TITLE: To Separate The Lies From Truth
PART THREE OF SERIES: The Five Elements (AU Verse)
CHAPTER SUMMARY: How much Ianto and Jack risk to find and rescue Tosh
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Torchwood or Doctor Who which is unlucky because Jack and Ianto deserve so much more!
WORDS: 3800
Notes: Ok this is what I meant when I said I wrote too much. Another near 4000 words and still not the end of the episode…have fun!
Chapter 18: The Harvest Will Come (2007)
18th April 2007
"If we barricade ourselves in, what happens to Tosh?" Owen asked as the made their way through the door of the Tap House, securing the door behind them. They hadn't seen any sign of life on the way from the cottage to the Pub, but Jack could almost feel eyes bearing onto them, even without asking Ianto who or what he could sense.
"I still don't get how they took her." Gwen debated before he could answer, thankfully saving him from having to answer the previous question. "The kid and I had the stairs in view the whole time, and all the windows upstairs were locked."
"They know the area, and they're clearly clever which unfortunately means they're not going to give up easily." Jack answered, double checking the bolts on each of the window shutters. He pushed down a wave of nausea he could blame on his injury as he remembered the rotten body in the back. "We have to assume the others who disappeared have been killed too."
"So, you think there's been seventeen deaths?"
"At least. These aren't casual killers."
He could sense eyes on him once again as he moved around the tables and chairs in front of the door, but this time they belonged to Ianto, and probably Owen as well, as he ignored the pain flaring in his side. He knew he didn't look well. He was slightly breathless and could feel the dampness of his shirt under his heavy greatcoat as his body fought against a low fever, and he couldn't help but curse his healing abilities anew for not working fast enough.
"What species would strip human bodies of flesh and organs?" Gwen asked, writing on the blackboard that was usually reserved for keeping score of dart games.
"I don't know, but it seems the Rift is now spreading and its dumping aliens and psychos wherever it fancies." Owen breathed, not even having to have his theory confirmed. "Great. This conversation's cheered me up no end."
As clatter outside drew their attention to one window, as Gwen jumped. "Did you see that?"
"Something outside?"
The sound of breaking glass from behind a wooden shutters on the other side of the building, cause them to spin around. Owen cocked his weapon, aiming it towards. "Was that the same one or different?"
The lights shorted out, plunging them into darkness. The noises were coming from all over, making it difficult to count how many creatures were hearing, but something was definitely trying to get to find a weak spot in their defences. Jack just hoped they weren't any.
"I'm thinking that's not a good sign." Owen proclaimed.
"They've come back." Kieran jumped up from one of sofa where he'd been sitting. They'd given him back the shotgun, seeing as they had they're own. "He said he'd come back for me."
"Kieran, focus on our voices okay." Ianto assured, firmly, trying to pull the teenager back to the present before he started hyperventilating, and spiral into another panic attack. "We're not going to let them get you."
The main door to the Pub stopped rattling suddenly, letting the team sigh a premature relief before the handle on a door behind the bar starts turning in return. Ianto and Jack raced behind the counter, shoving it shut before it could properly open, slamming the bolt across and barricading the door with a nearby wooden slate for extra measure.
"Okay, so we didn't check the cellar." Jack declared, catching his breath against the door.
"We can see that Captain Obvious." Owen retorted, the rattling from outside resuming. "What now?"
"We stay here for now. They can't get in, so we regroup, and think of a plan."
"We're not going to learn anything more just hanging around here" Owen counted.
"Well, does anyone have another idea!" Jack countered, loudly. His frustration growing at each flare of pain with every movement. "Tosh is already missing; I'm not risking anyone else."
"I have, but…." Ianto inferred slowly, but stopped before continuing shaking his head, and pulling Jack aside. He knew better than to question Jack in front of the rest of the team. "They're not going to give up, Jack, but Owen's right, nothing going to change the more we wait here, except that it's longer that Tosh is in danger." Ianto pointed behind them to the cellar door where the noises were stating to fade away. "They must have a way out the cellar. If I can follow them, see where they go, we can find out more than just sitting here."
"It's pitch black and you don't have any tracking devices." Jack blocked Ianto's way to the cellar door with his arm "Do you want to get yourself killed?"
"It's the fastest way to find Tosh, and that's even if I was caught."
"No, it's not safe." Jack argued, shaking his head. "and if anyone was going to go, it would be me."
"You're injured and weak, Jack! I can feel it myself, remember." Ianto dropped his tone to a whisper in case the others were in earshot. He could have spoken over their bond, but he thought it probably would cause more questions if they suddenly fell silent, than if they just spoke quietly. "You might be immortal, but you can't help Tosh if you're lying there dead."
"Neither can you!" Jack returned. "You can't even assume they'll even take you to the same place as Tosh."
"No, I can't, but while you might not like it, I can protect myself better than you at the moment, and you know it." Ianto countered. "I can break Tosh out faster than anyone else, and they won't be expecting it."
Jack wanted to continue arguing, but another bang form both outside the pub and the cellar fast-tracked his decision, and not the way he would have preferred it to go. He sighed, stepping aside for Ianto to pass. "You're right, I don't like this."
"I'm not the biggest fan either, but it's the only plan we've got." Ianto admitted. "The longer Tosh is the missing the worse her chances."
Jack places both hands under the piece of wood that's barricading the cellar door. If they didn't want to let whatever was down there into the pub, they would have to open and close it quickly. "Be careful. Go."
Ianto nodded once, then ducked through the small gap between the door and wall as Jack opened it, before he slammed it shut and barricaded it once more, blocking Ianto from view and trusting that wouldn't have been the last time he would see his lover alive.
"What the hell is teaboy doing?"
"He's gone to find Tosh." He answered rather simplicity as he moved back to help him and Gwen guard the windows and doors that were still rattling threateningly.
"And you let him?" Owen asked incredulously.
"He can look after himself." Jack returned, with a tone to say that was the final word anyone was going to say on the situation. He just hoped Ianto wouldn't make a liar out him.
Not two minutes later, Jack closed his eyes momentarily in dread as he felt a wave of reassurance brush across his mind, before their bond clouded as the other lost consciousness.
~ * o ~ * o ~ T ~ o * ~ o * ~
19th April 2007
Ianto woke up hazily, to the feeling of cold stone underneath him. He groaned at the throbbing pain in his head, but it quickly turned to a small sacrifice as he noticed he wasn't alone.
"Tosh!"
"Ianto?" The Japanese woman looked up at the sound from where she was sitting perched on a wooden crate across the room, relief flooding from her as she noticed he was awake. "You're awake! Are you okay?"
"I'm good. Charming place they've got here." Ianto joked, rubbing his head where he'd been hit, as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. "And judging by the sound reverberations and the air quality, pretty deep underground." He sat up, his hand automatically straying to his side, but coming up empty.
"Don't bother. They took our guns." Tosh chimed, confirming his suspicions. She held up a handy metal hook she'd found to use instead. At least she wasn't completely unarmed.
"Did you see what they were?"
"I don't know. It happened too quickly." Tosh replied. "I didn't see anything, you?"
He shook his head, disappointedly. He might have found Tosh, but they were still nowhere closer to finding out the truth to whatever the hell was going on.. "Same."
"What about the others? Is Jack…?"
"Jack's fine. Awake and stubbornly ignoring his pain. Owen says he'll live." He realised the last she'd seen of the Captain was of him bleeding and unresponsive on the cottage table. "We were worried about you. You hurt?"
"I'm fine. Just hungry." Tosh answered. He could feel her relief that Jack had survived, but mainly what he focused on was searching for any pain coming from her. They were a little but nothing concerning. Nothing more than he was feeling himself, and probably came from being knocked out.
"You should have had that cheeseburger." Ianto quipped, reassured she was telling the truth and trying to break some of the tension in the room.
"Not that hungry." Tosh returned, smiling.
Ianto laughed shakily in return, before looking back the hook she was still clutching tightly in her hands. "Did you find anything useful other than that hook, by any chance?"
Tosh shook her head. "Just shoes. Dozens of them."
"How many people have been down here?" Ianto questioned aloud as he looked in the direction Tosh had pointed, seeing the numerous shoes. There were a wide range of sizes, even down to the tiniest pair Ianto had ever seen, and he dreaded to think what someone that small had suffered. "What happened to them?"
Tosh's eyes stray towards something in the far corner. "I don't know."
This time, Ianto could tell she was lying as he followed her gaze. "Is that a fridge?"
"Ianto, don't." Tosh warned, as he made his way over. "You don't want to look in there. Ianto…."
"I want to know." Ignoring Tosh's continued protests, Ianto opened the door of the fridge. He swallowed roughly around the sudden bile in his throat, as he immediately slammed, understanding no what Tosh had meant, and ever-so-slightly regretting not heeding her warning.
Tosh looked at him with the same level of understanding. "That's why there was nothing left on the body. They need to eat. We're food."
Ianto shook all the thought that came to mind away, before he could spiral into panic that would not be helpful in that moment. "I think it's safe to say, we need to get out of here. Fast."
"No complaints from me, but if you didn't notice we're trapped." Tosh reminded him, keeping to the same serious and matter-of-factly tone, though Ianto could sense the underlying tremor to it. "How did you even get caught in the first place?"
"I let them." Ianto returned, rather distractedly. He was facing away from her, inspecting the door leading from the cell from his distance, but as soon as he felt the instant disapproval from Tosh, he turned towards her. "Don't look at me like that. Nobody had a better plan, and it was quickest way to find you."
"Yeah? But now who's going to recuse us?"
"We won't need rescuing." Ianto stated firmly, moving to inspect the bolted door. "I haven't met a locked room yet I couldn't get out of."
Ianto studied the multiple steel bolts that were blocking the door from opening, before ensuring his body blocked Tosh's view as he sparked his familiar flame to make quick work of the steel. It was always surprising how hot the flame because, considering its small size, and even as the final bolt gave away and he extinguished the fire by closing his fist around it, he thought back to Jack's continuous amazement at how it didn't burn his own skin, especially since he'd found himself susceptible to being burnt by the fire when trapped in the archives the previous year.
"See." Sliding the remains mangled metal bolt quietly from the catch, he grinned innocently as the door swung open, before turning to Tosh who was staring rather suspiciously.
"How did you do that?"
"The locks were rotten. They just needed a bit brute force." Ianto lied. He knew as he spoke the excuse was noticeably lame, which was immediately obvious Tosh saw through, but it was all he thought of in the moment.
"Nice try, but they were reinforced. I tried them myself. How…?"
"Tosh, not now, please." Ianto's grin dropped as he reached out for Tosh's hand. "We need to move."
Tosh amenably dropped the subject, but Ianto knew it wouldn't be forever as they crept silently up a stone staircase, pausing at the top with their backs against the wall as they listened to the English voices and laughter in the room beside them. The exit was the other side of the corridor and there was too many of them to get past without being spotted, and the only thing for it was to make a run and hope they lost them in the darkness of the trees.
"Oh, God, that stench." Tosh whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.
Squatting down to a lower height, and flashing a glance around the corner, a sinking feeling of dread and disgust began to grow at the sight of what he saw, but also confusion until the revelation was reinforced as Ianto spotted their weapons and other technology scattered across the centre table.
"It's them, the ones who took us." Tosh murmured, having also spotted their possessions. "But they're….
"…human." Ianto finished. Now that he could see them, he could sense and recognise the somewhat familiar emotions that came from humans, but it was clouded and masked by a powerful thirst of hunger that almost made Ianto's stomach roll once more.
Cannibals. Ianto deduced, as they fled past the group and out into the woods, ignoring the yells and shouts of the men as they were spotted. Cannibals in bloody Wales.
~ * o ~ * o ~ T ~ o * ~ o * ~
Waiting in the Pub had lost all meaning since they'd heard the last sounds of movement a while back. None of them had let down their guards, however; even Kieran had fallen asleep holding his shotgun but the rest of them had been sitting silently, having gotten no further on determining which species could have cause this. Each theory Jack had himself was worse than the last, and in fact the only positive thing that had crossed Jack's mind in the last while was that he could finally feel his side starting to heal, and he knew it wouldn't be long till there was no sign of it at all.
He hadn't felt or heard anything from Ianto since the last connection, and Jack was beginning to drown with fear and impatience as they waited. It's been close to two hours now, and a large part of him now dreaded Ianto needed their help but couldn't get through to him, having only remembered half-way through his musing that they still were unsure how far their bond actually worked long distance, and this wasn't the best time to test it.
"Oh!" Jack cried out, ignoring the confused and worried looks from Owen and Gwen as his mind finally reconnected with Ianto's. He supposed they'd believe it was an exclamation of pain from moving wrong that anything close to the truth, but for once that didn't matter as their bond sparked back to life with Ianto's presence. "Ianto?"
"Jack, I'm with Tosh. She's okay, we both are." Most of the tension eased from Jack's shoulders at Ianto's words, each one becoming clearer than the one before, almost as if the latter was getting closer, which was confirmed by his next sentence. "We're out and heading down from the Big House now. I'm not sure how many of them are on our tail."
"Be careful, please." Jack pleaded. "We're still not sure what species we're facing. I've never seen anything like this come through the rift before."
"That because they haven't come from anywhere. They're human." Ianto explained, the full level of disgust and anger making itself known beside the shared thoughts. "It's the villagers, they're canni….Tosh! Get down."
Ianto's words cut off, but Jack had a sinking feeling what Ianto had been about to say, but the full extent of his reaction at the revelation of what had happened here, was put on hold over his fear of the lost communication.
"Ianto?" An unknown sound had preceded the sudden silence over the bond from in the distance, so quiet he was sure whether he'd heard it from his own ears or it'd been an echo of what Ianto had heard himself, but Jack jumped up and powered forward, his resolve completely gone as he started to move the chairs back away from the door of the Pub. His movements drew the attention of the others while Kieran startled upwards from the noise, instantly awake. "Ianto…!"
"Jack?" Gwen queried, both her and Owen moving toward him, whether to help or stop him, he wasn't sure. "Where are you going?"
"We haven't heard anything in ages, and Tosh and Ianto have been gone too long." Jack answered distractedly, not even stopping his movements as he explained, his mind juggling figuring a way to spin the truth a little to the others, while also continuing reaching out to try garner a response from Ianto. "There was something about that house where we found the SUV, so I'm taking another look around."
Jack paused as he swung the pub door open, his weapon redrawn as he double checked no-one was around, before turning back to the others. "Look, I'm not going to order you to come with me…."
"Bullshit." Owen swore, interrupting him. "We're going with you. We know what we signed up for, and I'm haven't forgotten you're injured."
"I'm fine." He didn't want anyone else in danger. Not today. "Anyway, someone has to stay with the kid."
"My name is Kieran." The teenager retorted, before glancing around the pub hesitantly. "Are you sure they can't get in here?"
"No, but you're our responsibility now." Jack answered, guessing what he was about to offer. "You're not staying here alone."
"The SUV is reinforced isn't it? He'll be safe with us if he stays in the car." Gwen suggested, smiling warming at Kieran, before turning back to Jack. "You're not going alone either."
"Fine." Jack turned to the teenager, pointing firmly. He knew he was being curter than needed, but fear for Ianto – for all of his team overpowered the need for politeness in that moment. "You stick with her; you don't move from her side. Is that clear?"
Kieran nodded slowly, sticking close with Gwen on the way out to the SUV. A second, third and fourth crack filled the air, in sequence, the sounds more familiar than the first and Jack almost ripped open the door to the car in his hurry to drive.
"Ianto?"
There was still no mental reply, but his lover's presence was still in his mind, and despite the silence on the other end, it was the only thing stopping Jack from abandoning all forms common sense as he switched on the ignition.
"Are those gunshots. Ianto!"
"Yeah sorry. They're faster than they look, but they're shooting wildly. We're not hit or anything." Ianto responded eventually, the words mixed with a few other thoughts, showing his lover's distraction, as he tried to multitask. "I think we still need to practise this mental communication trope more. Following two conversations, while dodging bullets in the dark, is as confusing as hell!"
"I understand the feeling, but please don't do that again." Jack sighed mentally. "We're on our way to meet you halfway in the SUV. Whereabout are you now?"
"It's trees, trees and more trees, Jack. It's the wood." If the words had been said aloud, Jack reckoned they would have come a sarcastic huff, and even so the same message was received. "Just follow the shots!"
More cracks pierced the air almost as fortification to the order, and this time they hadn't gone unnoticed by Owen and Gwen.
"Where did those come from?" Gwen asked, looking out the window, to try pinpoint the direction of the noise.
Jack didn't answer, but set the SUV thundering in the direction of the woods that separated them from the Big House they'd seen earlier, but only metres from the first line of tree a police Land Rover with lights and sirens appeared in front of them causing Jack to slam on the brakes so hard, it almost sent them flying forwards in their seats.
"That's all we bloody need." Owen grouched.
"Let me do the talking." Gwen assured, moving to get out of the vehicle. "I'll get rid of him."
"Who are you, please?" Jack heard the officer ask, but he tuned out Gwen's reply, trying to regain contact with Ianto, but despite the latter's continued presence in their bond, his lover was clearly too busy to respond as Jack wasn't about to distract him further. He needed to concentrate on keeping himself and Tosh safe, not speaking to him.
"…The Big House? Sort of unofficial village hall. Village meeting tonight, that's why I'm here. Constabulary report."
Jack re-entered the conversation outside the SUV just in time to hear the end of officer unwitting confession. Without his previous knowledge gained from Ianto, he wouldn't have suspected anything from the officer trying to sweet talk them into a trap and rage flaring, he jumped from the driver's seat, using his momentum to propel the startled man against a tree.
"Jack! What are you doing?" Gwen objected. "He's one of us."
"Yeah?" Jack returned, pulling out a pair of weevil clamps from the glove box. They weren't designed to be used on humans, but if he was one what Jack thought he was then at little discomfort was the least of his worries. "Unfortunately for him, I don't trust easily."
Another round of gun fire broke through the air, much closer than before, only this time companied by painfilled yells - thankfully from unfamiliar voices.
"What's that light? What's that light over there?"
Jack's gaze snapped around at Gwen's words, seeing the thin beams of light coming from the same direction as the shouts.
"It's torchlight. Come on." Jack exclaimed, unceremoniously shoving PC Huw into the boot of the SUV, before reembarking into the driver's seat, not even bothering to shut the door before pressing hard on the accelerator.
It was time to end this. Now.
Notes: Slightly less of a cliff-hanger, but it still is one so next chapter will be up tomorrow. Please Review if you have the chance. What do you think of Tosh maybe starting to question whether Ianto's hiding something?
