Doomsday: Post Apocalypse

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

Dislaimer: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.

Summary: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto

Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness

Chapter 22 – Startling encounters

"Hey, Ianto!" Toshiko called out when he emerged from the tunnel. "There you are again."

"Yep. Did you need anything? Coffee? I told you I'd be down in the archives."

"No, I'm good," she replied, silently scolding herself for having greeted him so enthusiastically. Being rather reserved herself, she felt awkward about giving away that she already loved the young, diligent Welshman.

"Just glad to see me then?" Ianto teased with a quirked smile and a wink.

Feeling herself blush, Toshiko waved it off and turned to her monitors.

Stepping up behind her chair, Ianto leaned in to her and whispered conspiratorially, "I think I found a place for the spidermice."

"That's great," she commented. "Where?"

"At the end of one of the tunnels," he explained. "There's a big unused room and the best thing is that there's a smaller one right next to it that could serve as a lock… to make sure none of them escapes when we go in."

"Well, you need to sell it to Jack."

"I will," he nodded, "When I have the plan worked out and I can catch the right moment."

"Sounds like a plan already," Toshiko praised.

"A rough draft," the Welshman snickered. "By the way, is the computer in the tourist office working?"

"Should be," Toshiko nodded.

"Okay. Just wondered, because I thought I could open the tourist office for an hour or so until Ydris comes in. Or was he here already?"

"No, not yet."

"And what are you working on?"

"I'm currently checking some reports. The police were called to a domestic disturbance and the officers involved the animal catchers."

"Why's that interesting for us?" Ianto asked. "Aliens as pets?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Toshiko said. "They mentioned an unusual lizard and as we caught a pack of small dinosaurs while the Rift was acting up, I thought I'd check it out."

"You mean the procompsognathus dinosaurs you mentioned at the pub?"

"Yeah. Jack caught them with the help of the constables."

"Except one, though," Ianto stated. "And you can't have dinosaurs on the loose now, can you?"

"Nope."

"Tell me more about those police officers," Ianto suggested.

"Actually there's not much I can tell you about Gwen and Andy. We didn't spend much time together as they were out in the field with Jack." She smirked. "I'm sure he'd love to tell you about it."

"And I'm sure you know a lot more about them than their names," Ianto chuckled and murmured teasingly, "exactly because you know their names."

"Well, everything you'd find out about them as well," Toshiko teased back.

"Find out about who?" Jack cut in.

"The constables," Ianto replied in Toshiko's stead. "Tosh just noticed that someone found an unusual lizard."

"Could be one of the dinosaurs," Toshiko confirmed, searching for more details. "Maybe you should check it out."

"Where is it now?" Jack asked thoughtfully.

"At the animal shelter, I presume."

"Ianto," Jack turned to the Welshman, an excited grin cracking his features at the prospect of his company, "would you like to come see a dinosaur?"

"Actually, I think that Owen would be of better use, sir," Ianto declined. "He's not a vet, but he knows how to administer sedatives."

Jack looked actually disappointed.

"Besides, one of us should be here when Ydris arrives."

"True," Jack conceded and shouted, "Owen!"

"Yeah?" the medic's voice waved up from the med bay.

"We need to check something out!"

"Coming," Owen grunted.

Jack smirked and went back to his office to get his coat. When he returned, he brushed his hands down his sides and accompanied the gesture with an admiring smile at Ianto. The Welshman could not help but roll his eyes. Seeing Jack pout at it, though, he felt a surge of affection that surprised him. So Ianto was glad that Owen just came up the stairs to join them.

"All right, let's go," Jack said, and both men left the Hub to get to the animal shelter.

Ianto glanced at Toshiko, a bit surprised that Jack gave in so easily. He could not imagine the captain being coy, so maybe Jack really was just inviting him along to see a live dinosaur. Whatever the case, he had lost his chance for now. Shrugging, he asked Toshiko if she needed anything from him and when she said no, he headed out the cog door and up to the tourist office.

xXx

At the animal shelter, Jack asked for the lizard that was brought in by the police. When he was asked for identification, he introduced himself as a member of the Department for Natural Environment of the Cardiff Council and demanded to see the animal.

"It's a fascinating specimen," the young woman chattered on as she went down a row of cages. "We tried to identify it but we're still not certain what it actually is. Our best bet would be the South American common basilisk as it can walk on its hind legs."

"We assume that it escaped from a pet shop," Jack told her. Owen followed close behind but did not chime into the conversation.

"I'm sure we'd find someone who could take it in," she said.

"Oh, we're not worried that it wouldn't be taken good care of," Jack explained. "We have to make sure, though, that it doesn't carry any diseases."

"Our vet couldn't examine it yet as it arrived only a few hours ago."

"We'll do that," Jack assured her. "And if it's healthy we'll find a place for it at a zoo."

"A zoo?" she queried with mild astonishment.

"Yes," Jack told her firmly. "As the woman it was taken from obviously didn't know how to handle it, it would be better off in professional hands, don't you think?"

"You may be right there," she agreed and stepped into another room. "Here is it. Isn't it marvellous?"

Taking a look at the creature, Jack grunted a forced yes. This single individual did not look dangerous, but Jack recalled only too vividly how the whole pack had gnawed on him like a dog on his favourite bone, killing him slowly and agonizingly.

"I can help you with putting it into the transport box," the woman offered as Owen stepped forward.

"Thank you…"

"Melissa," she replied with a smile that the medic returned.

"Thank you, Melissa."

He opened the flap of the box while she pulled on thick gloves. When she nodded, Owen opened the cage for her and as soon as she reached in to grab the lizard it bit at her fingers and tried to scratch with the claws on its feet. Unperturbed, Melissa grabbed its body and gently but firmly took its neck right behind the head to keep it from biting.

"Hold it steady," she scolded when Owen slightly backed off as she turned with the writhing lizard in her gloved hands.

"Wow, it's quite a fighter," the medic praised.

"Yes, it is," Melissa proudly agreed. "So… there you go." She closed the flap and the little dinosaur was safely tucked away in Owen's box.

"You're a brave girl, Melissa," Owen smirked. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Tonight?" she chuckled. "Tonight I already have a date."

Owen actually looked crestfallen which amused Jack who hid it behind a stern façade.

"I hope he's nice," Owen grunted.

"Very," Melissa confirmed. "I'll pick him up after work and we'll go out. Later we'll have dinner… he's quite sportive and the nicest fellow on the planet."

"You know," Owen muttered, "I didn't need to know all the details. Why didn't you just say..."

"His name's Diego," she said and pulled the gloves off.

"Diego," Owen parroted, imagining a Hispanic with black hair, well-toned, and good humoured.

"Yes. If you don't mind, the three of us could go together…"

"But…" That was not really what Owen had imagined.

Laughing softly, she took mercy on him and explained, "Diego's my border collie."

"Oh," was all Owen could utter. Now he noticed that Jack almost choked on his suppressed laughter. Glowering at his boss, he thought hard about an appropriate reply. "I love dogs, I'm just not always sure if they like me. I'd love to give it a try, though."

Still chuckling to himself, Jack took the transport box from Owen and stepped out of the room… only to run into someone else. When he looked up to meet the other's gaze, he stared right at Constable Andy Davidson.

"Hey," he muttered, instantly wondering if this was a coincidence.

"Hey," Andy replied and for a split second his face lit up with joy before his expression changed to confusion and an astonished, "Captain Harkness!" escaped him.

For Jack, watching the reflections of the constable's mixed emotions was disconcerting. Just for a moment, he believed that the retcon did not work, but then he recalled that Andy had already recognized him as the head of Torchwood when they first met at the Heddlu headquarters. Back then, the young constable had no idea, though, what Torchwood did. Now Andy's view drifted down to the box the captain held and a scowl darkened his features.

"Something wrong?" Jack asked, dreading that meeting him now might break the chemical amnesia.

"No…" Andy murmured, unable to take his eyes off the lizard. "I came to see this lizard." Suddenly, he seemed to realize that it was sitting in a transport box. "You have no right! Where are you taking it?"

Jack eyed him with curiosity. Remembering that he should not be knowing who Andy was, he asked in a playful tone, "And I should be telling you that because…"

"I'm Constable Davidson," Andy replied and looked a bit sheepish as he became aware that he was not in uniform right now. "My partner and I dealt with the incident and called in the animal shelter when it became obvious that the family was unable to cope with their pet. It may be dangerous if not handled right, but it's nothing to do with your spooky-dos."

If it's not my striking personality it might be the dino that triggers his memories, Jack thought grimly. He got a bad feeling at Andy's vehemence. I need to scatter his concerns.

"We've got the necessary experience to deal with it," he told him, "and are going to take it to the Department for Natural Environment. This is an exotic species and will have to be tested for disease. If it is healthy, we'll rehome it in a facility where they know how to properly care for it."

At that the young constable looked concerned. "And if it's not healthy?"

"It will be cured and then relocated, or put down, depending on the illness," Jack told him without whitewashing the facts.

Andy's worry switched to alarm. "And if it's sick, what about the people it attacked?" he asked.

"Well, if it's communicable to humans, we'll get their contact information from the incident report," Jack lied, and suddenly, he found himself wondering how many times over the years people had contracted something from an alien encounter and become seriously or even fatally ill. It had never been Torchwood policy to follow up with exposed civilians unless they were suspected of harbouring parasites. Perhaps that was something he should look into. It would not be hard for Toshiko to run a search of names in their files against hospital admissions within a few weeks of their Torchwood cases. If there was a correlation, then he could think about extended follow-up.

"What if something winds up that did not show in your tests?" Andy queried.

"Our tests are very thorough," Jack assured him. In his opinion the young constable was too curious. "If you'll excuse me now."

"Wait! How can I reach you?"

"You can't," Jack chuckled and pushed past the constable. "Goodbye, Constable Davidson."

"But…" Somewhat confused, Andy stood in the hall and watched the man go, his coat swinging around him as he turned.

"Jack, wait!" another man shouted and almost ran Andy over as he followed.

Looking over his shoulder to Owen, Jack caught a glance at how recognition flit over the constable's features before it was gone again a second later. Jack scowled. This was quite worrying.

"Hurry up, doctor," he scolded. Casting a last quick look at Andy, he followed Owen this time. He would have to ask Toshiko to set up surveillance on the constable's online activities.

xXx

Up at the tourist office, Ianto wanted to go through a couple of files that belonged to the archives, but he could not quite concentrate, so he stood and stretched his stiff limbs. Time to take a break.

He stepped out onto the boardwalk, producing a package of cigarettes. Only when he lit one, he realized that it had been a while since he had last smoked.

That must've been even before the Cybermen came.

A conflicting thought, actually, and a moment later, he recalled that it was not true either. He had had a cigarette when he had returned to his flat. After his stint at Canary Wharf he came home with a cage full of spidermice, Indian dinner that he had picked up on the way, and the intention of calling Captain Harkness and telling him that he would not be coming back to Cardiff. That was when Owen's words came to his mind and he fired up his laptop in order to find the medic's number as it was scribbled onto a carton back at the bedsit in Cardiff. Talking to Owen, though, made his conflicting emotions boil and once he finished the call, he was not sure about anything anymore.

That was when he had needed a cigarette.

If he was honest with himself, he still did not know why he was standing on the boardwalk at Mermaid Quay right now. As he did not seem to have control over his actions, Ianto decided to live in the moment. Enjoying the taste of his cigarette, he leaned on the handrail, overlooking the bay. A ship crossed the bay on its way to the barrage and a couple of sailboats cut through the water. In the distance, a water bus chugged along, heading for the Taff.

It was a warm day for April, even with the sun beginning to set. From the quay above, Ianto heard the chatter of people. Occasionally, a seagull squawked where it soared on the salty breeze coming from the sea.

Drawing on his cigarette, Ianto let his gaze drift across the bay. The quay looked different to when he had last seen it and a lot of people sauntered along the coastline. Just a few yards to his left was an ice cream parlour right above the boardwalk that was connected to the quay with a bridge. As it was too early in the year for ice cream, Cadwallader's was still closed.

Voices drifted down to the boardwalk. A group of girls, joining at the rail to go to Eddy's diner next. Ianto could just imagine how they shared the latest gossip over burgers and soda. The young office workers would meet at Starbucks while families and couples went for dinner out to the Italian restaurants on the upper level.

I could get used to this.

All of a sudden, a hard lump formed in his gut. This scenario was so normal and peaceful. Standing here, enjoying the sun and a cigarette, seemed somewhat surreal. It was almost as if he had no right to be here. Suddenly, the cigarette did not taste all that good anymore.

Might be a good day to stop smoking, he thought and stubbed out the cigarette against the metal bar of the handrail. Lisa always disapproved, too.

Of course, he knew that it was a bad habit. Usually, he told himself that it could not be too bad if he got by with a single pack a week. Sometimes, it lasted even two weeks. Now that he thought about it, he did not even wish to smoke during his captivity and the following days. Too much had happened and he still had to come to terms with it.

As bad as it was, it also was a habit he became fond of as he had taken it up after his father's passing. The scent of the freshly lit cigarette made him nostalgic every time as it reminded him of his tad. Strangely, it brought back only the good memories. All the trouble he had had with his old man remained out of focus then. Paradoxically, even his father would have objected to his smoking.

I should start my non-smoker life today.

Taking out the still half-full package, he crushed it in his hand. He looked around in search of a bin and found one beside the bench right outside the tourist office. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but he already felt better when he tossed the crumpled box into the bin.

On his way back into the tourist office, he paused… with one foot inside and the other still out on the boardwalk.

What am I doing here?

With a jolt, he realized that he was stuck with the same madness once more.

What am I still doing with Torchwood?

Repeating the question did not make finding the answer any easier. Ianto was not sure anymore how he ended up here. Three's team had helped him and in exchange he should help with their archives. That was the easy explanation, but there was more to it. Ianto's problem was that he could not figure out what exactly more was.

I'm feeling constrained because they helped me.

That was not it and he knew it.

Finally, he forced himself to take the next step into the office. It was an effort to go around the counter to get to the chair behind and he gratefully sank down in it. Taking a deep breath, he released it slowly and closed his eyes. As soon as darkness enveloped him, he saw Lisa's face in his mind's eye and he shivered. She was talking to him but he could not understand what she said. Lisa's image dissolved in a spray of red.

Ianto's eyes went wide and he needed a second to orientate himself. Hearing something squawk, he got up and was surprised by a swirl of feathers.

"Whooosh! Out!" Ianto shouted and hurried around the counter. "What are you doing in here? Get out! Shoo!"

Thankfully, the seagull fled into the right direction and fluttered out of the front door.

"That's right!" Ianto yelled as it struggled up onto the handrail and started from there off across the bay. "And don't come back!"

For just a second, Ianto wished to be as free and footloose as the bird. With a sigh, he went back inside. Now he could have gotten started on the files, but he got no chance as Ydris entered the tourist office a moment later and pulled the door shut behind himself.

"Hey!" the other Welshman greeted. "Did the seagull ask for the way to the waste dump?"

"Hey, Ydris. No, it just popped in to say hello." He smirked, glad to get distracted from his gloomy thoughts. "So, you've got our transport boxes?"

"One box. Singular," Ydris replied. "Yep, it's in the car."

"Right," Ianto nodded. "Then you should drive into the garage below the Millennium Centre. I'll let you in."

"Which level?" Ydris asked.

"Three."

"All right." Ydris was about to turn when he sniffed, wrinkled his nose and asked with disapproval, "Do you smoke?"

"Just quit," Ianto declared with conviction.

At that Ydris laughed. "Good on you. You know, Tobacco is a filthy weed that from the devil does proceed. It stains the fingers, burns the clothes, and makes a chimney of the nose!"

Now Ianto just had to laugh with him. "Where's that coming from?"

"No idea," Ydris shrugged. "I picked it up somewhere, but it expresses so well how I feel about smoking."

"All right," Ianto said, intent on avoiding a longer discussion, "I'll meet you at the entrance in the garage then."

"Fine," Ydris agreed readily and winked before he left the tourist office.

A few minutes later, Ianto stepped out of the tunnel that led to the armoury and waited for Ydris who drove onto the last free parking space reserved for Torchwood under the names of their fictitious tourist office as well as Dr. John Smith and Ms. Janet Jones.

"Are you sure the box will fit into the plane?" Ianto chuckled at the sight of the Harwood's van.

"I'm sure it will," Ydris smirked as he opened the door to the loading space. "It's not the size of the truck. I just don't have a car and didn't know exactly how big the box would be."

"Right."

With another wink, Ydris climbed into the van to shove the crate to Ianto who held it until Ydris was back out and could take the other side to lift it out and set it down.

"Good thinking to bring a barrow," Ydris said.

They wheeled the crate into the tunnel where they set it down so Ydris could go back and lock the rented van. Then they closed the tunnel up behind them.

"I thought it would be bigger," Ydris mused aloud as they took the crate to a crossing and further down into the dungeons beneath Roald Dahl Plass, "she needs the space to care for her young after all. But the guy at the animal shipping company assured me that it's big enough for a German shepherd with its puppies."

"A German shepherd, huh?"

"Well, they needed her size and I could hardly say that you caught Tasmanian tigers in Bute Park, right?"

"True."

They brought the box down to the holding cells where the Thylacines awaited their journey to their previous and future homeland. When Ianto approached the safety glass, Ydris noticed that the female tiger seemed more relaxed than the last time.

"Did you spend time with her?" he asked, seeing Ianto squat down in front of the glass and the tiger nudging one of the holes with her nose.

"I think she can sense that I mean her no harm," Ianto murmured and carefully held a fingertip up to the hole for the grown tiger to take in his scent.

"Animals are good judges of character," Ydris agreed and hunkered down beside Ianto. "She smells that you're friendly." Watching the doglike marsupial sniff, he felt a grin tug on his lips. Lacing his challenge with amusement, he asked, "Talking about scents… what do you think about Jack's?"

As expected, Ydris caught his fellow Welshman on the wrong foot. Even from the side, he could see how Ianto paused and his eyes grew wide.

Ianto knew he waited too long with his answer, but, dead on target, Ydris addressed one of the things about Jack that made him nervous every time.

Ydris smirked. "Goes straight to your head, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Ianto admitted. "I already wondered which aftershave he uses."

"I don't know," Ydris mused aloud. "I'm not so sure he does use one."

"You think he smells like that naturally?" Ianto queried incredulously.

Ydris nodded. "Even after our dive in the bay, when the octopus took me and Jack saved my life, it was still there. No aftershave lasts like that."

Absently, Ianto nodded. "He saved your life?"

"Yep," Ydris confirmed and stood back up. "Dove after me when the octopus pulled me into the bay. It went into the tunnels, trapping us. Jack shared his breath with me."

"Wow."

"Yeah," Ydris recalled. "T'was our first kiss. Unforgettable."

"I can imagine," Ianto murmured. Saving handsome men seems to be one of Jack's hobbies. He straightened up as well, his gaze still resting on the tigers. They looked lost. Exactly how Ianto felt. Maybe that was why they found a connection to each other.

"Oh, I doubt you can imagine," Ydris retorted. "You've got to experience it."

Scowling at the other's conviction, Ianto could not help but ask, "What's between you and Jack?"

"Between us?" Ydris parroted. "Nothing, really. Wish there was."

Confused now, Ianto prodded, "But you're shagging, aren't you?"

"Yeah, well," Ydris replied evasively. "If anything, I guess you can call us friends with benefits." For a moment, he became pensive before he brought the ball back into Ianto's court, "And what's that thing between Jack and you?"

"We're… just playing a game," Ianto told him for lack of a better explanation. In order to buy time, he unnecessarily checked on the box before he finally added, "I think. He can't stop flirting and I'm trying to handle it."

"I see," Ydris murmured thoughtfully. He was not sure what exactly Ianto meant, but he knew that he had read something else out of watching their interaction. So he advised, "You should be careful with the captain."

Perplexed, Ianto shot back, "Why?"

For a moment, Ydris eyed the other Welshman before he said, "I'm not so sure he's just playing a game, Ianto."

"Then what do you think?"

"I think that there's more to his interest in you."

"Like what?" Ianto asked with honest confusion.

"Well, I guess you need to figure that one out by yourself."

Scowling deeply, Ianto shook his head. "Whatever it is, Ydris, I don't intend to let anything happen between us. Even if I was interested… and I'm not saying I am… it's too early."

"I understand that, Ianto," Ydris assured him. Still he felt the need to say something but cut himself short because he noticed movement at the entry to the corridor.

Hearing steps approach from behind, Ianto turned to see Jack coming down the tunnel.

"My two favourite Welshmen," the captain cheered. "Is everything ready?"

"Yep," Ydris confirmed, offering Jack a broad smile. "We're ready to go."

"Good," Jack beamed and eyed the tigers intently. "They're looking good. You took good care of them. Do you think she knows that they're going home?"

"And what do you have there?" Ianto asked, gesturing at the transport box Jack was carrying. "The dinosaur?"

"You've got a dinosaur?" Ydris asked excitedly. "Let us see!"

"Yep," Jack cheered, holding up the box. "We've got a new visitor. I'm afraid that this one will have to stay, though."

"It's cute," Ydris smirked. "What is it?"

"Procompsognathus triassicus," Ianto told him matter of factly and leaned forward to have a better look himself. Actually, the chicken-sized prehistoric reptile was quite impressive. "It's carnivorous by the way."

"I still like it," Ydris declared and inched a little closer. Hissing loudly and attacking the door of its cage, the dinosaur expressed its dislike of his proximity, making Ydris back off. "Okay, okay! Compared to you we're huge and you're scared. I get it."

"I'll take it to a free cell," Jack stated. "Then we have to see what we'll do with it."

"Can we help?" Ianto asked.

"No, just finish up here. I'll be fine," Jack assured him. "Thanks, Ydris, for organizing the box."

"No problem," Ydris replied. "Thanks for arranging a paid trip to Tasmania."

"No problem," Jack grinned and left the tunnel.

"He can be quite harsh," Ianto murmured thoughtfully as he watched Jack leave, "but he's got a good heart."

"Yep," Ydris agreed. "He's got a deep love for people in general," he paused, "and an even deeper one for only a few in particular."

"Oh, you're an expert?"

"Nah, I'm an outsider, actually," Ydris shrugged. "Maybe that's why I see things the team doesn't seem to notice." Like witnessing him drinking himself to a stupor. He certainly didn't have his guard up then. He refrained from mentioning anything about it.

"Probably," Ianto agreed, wondering if Ydris's observations were comparable to his own. He would have loved to question him about it, but he sensed that grilling him about Jack would not meet with success. So he asked instead, "How about coffee?"

"Coffee would be great," Ydris agreed.

"I'm sure the others won't mind a cup either," Ianto snickered as they went up the stairs. Entering the main Hub, they parted, Ydris taking a seat on the sofa and Ianto climbing up to the kitchenette to work some coffee magic.

tbc…