14
The Agent motions for the men to follow them.
"Just a flash bomb. Go! Go!" he roars with rage.
Rose leads Jax(who is reholstering his gun) down some steps and along a corridor. The sound is still tinny and weird. "I had him..."
"What?" she says distractedly.
Jax yells deafly loud "I think that I was winning!"
Jax and Rose move quickly down the mountain. They look to see that Jax's shuttle has four Agency guards waiting by it. Jax ducks back out of sight, pulls a fancy-looking grenade out of his pocket. Pops the top and hurls it over at the foursome.
A series of bars of light on the side of it go out one by one, counting down -
"Grenade!" one yells as he finally sees it.
Everybody dives for cover. The moment they do, Jax and Rose race into the shuttle, Jax sweeping up the grenade just as the last light goes out and nothing happens.
One soldier turns to look and Jax shoots him back down as the door shuts on him and Rose.
Rose pushes into the pilot's seat. "Hang on to something."
"You sure you remember how it…" Jax nearly falls over as the shuttle shoots straight up, spinning and heading out.
Rose stares straight ahead, relaxing her grip on the controls.
Jax is gone.
"I told you to hang on." She rolled her eyes as she looks at her feet.
"I'm fine..." Jax groans painfully.
They are in the belly of Torchwood as her bay doors are closing, six little objects floating out of her belly like roe.
These objects are roughly the size of beer-kegs, and clearly home-made, parts welded together almost haphazardly. They all spark silently to life - and shoot off in six different directions, as Torchwood herself fires up her Firefly effect and burns away.
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The Agent sips tea and rubs his temple.
"Forget the pulse beacon, there has to be another way to track the ship - get a read on the nav sat. It's a registered transport, you must be able to locate…"
"Sir?" a soldier interrupts his ponderings.
"Have you found a nav sat trajectory?" he asks hopefully.
"Sir... we've found seven."
The Agent looks more unhappy than angry as he whispers to himself, "Does he think this is a game?"
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Ms Hartman and students sleep as Ianto - as we saw him in the institute, older, with blood seeping from the needle-holes in his head - makes his way through them.
Slowly he walks to the floating lecture screen. On it is the solar system, glowing lines connecting all the stars and planets. He becomes wide-eyed, breathing hard as it pushes in to one system, one planet...
He looks over to one side of the tent, and sees a lab. There stand some five older men in formal dress. They stare at him, impassive.
We see flashes of corpses, lying in houses, in city streets - and a Muncher's screaming face –And Ianto awakens.
A moment to get his bearings, then his eyes narrow with intent.
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"We have every reason to be afraid." Rose is arguing as she slaps her hands on the table in the eating area.
"Why, 'cause this guy beat up Jax?" Rhys snorts, "That ain't so hard"
"He didn't beat me up" Jax defends himself with annoyance.
"Because he's a believer." Rose ignores their banter as she looks at Martha who is listening intently with Mickey leaning on the back of her chair.
As Rose continues, we see: Andy and Pandy, tied to chairs. Light spills onto their bruised faces as The Agent enters.
"He's intelligent, methodical and devout in his belief that killing Ianto is the right thing to do." She continues. "I honestly think the only reason we haven't been blown out of the air is that he needs to see him."
"Needs to see him why?" Owen asks.
"I'm uncertain. I would say to be sure of the kill, but... I just know he'll kill us all to get to him."
"So no hope of a reward, huh?" Rhys sighs.
"Did he mention a deal of any kind?" Rose asks.
"Give the two of them up. Go my way." Jax says expressionlessly.
"Which you was all ready to do not a day ago. What went sour?" Rhys asks with open annoyance.
"Cutting them loose ain't the same as handing them over." Jax argues.
"That so?" Rhys snaps back "Cause the corpse I'm about to become is having trouble telling the difference."
Owen turns to Rose, "Did he say anything about a "Hallett"?"
"What is that?" Rose asks with interest.
"Don't know who or what, but it's on Ianto's mind. Conjure it might be the reason he's after him."
Rose leans forward "You think maybe it poses some kind of threat to the Agency?"
"Do we care? Are we caring about that?" Mickey throws his arms up as he is now clearly lost in the conversations.
"You dumbass hogs, the only people he's a threat to is us on this boat!" Rhys roars.
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Ianto is near the ceiling, keeping himself up in a split again, feet against the walls. There is a wire mesh cover to the light, and he has bent part of it out, is working it inside the lock of his shackles.
Like always, he is about to wander off in search of Jax.
"Look, we get back to Haven in a few hours time" Jax tries to soothe.
"Hiding under the Doctor's skirts, that's a manful scheme" Rose sneers.
"You wanna run this ship?" Jax offers.
"Yes!" Rhys answers quickly.
"Well you can't!" Jax crows like a three year old.
"Do a damn sight better job'n you. Getting us lashed over a couple of strays..." Rhys growls, then turns to Owen, "No offense, Doc, I think it's noble as a grape the way you look to Ianto, but he ain't my brother."
He turns back to Jax, "and he ain't your crew. Oh, and neither is he exactly helpless! So where's it writ we gotta lay down our lives for him, which is what you've steered us toward."
"I didn't start this." Jax places his hands on his chest with a look of innocence.
"No, the Agency starts the war - and then you volunteer. Battle of Torchwood, Jax: besides Martha here, how many …" Rhys is crowing and Jax turns away, "- I'm talkin' at you - how many men in your platoon came out of there alive?"
Jax stares at him.
"You wanna leave this room." Martha snarls in a deadly tone we've not heard before.
"You're damn right I do." Rhys huffs. He stalks upstairs. There's a quiet moment.
"This isn't the war, Jax." Rose says softly and Jax turns, eyeing her.
"Are you telling me that because you think I don't know?"
"You came to the training house looking for a fight." Rose accuses.
"I came looking for you." Jax sighs.
"I just want to know who I'm dealing with. I've seen too many versions of you to be sure." She seems to be begging.
"I start fighting a war I guarantee you'll see something new." Jax declares with finality as he walks out into the cargo bay, Rose following.
"We'll get off. Ianto and I'll get off at Haven and find some…" Owen is saying back at the table.
"Nobody's saying that." Toshiko says sadly.
"Nobody besides Rhys is saying that." Mickey corrects her.