Jack had appeared back to his old self in the morning, and hadn't wanted to talk about it, "later, Ianto, please."
Ianto had accepted it, he had been much the same after Lisa and canary wharf. Now though they had walked through the forest, up above the mine and visitors centre. They had found a clearing in the trees, and had been sitting quietly for a while.
"Jack?" Ianto began
"There was something odd about that flashback." Jack interrupted before Ianto could continue
"Sorry?"
"I had flashbacks after we defeated the Master, but being on the Tardis we had access to really good psychological help. I haven't had a flashback in weeks. Even my nightmares have been mild. I don't understand why it happened last night, or why it took so long to start."
"OK there's a lot in that statement I don't know about," Jack went to interrupt, but Ianto held up a hand "let me think about the flashback first."
After a few moments he pulled Jack to his feet. " I want to try something, will you be OK if I try to induce the flashback? We can't do this at the hotel – if it gets too uncomfortable use the safe word."
"Is it still 'Owen'?"
"Yep, have to agree thinking about him during sex, still the biggest turn off I can think of." Jack grinned and nodded.
"OK, I need you to take off your coat, shirt and under shirt."
"Open air sex?" Jack half heartedly tried to flirt.
"You don't have to do that Jack" He kissed him gently.
He held Jack close, arms wrapped around him, he used his fingers to gently massage down Jack's spine the way he had done the night before, slowly vertebrae by vertebrae working down from his neck to his coccyx. Jack leant into him, enjoying the sensation, relaxing, turning his face into Ianto's neck breathing in his scent. As Ianto reached his coccyx, Jack violently pushed him to the ground, then ran, up, up over the ridge of the hill out of sight. Ianto pushed himself up quickly and took off after him, "Jack!" He followed him up over the ridge, afraid he would lose him amongst the dense trees. He paused to get his bearings and spotted Jack a hundred feet away, staring down at something. Ianto jogged down to him, "Jack are you OK?"
"Owen" replied Jack
"I think you're a bit late for that Jack."
Jack didn't look up. "I meant we need Owen, look."
In a hollow amongst the trees, Ianto spotted the arm, he followed it up to a shoulder, and a fluorescent gilet. The man was laid on his back, partially covered by golden leaves, leaning up against the trunk of a beech. The torso and gilet were bloodied, and there was a deep wound where his liver should be. Ianto's eyes travelled up to the face, the eyes had been gouged out, but he recognised him.
"Steven Marks." Ianto had seen too many mangled bodies to be sickened by them, but felt a twinge of sadness for the man who had tried to escape the horrors of Canary Wharf, only to be murdered in this tranquil setting.
Ianto pulled out his PDA and took photos and scans. "Are we sure this is for us Jack? Shall I call the local police?"
"I've seen those wounds before, I also know now where I've seen that bird before. You know the Greek myth about the man who is for ever having his liver pecked out?"
Ianto nodded "Well this is what he would have looked like. There was one caught by Torchwood 1 back in the nineties."
"So that's what's flying over the Yat?"
Jack nodded, "But what's he doing all the way over here?"
Ianto had taken basic readings, "Looks like he's been dead since about midnight."
"So he came straight over here after we left him at the ferry?" said Jack
"Hmm, so after Torchwood arrive, taking an interest in the alien bird, Marks travels half way across the Forest of Dean, at night and is then murdered by said alien," concluded Ianto
"Is that your best Sherlock Holmes impersonation?"
"I do it much better with a pipe."
"And a deer stalker hat?"
"Actually in the books he never wore a deerstalker hat."
"You'll be telling me next he never said "Elementary my dear Watson"
"Actually he didn't"
"You're kidding me"
"Scouts honour"
"You were a scout? You never said"
"yes well next thing I know you would have been making me wear the uniform."
During this banter they had been carefully searching the area, mapping it on Ianto's PDA. Jack gradually widened the circle he was walking around the body. As he travelled down hill he came across an old mine entrance.
"Ianto, look at this". Ianto joined him. As he walked up he noticed the base of Jack's spine. There was a pool of blood just under the skin.
"Jack does your back hurt?"
"No why?" Ianto explained. "When I touched you there, it set off the flashbacks, presuming that second one was a flashback and not a reaction to my aftershave."
"It was a flashback, but now it doesn't seem real, and I came out of it as soon as I saw the body. Look lets concentrate on this for now. I can get Owen to check me out when he arrives to do the autopsy. Whilst we're waiting for him I think we should explore this old mine – see here, footprints, and the scrub in front has been disturbed."
"You go get your clothes and I'll bring the team up to speed, get Owen down here, though where the hell he's going to do the autopsy I don't know."
"Ah but that's why I employ you – ever resourceful"
Ianto had called in Owen, he was due in about four hours. Pulling Torchwood authority Ianto had persuaded the local police to commandeer the Forester Inn for their exclusive use. He knew they had outbuildings including a refrigerated store that they could use. He had considered sending the family away too, but if they carried on providing hotel services then he wouldn't have to do so much, and they could Retcon later if necessary.
Finally he and Jack were ready to explore the mine, Jack had retrieved torches from the SUV and they pulled away the scrub and debris from the entrance of the mine. It had obviously been placed there to disguise it from casual observers.
The daylight retreated quickly as they entered the mine. The roof was low, about five feet high and supported by wooden props, most were old but here and there they had been replaced by a mixture of new wood and scaffolding poles. They walked in silence the smell of old leaves and earth coupled with the dark was curiously suffocating, the floor sloping very gently down into the side of the hill. As they walked the roof angled sharply down and Ianto just ducked in time, eventually they were crawling on their knees, Ianto heard Jack's breathing getting faster and shallower. "Are you OK Jack?"
"Will be, I really hate small dark spaces." Fortunately the tunnel opened out into a relatively large cavern. Jack stood upright and stretched taking a deep breath, in the light of Ianto's torch he looked pale and tired, but Ianto didn't comment. In the centre of the cavern a light was glowing. Ianto scanned it with his PDA, it was literally just a light, a flashlight with fading batteries. Ianto scanned round the rest of the cavern. There were signs of a hurried removal, bits and pieces had been left behind including a small Torchwood style containment box. Ianto waa walking towards it when he heard a flump behind him.
He swirled round to find Jack collapsed on the floor. He ran over, checked his carotid pulse, Jack was dead. Ianto felt a cold feeling clutch at his bowels, had he caused this by setting off whatever it was at the base of Jack's spine? Would he come back? There was no way he could drag Jack out of the mine. He made Jack comfortable, rested his head in his lap and waited it out.
Just as Ianto began to worry that this time Jack wasn't coming back, he convulsed, flailing his arms wildly, gulping for breath.
Ianto held him, "Jack, Jack, it's OK, you're safe now."
"What happened?" he groaned
"Not sure, I think it had something to do with the flashback I set off. You started to panic as we crawled along the passage way, then you just collapsed and died."
Jack swallowed, "They put me in a tunnel, made me crawl along it, broken glass lined it, then they started to lower the ceiling, I couldn't go back, couldn't go forward. I was crushed to death."
"God Jack" he held him close but very gently, careful not let Jack feel too squashed. They sat for several minutes, then in a more normal voice Jack asked what Ianto had found.
"OK we need to get out of here. Bring the containment box." Jack said
"Will you be OK?
"It already feels like it happened to someone else. When I come back my neurotransmitters and hormones are set back to normal, so it would take a lot to make me relive that again or rather kill me that way again - however or whatever it was."
They eventually made it out of the mine, Jack in front heading towards the light and Ianto followed behind dragging the containment box. Once outside they looked at it more closely. It was too small to have held the bird, and it was currently empty. Externally it was scratched and worn, black scorch marks here and there, and almost illegible the logo for Torchwood One.
Jack and Ianto looked at each other considering, neither stated the obvious, about what a Torchwood relic was doing in the Forest of Dean. Instead Ianto picked up the box and headed back to the body. Jack slung Marks over his shoulder and they walked back over the ridge towards the visitor centre. When they were in sight of it, Jack rested the body against a tree whilst Ianto fetched a body bag. Then with Ianto looking out for witnesses they strolled the body down to the SUV. They only met one startled dog walker, and they passed the incident off as a search and rescue exercise "Just putting the dummy back in the car"
They arrived back at the Inn just as Owen's car drove in. As they did so the inn's owner barrelled out of the door to see them. "What the hell is going on? Why have all my customers been evicted?"
Jack left Ianto to soothe him down and went to meet Owen. To his surprise Tosh and Gwen exited the car also. Gwen gave him a smile meaning "I know you didn't want me but I came anyway", Tosh smiled sheepishly, knowing she might be in trouble for coming. Owen tossed him an "Alright mate" as if nothing was wrong.
"Owen!" barked Jack
"Not my idea Jack" he gestured at Gwen as he opened the boot to get their bags.
"I left you in charge."
"Jack have you ever succeeded in overuling Gwen when she's in one of her righteous moods? No? Well why do you expect me to?" he hoisted one bag over his shoulder, picked up the other two and walked over to where Ianto and the owner were still talking. He interrupted without ceremony.
"Ianto mate, which rooms are we in? And where will I be doing the autopsy?"
"Owen, welcome, this is Mr Griffiths, he will show you to your rooms. I will have an autopsy area ready in half an hour." Owen recognised Ianto in full Aide-de-Camp mode and smiled.
Mr Griffiths mouth dropped open "Autopsy? What autopsy? You can't do that here….."
Ianto had had enough of Mr Griffiths, he was tired, worried about Jack and aware of the need to keep the momentum of the case going. He raised his voice a little and said firmly,
"All you need to know is that you will be paid a very good rate for the use of your Hotel, all that is required is that you treat the four of us as guests. Oh and by the way if any of us choose to sleep together, whether of the same sex or otherwise, it is none of your business. Once my colleagues have settled in, I would like you to provide steak and chips in the dining room, with a choice of drinks, One rare, two medium rare and one medium. Have you got that Mr Griffiths?"
Griffiths mouth opened and shut like a drowning goldfish, he nodded dumbly and gestured Owen to follow him, Gwen and Tosh fell in behind.
Ianto turned to Jack who was grinning at this assertive Ianto. Ianto smiled back, cheered by the approbation Jack expressed with his eyes and the fact that Jack seemed back to his inimitable self.
They explored the outbuildings under the aegis of Jamey. They settled on a clean lockable stable for the autopsy, commandeered the cold storage area for storage of the body and then sent Jamey in to see about drinks for the team. Whilst he was gone they transferred the body to cold storage.
Once the dinner was served Jack closed the door on the proprietor and his son and bought the team up to speed. The team started to allocate themselves the jobs they thought necessary, this had started during Jack's absence and he had grown to appreciate it. Each member was using their initiative and working to their strengths. Gwen oversaw it, only occasionally looking to Jack for approval, which he was pleased to give.
Owen left to get on with the autopsy, Ianto was going to help shift the body and then assist Tosh and Gwen to set up the residents lounge as an incident room. Tosh transferred some of the computer equipment over from the SUV and set it up whilst Gwen ensured the security of the room, and set up makeshift desks. Ianto installed the basic comms system, which Tosh would upgrade once in place. He dealt with Griffiths' complaint about his satellite dish being requisitioned, he was even more annoyed when his landline was taken out of commission to be used for temporary Hub purposes. In the meantime Jack liased with UNIT, as they took over Cardiff rift duties. He was amused to learn that the Hub was in lockdown, and UNIT couldn't access it. He "Was sorry about that, but it was a time delay mechanism, they would just have to wait until it opened" the General he was liasing with wasn't impressed at having to rent office space for his staff. Jack resolved to buy Tosh a supply of her favourite chocolate for ensuring UNIT stayed out of the Hub.
By eleven the Inn looked as though Torchwood had inhabited it forever. Owen was finishing up his autopsy and Tosh had begun a detailed scan of the Forest, looking for signs of alien activity. Gwen researched the staff of the visitors centre and other local businesses, looking for links to Torchwood 1.
Ianto had ventured into the kitchens and discovered a decent coffee maker, which surprised him given the dishwater they had been served after dinner. He gave Jamey a Barista lesson and discovered the boy was a natural. He promoted him to Team Barista with instructions to offer coffee every hour on the hour to any of the team who were on site. "Even Mr Harkness?" the boy gulped. Ianto smiled, "Especially Mr Harkness." He knew from experience that, well, experiencing Jack close up would either cure the lad or drive him over the edge. Perhaps not such a good idea after all. "When I'm here I'll serve Jack's coffee" he relented and took the mug from Jamey.
Jack was observing his Tosh and Gwen from the doorway of the lounge when Ianto found him. He shifted his shoulders from the door jamb taking the coffee with a smile, pulling Ianto to him with his spare hand. He smelt the coffee before he tasted it, eyes dilated in surprise. "Wow it smells almost as good as yours Ianto"
"I've been teaching Jamey, he's a natural."
"Oy out the way lovebirds, doctor coming through!"
Owen shoved his way past, and as he moved Ianto spotted Jamey standing nervously with the tray of coffee, he waved him past into the room, smiling at him..
As Jamey finished giving out the coffee, Ianto gestured him out of the room and closed the door on the team. He stood leaning against it.
Jack took up position in front of the fireplace.
"Owen what have you got for us?"
"Pretty much what you thought. He actually died from having his eyes gouged out, then his liver was removed. The eyes were removed by a human implement, probably a screwdriver, and it was brain damage that got him. The liver was pecked out. Other than that he had crap lungs and heart from smoking and only one kidney. Still awaiting blood results. Take a while 'cos we forgot the analyser, so waiting on a courier from UNIT." Owen slurped at his coffee.
"Tosh?"
"Not much so far Jack, scans still running and collating. I'm also monitoring the rift in Cardiff, it's quiet over there tonight."
"Gwen?"
"Likewise Jack. Still wading through the locals."
"Sounds tiring" Gwen grinned at Jack for the innuendo.
"OK, not much more to be done tonight. Bedtime I think. Up bright and early, breakfast at?" he turned to Ianto eyebrow raised
"Eight sir, but before bed Owen needs to take a look at you."
Three pairs of eyes swivelled in Jack's direction
"Discreet Ianto very discreet" muttered Jack
"What? you think Owen wouldn't immediately tell Gwen and Tosh?"
Jack sighed. "You tell them Ianto, I'm gonna take a shower, then Owen can examine me."
Half an hour later Jack was laid out on his stomach as Owen scanned his lower back. Tosh was inputting the results through as many analytical programmes as she could find but was limited by the computer power they had in the makeshift Hub. Owen finished his scan, he wanted to palpate the area, but Ianto vetoed it in case it set off another flashback. To his surprise Jack backed him up, but for different reasons, he explained that a physical item would have been expelled as his body healed. Therefore it had to be an alteration to his permanent physical makeup. Finally Owen left them alone, with an admonition not to do anything strenuous.
"Why is Owen always so anxious for us not to have sex?" complained Ianto, "it doesn't matter what happens to either of us, he bans us from having fun"
Jack rolled over and grinned up at Ianto. "Jealousy, coupled with morbid fantasies about what we actually get up to."
He reached up and pulled Ianto down onto the bed next to him. "We don't have to take any notice of him. So long as you avoid the base of my spine, I reckon we'd be OK"
Ianto studied Jack's face for hints of pain or emotional strain, behind the grin he thought Jack looked tired and depressed.
Jack pulled him in for a kiss. "Don't think too much Ianto, lets just enjoy ourselves."
Aide-de-Camp = officer acting as confidential secretary to a senior officer. Would be responsible for all the actions that Ianto is sorting out here.
Also I forgot to say that Symonds Yat, The forest of Dean and the visitor centre all have websites where you can see photos of this beautiful area in the British Isles. Go visit!