the teacher he was the one who blew up the scene lab? Even she didn't believe him."
"So we all said we did it and she could not pin it on anyone" Owen roared with mirth.
"Yep. They never knew it was me" Ianto shrugged "I was so wrong about that phosphate but hey… I did learn how to make a bomb."
"So… what now?" Toshiko asked as she rubbed her hands together "I'm freeing my tits off and believe you me… Owen likes these tits."
"Aunty Toshi… what a potty mouth" Ianto scolded and everyone laughed.
"Right then… we have another half hour of travel to get to where we will spend tonight and then in the morning we will take you into the commune us Bubble Poppers set up. We are slowly integrating into modern society and found it easier to stick together." Andy clapped his hands.
"There will be questions… lots of questions and not least of all the fear in seeing you two is gonna take some getting over. Fuck me. The Red Dragon was Ianto fucking Jones. Yvonne's lap dog was the one who bit her on the arse" Rhys chortled to himself.
"Ew… I would rather not have that image in my brain thanks muchly" Ianto said with alarm and Rhys stared at him then started to laugh loudly, pointing at him.
"There it is… there is the little fucker I knew in school. Well... bugger me. You've been playing the long fucking game mate."
"You know me Rhys… when I commit… I go scorched earth" Ianto shrugged back.
"Come on... before you get too tired to ride" Andy said and they all got on the bikes and started the journey to their new life... the real word and whatever the fuck that entailed.
At least they were all together.
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Ianto could not believe Rhys was out here… and with Andy. All this time… all this time Rhys had been playing the game too. Staying with the Gwen Cow knowing she was unfaithful while behind the scenes undermining everything she worked for. It must have been so hard. So much harder than what he hand Jack had to do. They had each other. Andy and Rhys had to remain publicly apart for this to work. Ianto was not sure he could do that.
The trees started to change and then the little town came into view, Ianto standing up on the skids of the bike to see the houses. Cute. Sweet. Everyone different and unique. Everyone was allowed to have their own personality and it showed with some weird and crazy colours chosen.
No doubt the excitement of having a choice has gone to their heads.
A dog barked somewhere and Ianto's mouth fell open as he had not even considered his. Animals. Pets. Dogs and cats… oh god… really? Animals.
They turned into a side street and the meeting house ahead of them was lit up, clearly people waiting to greet them and now Ianto felt those tendrils of fear plucking at his pubes. He knew they would react to him. They would not see the mastermind behind their freedom, only the pet of Yvonne.
He did not really want to do this, choosing to pluck up his daughter and hug her to him like a little human shield. He walked behind Jack, making sure to be mostly hidden as they entered the house and the cheering woke Tiny who responded by seizing Ianto's head in a hug.
Good.
Now he had a human shield alright. Ianto slowly followed what he could see of Jack's feet.
People were hugging Owen, clapping him on the back as they all reveled in the fact they had all made it out. The last of the resistance was here. Some recognized Jack and laughed as they had known there was a spy in the Elite Squad. Calls to one another who owed who money for the bet about it.
Ianto hid as long as he could but someone was there, sliding around to look at the little girl and croon "hello darling, you look so cold."
Ianto looked around his daughter and made eye contact with the woman "she is cold and tired Rhia."
His sister stared at him long and hard, and then fainted.
As she folded to the floor everyone fell silent, Ianto lowering his child to let them all see who had entered their safe space.
"Hi."
