5
There had been chaos and noise, some of them angry but them some of them recognising the voice over the radio during their escape. Ianto soon found himself hugged and thanked as they touched his face and took in the fact this man had risked it all for them.
Jack accepted handshakes and the occasional hug and kiss, cheeky enough to kiss the odd man or two who laughed good-naturedly. Henry was crooned over and Tiny was politely avoided as she struggled in her aunt's arms for her Taddy, roaring with anger. Ianto accepted her back and made her his shield once more.
They were shown to a room with a double bed and a single, Ianto and Jack not even speaking as they kicked off their boots and lay on the big bed with their kids. Then the door opened and Owen entered with Toshiko "Hey… can we crash with you? Feels weird in a strange place."
"Sure" Jack pointed to the other bed, "Unless…."
"Sex fiend" Owen muttered with a fake scowl as he made a show of putting Toshiko against the wall to 'protect her' in the night, both families… well… I guess this one big family… finally fell into a listless sleep.
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A knock to the door had Ianto slipping from the edge of the bed, Jack in the middle with a child either side attached to him still all snoring away. He looked at his family with raw affection then he padded over to open the door and find Rhiannon waiting there.
He snagged Jack's Elite Forces Coat and pulled it on like a big dressing gown and followed her to the kitchen where Andy and Rhys were there along with a couple more representatives, one of which was the father that he had warned to delay the planned escape in the playground that day.
He was the first to seize Ianto and hold him, whispering his gratitude then stepping back sheepishly "sorry. I mean… that day you terrified me. I waited for the squad to come and then when they didn't… I knew then that you were on our side. No one believed me."
"That was the whole point of it" Ianto sighed, flopping into a chair "I feel so spent. I am exhausted. I could sleep for a week but I guess the shit is really gonna hit the fan now."
"Well… I am the official spokesman for the group" Rhys admitted "Since me and Andy got out, we have done most of the negotiations with those in authority here and although we tried hard to get them to listen… they don't believe us about Yvonne. She comes across as some sort of spiritual guru and we are all living in the Bubble as a religious retreat."
"Well we are here now and the Bubble is closed. No one else can get out, we got out by the skin of our balls" Owen said as he joined then at the table, flopping into the chair next to Ianto and throwing an arm over Ianto's chair possessively. Ianto was touched. He was trying to protect him.
"Maybe they will listen to you, maybe you can convince them that we are living a lie in there… people are being targeted, cleansed for her ideal world" Andy pointed out, turning to Rhys, "We could set up a meeting."
"First… I have to show my face in … what do toy call it? The Bubble Poppers?" Ianto frowned. "what is the name of the compound?"
"Serenity" Andy corrected. We call it Serenity. Was Scorched Earth, then Safe Haven … then it became Serenity."
"I like it. Right. Like a beacon of light. I think I liked Safe Haven more… but it would need a harbour and some boats to set that scene." Ianto laughed softly and Andy slapped his hand on the table.
"See? He gets it! I told you only a seaside place could have a name like that" Andy chortled "Well… it did hold sway that the Red Dragon was our leader on the inside. Man… when they see who their saviour is…"
"Hey. Owen, Tosh… Jack… we all played our parts and risked our lives… I was just the little puppet master with a weird brain that saw scenarios as others see colours I guess." Ianto rose and stretched "Food?"
"Yes love, go wake them up and have a wash. I will get breakfast" Rhiannon assured him, reaching out to touch him like she was making sure it was really him.
As Ianto went to walk away she called out "Oh and Ifan? Thank you. Me and Johnny … putting my family on the list for the last shove like that… we had no idea what was going on and thought is was a kill squad finally working out Johnny was stealing food for the cause until we saw the bikes. You … thank you."
"I couldn't leave you behind and I knew you would never leave if you knew it was my doing" Ianto said in the doorway as he turned to look back at her "you are my sister. We promised Mama we could look out for one another."
"And Da?"
"Rhiannon…Da's dead."
"What?"
"There is no Farming Camp." Jack said in the doorway from behind Ianto, gently pulling him behind him to shield him as he stared her down "Anyone sent to the Farm for Re-education are taken to a remote burial site, shot and buried there within 24 hours of Yvonne judging them. Your Da has been dead and gone for years. Years love. Thos letters you wrote him… burned."
Rhiannon looked at Ianto who looked doing with sorrow and she knew Jack was telling the truth.
She was not sure how to feel about that.
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It was after lunch that they were driven into the village itself, people coming out of their houses to get a look at the men who had saved them, many of them recognising Jack instantly and running after the vehicle to the house set aside for them, the one next door for Owen and Toshiko already being painted.
Jack got out first and was swapped, some of his own Elite Squad there to hug him and laugh, then help Ianto out with the kids. Some grew silent as Ianto became visible, looking about at them then taking a deep breath and placing his little girl on her feet so she could toddle towards one of them with her hands outstretched.
After a beat, the man knelt to accept the child and scoop her up, still staring at Ianto.
"Everyone… meet our great leaders. Captain Jack you all know… with him is the one who not only planned each escape to the nth degree, but provided diversions we could only dream of to ensure out escape. As you can see by his face… the last big push took extra dedication on his part." Andy called out with authority "This… this is the Red Dragon!"
Ianto felt silly as he lifted a hand to shoulder height and waggled his fingers, then he looked down with embarrassment as the silence continued. Then… the roar of cheering and clapping that had him looking back up with relief and delight.
Seems they were not gonna cut his throat after all.
"See?" Jack whispered to him "Not as bad as you thought, right?"
"Ask me that after I see what this house looks like" Ianto muttered back and Jack laughed as he knew it didn't matter if they had a bloody tent… they were free.
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"I … I didn't know it was for you… just a family with two kids so I helped set it up like I would like it was one of mine… I hope it's OK Teddy Bear" Rhiannon was watching Ianto as he stood in the main room looking around at the open plan house. The kitchen at the back was dived from the main room by a breakfast island that he liked. Out the window he could see the back yard and liked that too. "If we knew it was for our… well… leaders… it would have been a bigger one or…"
Ianto made a noise to silence her. He shook his head to show he would not have liked that idea and slowly he turned to drink in the house that was so different to the one they had left. A large fireplace and open fire ready to put a match to, comfortable sofas and rugs on the floor… he walked to the first door and opened it to find the master bedroom and ensuite. OK. Good. Tick. He then went out and to the next door, a bedroom… then a bathroom… then the third bedroom at the back. Ah. Henry will love this one with all the shelves along one wall.
They had left his books behind and was sorry for the toys and such they could not bring but now saw space for a new collection to grow… oh my god… what the hell are they going to do for money? How the hell can they make a living out here?
Ianto hadn't thought that far ahead, secretly not really having faith that they were even going to make it out.
Now he didn't know what to think.
"It's perfect Rhia" he finally said.
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"Right. Security is overjoyed to see you Captain, they want you to rake over as their leader… after all... you already were and they like your style" Rhys aid and Ianto watched Jack light up. Well.. he was sorted. Ianto sat watching as everyone talked then he moved to a table where some men sat quietly watching things. He recognized some of them, some were shiny new and not from the Bubble.
"Hey."
"We are just talking about how to approach Yvonne as she will be pissed" Rhys replied "These men are the committee trying to negotiate with her to get a look inside the Bubble to confirm our allegations. They've been at it for a few years now."
"Ah" Ianto let his hand slide into his Grandy's old Jacket pocket he had pulled on for comfort and pulled out some things, letting them fall on the table, then pulled from an inside pocket some more things. Papers, files and USB sticks littered the table. "These will help. Here are the records of her births, deaths and murders. I have in here, detailed plans for her kill zones, the burial sites for mass murders she organized and ordered… those internal memos ordering a quick death… or a slow one… over ten years worth of stuff in here I have collected diligently along the way."
Everyone stared at him, then one of the men said "Fuck me."
Another pulled over a file and unfolded it then opened it, looking at the photos inside of dead bodies, Yvonne standing there with a gun in her hand smiling for the camera. He looked at Ianto with wide eyes "A smoking gun… literally. This will not just get us inside that Bubble… it will get her indicted. Who the hell are you!"
"This is our Dragon" Andy said with open pride "This is the mastermind of our escapes."
"You cannot go in there guns blazing, she will set the entire place on fire before giving it up to you" Ianto warned "She has so many security measures in place, secret explosive sites… there is no way you can just walk in there. She will kill everyone."
"Ianto is right, we were trained to enforce the 'Do or Die Rule' and if she orders it… the Kill Squads will sweep the streets killing everyone. She will tell them it is End of Days" Jack agreed sadly "Why we knew we had to get out or die trying. There is no going back."
"We cannot accept that. We cannot simply let those remaining in there live the twisted life she made for them." One of the men argued.
"Then try… and fail. I should know… I went over and over different scenarios that involved bringing her down on the way out and in the end I had to face the fact that she was going to move too fast for us. If there was a way to separate her from her minions, stop her giving that command… we might have a chance but there is also a chance of rain in the middle of summer… ya know?" Ianto shrugged.
"You were her favourite." Rhys nodded "You know secrets even she forgot… if you say we can't… we can't."
"I can only think on it" Ianto finally sighed knowing they were waiting for something still "Take what I have given you. Take it … you need time to go over it, read it … digest it, download and open everything… give me time to get sorted and settled in … and think on things."
"We cannot ask for anything more… just think in it. You know loopholes… secret passages and passwords… you know shit" Andy agreed "We have time. We know that… she will tread water as long as we do too."
Ianto nodded and rose to look at the house again, trying to find some sort of comfort.
He had to settle.
Find a calm place.
Think.
The war was not over yet.
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So ends part two. Part three will come when I have it sorted in my head.
Thanks for reading.
