AN: Hi there happy readers. I loved the reviews that you left really made me smile so here is the next chapter from the keyboard of Fangirl 104.

Chapter 6

Drowning

Jack smashed the soldier over the head with his elbow. He fell to the floor unconscious, Jack whipped round and ran with the rest of the team. Ahead of him Ianto had thrown his jacket to the ground and was swiftly swimming towards Lily. Her fragile body was slipping slowly under the strong current. Owen ran back towards the Hub, Gwen questioned his actions.

"Where are you going?"

"To get blankets and my medi kit, that water's freezing."

Gwen agreed and ran after him.

Tosh and Jack were hovering on the boardwalk, suddenly Ianto dived under the water.

Second after second passed.

"He cant last that long under the water…can he?" Asked Tosh worriedly.

He powered towards Lily, he reached out and clasped her thin hand with his own and dragged her to the surface. He looked back at her pale face, her eyes were closed. This spurred him faster towards the sparkling surface. The light was dancing above him, his lungs burned and his body felt like it was going to explode.

The air burned his throat as he burst from the surface. Lily's eyes were closed, she wasn't breathing.

Jack and Tosh helped Lily out of the water and laid her on the floor, as Ianto pulled himself onto the boardwalk Owen and Gwen were sprinting over. Owen threw his medi bag to the floor and manoeuvred Lily so that her sullen, pale face was pointed towards the dark sky.

He took a deep breath and started CPR. Ianto and the others looked on with pained faces, Jack had wrapped one of the thick blankets around Ianto's shoulders. He shivered silently, Gwen and Tosh behind him were crying softly, Jack had an arm round Ianto. They all stared at the tiny figure laid before them, the area where the bullet had pierced her stomach was red like scarlet silk.

Suddenly Lily coughed and spat out a torrent of water and began breathing on her own. She looked up bleary eyed at the team and smiled. Then her face contorted in pain and she fell unconscious. Owen patched up the angry wound as best he could.

Ianto scooped Lily into his arms and ran to the Hub; Owen was close behind along with Tosh and Gwen. Jack jogged over to the unconscious soldier and slung him over his shoulder.

Down in the main Hub area Owen was frantically fighting to save Lily. The bullet had pierced many vital organs and she was loosing too much blood. Various machines that she was hooked up to blared at him, she was dying…fast.

Ianto shivered violently once again, Gwen passed him a mug of coffee and sat beside him. Jack was pacing in his office again, he was waiting for the soldier to wake up. Toshiko was sat at her station chewing her nails. They could hear the commotion that was happening, they just couldn't face the harsh reality that Lily might die.

It felt like hours had passed when Owen emerged from the medical bay. He looked exhausted and gaunt (more than usual). They all looked up at him waiting for his response. He slumped into his chair by his station and ran his hands through his hair. He rested his head in his hands.

"She's comfortable, the damage that the bullet did is extensive but I've sorted out most of the lacerations. The next 24 hours are critical…at this point she might not even survive till morning." Owen looked up from his hands at the team. Their faces were full of pain and sadness.

Owen hauled himself from his seat and walked over to Ianto. He checked him over and then sat on the floor leaning against the sofa. Luckily Ianto hadn't caught hypothermia from his dip in the bay.

"Can I go see her?" Croaked Ianto.

Owen turned to Ianto and nodded. "Just don't wake her up."

Ianto nodded and headed to the medical bay. The scene that greeted him stopped Ianto at the doorway.

Lily was connected to the same machines as Ianto not 24 hours earlier. The rasp of the ventilator brought back horrible memories of Lisa.

He sat beside her on the small wooden chair next to the bed. He clasped her pale hand in his own. Her eyes fluttered open and scanned the room; Ianto smiled as her eyes found his face. She smiled back and shifted uncomfortably.

"How d'you feel?" Asked Ianto.

Lily shifted again. "My head hurts a little, where am I?"

"Back in the Hub. Owen sorted out the bullet wound, you'll be fine."

Lily chuckled weakly. "No I wont, I can feel myself going. But I'll be free Ianto, like flying. They can't get me when I'm dead."

Ianto was shocked to hear such things from a woman so young." Don't talk like that, you're getting better. Owen said…"

Ianto stopped. "You asked him to say that…didn't you."

Lily chuckled again. "You catch on fast, he dosed me on painkillers so I don't feel a thing. I haven't long Yan."

Ianto's eyes welled with tears as Lily coughed violently. The machine beside her began to flash and screech, her heart rate was falling fast.

"I'll be free Ianto…free…as…a bird." She gasped.

"Noooo" Moaned Ianto as he clutched her hand tighter. She shook her head and squeezed his hand back.

"Thank you…Ianto Jones." Her eyes fluttered shut and her breath rasped, suddenly the heart machine flat-lined. Her grip on Ianto's hand loosened.

Owen and the others bolted into the small room. Owen pulled out a crash trolley and began shocking her. With each jolt of her small frame Ianto flinched. Jack was holding Tosh and Gwen, who silently sobbed on his shoulder.

Jack flicked on the low light and sat back in the wooden chair. Before him was the soldier, the bright light stung his eyes and he cringed back. The handcuffs around his wrists prevented any movement.

On Jack's left were Tosh and Gwen, behind him was Owen. Behind the soldier sat Ianto, he was precariously sat on the radiator. His eyes were red raw, not unlike the other members of the team.

"Alright. Talk. What's your name?" Asked Jack, his rough voice breaking the silence.

The soldier opened his eyes and stared at the scene before him. He spat at Jack and leaned into the hard wood of his chair smiling.

"Make me." He taunted.

Jack wiped his face with his hand and grinned back.

"Fine…" he growled through his teeth."…You asked for it." Jack flipped a switch on his wrist device. The soldier cried out in pain as electricity pulsed through his flesh.

Jack was satisfied that the soldier had understood the situation and turned off the device.

"Now I won't ask again. What is your name? That woman you shot died you insolent bastard!" Shouted Jack. "Now talk!"

The soldier picked his head up from his chest and looked at Jack.

"Sergeant Ryan Ford. I was sent here to disable the experiment on behalf of UNIT."

Ianto slipped from the radiator and walked forwards. He grabbed a handful of the soldier's hair in his hand and yanked it back with great force. The soldier groaned in pain and looked up at Ianto's determined face.

"Where is the base? Lily talked about a secret organisation that branches off from Torchwood. Where is it?"

"The co-ordinates are on this file, in my pocket."

Ianto let go of the soldier and found the disk. He threw it to Toshiko. She put it into her laptop and pulled up the location.

"I've patched through the co-ordinates to the SUV."

Jack got up and walked up the stairs to the door, he stopped and allowed the others to pass, all except Ianto. He handed him his Webley revolver.

"You should get the honour." He then looked at the soldier. "That woman was innocent…I hope you burn in hell."

Jack left the room and followed Gwen, Tosh and Owen to the SUV. As he reached the other end of the Hub he heard the gun ring out. His face remained unchanged.

Ianto looked at the soldier, his brains all over the wall. "That was for Lily." He spat at the dead body. He turned and ran to join the others in the SUV.

The team stayed silent, in memory of the young woman that had died too young.

Next time.

Chapter 7

In the belly of the beast.

R&R