17
Ianto liked the skimmer he and Jack had worked on. It stood out against the others and made the statement that he was of a high rank, it also made it easier for Henders to take charge of the men as they could now see Ianto was no longer their leader… he was the Boss.
The large sleek black skimmer different to their camouflage militarial ones. Jack had decided on a name for the Training Facility and Ianto thought it was amusing. Torchwood, because everything here burns but you can put out roots and dig in. TORCHWOOD was along the side of the skimmer as if demanding attention. Jack loved it like a pet.
Ianto would swear to Owen he caught him patting it and saying goodnight when they power it down at the end of shift. Now it was getting it's first active assignment, along with the crew. Jack's men who would help train roughnecks hanging off the thing like banshees. Yeah… they fit in with the Meatsticks.
They had double checked the shields, checked the flare predictions and then went top speed for the colony Jack had run from less than three months ago, leaving those behind to perish.
The thought that someone might still be alive egging them on. Ianto and Jack did not take the lead, Jack t the controls as he tried to hang back to give Henders that control so when they arrived the base camp was already under construction, the shield tents being erected so if a rogue flare hit they stood a slim chance. Slim. They all knew the risks and Jack had held little Emile for a long time before handing her to the Nanny, knowing the chances of finding his sister-in-law or the other two kids was slim to non-existent but Ianto was right… they had to try.
Henders was giving orders as Ianto walked around ignoring them and pretending he was not assessing things himself, the nod to Henders every now and then to show he was happy with the speed and accuracy making the man more authoritive.
"He's a good leader" Jack said softly as he watched one of the solders cracking the outer air locks to the underground facility.
"He needs to trust himself more, I will have to shadow him now and then for a while… one day he will not look to me for that nod of agreement. Then I will know I can step aside."
"Do you think…. Do you think there are any still alive?" Jack whispered softly.
"Well… if I were in there I would still be alive I think… even if I had to dig deeper… if they had enough stores… yeah. They might be" Ianto replied, not wanting to get his hopes up but really… he did feel the need for honesty.
Finally the call came back that they had breached outer and inner locks, the air escaping was cool. Another good sign. They moved forward, Ianto hanging back with Jack as they let the soldiers sweep and run, just in case they were not that welcome and finally they were running too, letting Jack take the lead as he knew the place, leading them down past the main living quarters to the lower levels where storage containment was… the cool part.
The doors were open, large bins keeping that way for ventilation and Jack heard distant sounds of voices. Holy shit… The survivors were tired, relieved and angry as they stood to watch the Meatsticks enter their space, one stepping forward "Where the fuck have you been!"
Jack stepped around them to address the man he knew "Digging you out Jimmy!"
"Jack!"
Ianto watched a woman break from the crowd, stagger towards him with relief and they embraced. My how that stung as she took his face in her hands and kissed him. That moment before he pulled back and looked at her with confusion and anger "Stop it. I told you… no. I am not Gray!"
"Uncle Jack!" a little boy said as he rushed forward to cling to him, crying now as he said "I knew you would come back. I knew you would find us."
Ianto was still watching the woman who now looked around that the men who were helping those ready to be moved to their feet for an Evac. Her eyes were intelligent, her mouth a thin line and Ianto knew he did not like her. I did not like her at all.
"Ianto… this is my sister-in-law. Gwen. Gwen, this is the man who helped save you. This is Ianto." Jack said with pride "He was flying the Evac that day… he scooped me and Emile up."
"Emile?" she gasped "She's alive?"
"And well" Ianto said as he matched her vowels. The two staring at one another as she recognized he was from the same place as her. His face betraying nothing as he stared at her.
Meatsticks know Meatsticks ya know and Ianto knew damned well they NEVER got to marry, breed and be free. Ianto knew damned well from the moment she spoke that she was from the cell before his. The cell that had rebelled and escaped the facility. The cell that bred The Snake. Ran to the winds.
He was looking at a deserter.
And she knew that he knew.
