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 32 – In duty bound
Trapped in a maze of concrete and flesh, Ianto desperately searched for a way out or at least a safe place to hide. Wherever he went, he heard the wails and screams of terror and agony. His body hurt and his flesh burnt. No matter how far he left the Cybermen behind, the thundering stomps were always with him. Ignoring the wires that stuck out of his body and made his skin itch seemed the only way to keep the last fragments of his sanity. It was outrageous. He was not a Cyberman. He refused to be one!
Feeling lost, Ianto ducked into shadows where he cowered and hoped for the metal men to vanish. Whimpering, he watched a dark shadow approach. Retreating as far into his hiding place as he could, Ianto prayed that whatever was outside did not find him. It leaned into his dark space, though, and gently pulled him out, wrapping him up in a warm embrace. A kiss to his lips startled him and he felt dragged through the universe.
Ianto found himself in a strange room. Breathing was easier and he could sense his legs again. With relief he realized that he was not converted after all. Someone stood beside him, holding him in a loose embrace and caressing his neck.
Jack!
This was the TARDIS, Ianto learned. It was amazing. Ianto could have sworn that he could feel her presence, that he could hear her sing in his head. Certainly he was mistaken. No, it was so peaceful it had to be true. She was his friend and he loved her, loved her like he loved her master.
I have to help him!
Suddenly he was outside. Fresh air washed over him and seagulls were crying in the wind. Cardiff bay lay right in front of him. A presence behind him made him feel safe and secure. With a sharp voice hissing 'you are the weakest link, goodbye' the contented feeling evaporated. Anne Robinson spit fire at him and he was running.
Running.
Sparks flying.
Breaths burning.
Running.
Laser fire.
Running.
Nowhere to run.
Nothing.
Disoriented and screaming, Ianto woke. He shot up to a sitting position, flailing, grasping for anything that might offer comfort. Bathed in a cold sweat he was shivering despite the covers. Even though he tried to shake off the horror, the events from his nightmare manifested as memories.
"Not mine," he sobbed, grasping something soft beside him and pulling it in, hugging it to his chest. It carried a familiar scent.
"Lisa…"
Tears ran down his face as he could hardly picture her face that repeatedly threatened to be distorted by a cyber-helmet. Images of his nightmare still haunted him. Instead of fading, they became clearer and clearer. Involuntarily focussing, he could even make out details. He knew he had never been at such a place, never done the things he recalled so vividly. The horror would not leave him alone and he just knew that it would be impossible to return to sleep.
"All your fault!" he yelled at Jack despite knowing that his boss was long gone. Sobbing into Lisa's pillow, Ianto whined, "What have you done to me?"
xXx
"Exterminate!"
Trapped as he was in the conversion unit, Jack couldn't even flinch as laser fire swished past him and he heard a heavy thud. In the distance the thunder of the battle rolled. His heart beat frantically in his chest as he tried to be silent, hoping to be overlooked. However, the Dalek noticed him and turned to shoot. A whooshing sound swept through the chamber but nothing happened. The shot never came. Still there was pain, a lingering agony caused by immobility. Unexpectedly, the saws twisted back to life, circling above him and making him scream. From another cubicle came the screeching sounds of the conversion unit doing its job on another victim. The deafening chorus of the machines haunted him as he lay panting for breath, his eyes wide and his nostrils flaring. His whole body was shivering and he desperately yelled for help.
A female voice called for someone else. They were searching for Jack but not for him. He could not breathe. It felt like a sack of potatoes lay on his chest, constricting him. The shrill noise still rang in his ears, its urgent call triggering something in him. He had to go back and was not sure where to.
A long moment passed until he realized that the proximity alert had woken him.
"Jack?"
That's Tosh!
Still halfway caught up in the throes of his nightmare, Jack struggled to sit up. Chagrined about having fallen asleep on the sofa in the rec area, Jack rubbed at his eyes.
I shouldn't be surprised, though. It was late after all. Very early morning actually.
When Jack had arrived at the Hub it was half past five and he had texted Ianto, asking if he was doing alright. A couple of minutes later, Ianto had answered him, writing, he would be fine. About two hours later, Jack had received another message from Ianto, saying he wanted to beat Jack to asking, and yes, he was still doing alright. Sleepless, but still, despite the circumstances, as alright as he could possibly be. So Jack had dared to relax and rest on the sofa for just a couple of minutes…
Now, ignoring his sore limbs, Jack swiftly got up from the sofa in order to avoid his computer expert who just came up the stairs.
"Jack!" she barked at him, "Where are they? And what have you done to them?"
Huh?
Concentrating was hard on Jack as his own memories mingled with the lingering nightmare triggered by Ianto's experiences. In his mind it got all jumbled up, making him shiver with fear and slowly fading agony that had felt so real in his dream.
In her indignation, Toshiko failed to notice his distress and angrily rounded on him, "Benny and the others! Where are they?"
At first, Jack was thoroughly confused, but then it dawned on him that she meant the spidermice. Pacifyingly, he held up his hands and muttered, "The creepy crawlers are down in the vaults, awaiting completion of their new habitat."
"Oh."
Stunned, Toshiko paused, but after a few seconds of surprise she all but shrieked, "Did you tell Ianto?"
"Um, actually… no," Jack sheepishly replied. "I wanted to surprise him."
"Well, if you aimed at giving him a coronary, you succeeded," Toshiko muttered breathlessly. "Why did you bloody take them?"
In hindsight, Jack realized that Toshiko was right. Coming back to Cardiff to find that the cage with his alien pets was gone, was bound to scare the crap out of Ianto.
He's got to jump to the same wrong conclusion as Toshiko. Why can't I get anything right?
"Because Ianto's right," it burst out of him and he was speaking faster and faster as he went on, "They've got only that small cage! What they need is space, though, and we have space! I thought I'd roughly prepare the storage room and let them out. Throwing a cover over the cage and taking them with me was… okay, as was cleaning up and securing the ventilation shafts..." Trailing off, Jack rubbed the back of his neck. It was so embarrassing, but right now he saw no other way to solve his problem than to tell Toshiko about it, "but I… I couldn't… get close enough."
"Close enough to do what, Jack?" Toshiko queried with fresh suspicion.
"To…" he choked, "to open the cage."
Realization dawning, Toshiko stared at him incredulously.
"Jack, are you arachnophobic?"
"No," he shot back indignantly, which was true. "I just… I can't stand those spidery mouse things."
"But they're sooo cute!"
Pulling a face, Jack shook his head.
One more look at her boss was enough for Toshiko to understand that she should change the subject.
"All right," she said, slapping his upper arm, "call Ianto and tell him that you relocated his pets. I'll take care of them."
Sensing that she should give Jack some space, she started for the vaults.
"Tosh!" Jack called after her.
"Yes?" she paused.
"Thank you."
"No problem," she replied and vanished in the tunnel.
Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Jack prepared himself for the call he was about to make. Toshiko's reaction had startled him. But she didn't know that I talked with Ianto about his spidermice. She was shocked to see them gone.
She's right when she says that Ianto might not appreciate my entering his bedsit without his permission, but he'll understand that. In the end it's my job to deal with the critters, isn't it? Only not telling him about what I did might have the potential to become disaster.
With fresh resolve he decided that Ianto would be grateful to him for collecting the alien animals. As he sat down at his desk, he picked up the receiver and dialled Ianto's number. Shaken as he still was from the nightmare and Toshiko's accusation, every ring that echoed away made him feel a little more nervous.
I don't know why, he chuckled to himself. Ianto's always been understanding.
"Jones."
"Harkness."
"Hello," Ianto muttered with obvious surprise. "What can I do for you?"
"That's not why I'm calling," Jack told him. "I've got to tell you something."
"Oh? What is it?"
Jack noticed that something was different about Ianto. When he had left him after their late night dinner, he had been under the impression that he was still sad but in control of his emotions and on the way to recovery. Otherwise he would not have left him on his own. Now he sounded so distant and the slightest bit hostile.
"During my drive back, I kept thinking about what we talked about," Jack went on, "and made a decision. I already made preparations when I realized that I should talk with you."
"Now you're making me nervous," Ianto chuckled.
There's no real humour in his tone, though. What's wrong?
Jack decided to take the direct approach.
"I went to your bedsit and took the creepy crawlers."
Silence.
"Ianto?" Jack asked, when he got no reply. This was so unlike the archivist he knew so far.
"Yes."
"Say something…" Jack prodded, his previous anxiety rekindling.
After a short pause, Ianto coldly said, "You know, Captain, as death threats would fail to impress, I can't think of anything but to reduce your odds by fifteen percent.
Jack hated to hear that and felt a pang of regret. The flat reply made him swallow once before he continued, "I knew which storage room you meant and secured it against escape attempts. It will need some decoration, branches, sand, rocks, or what else they need, but it'll do for now.
Another moment of silence passed, urging Jack to fill it.
"Guess I earned that," he muttered, even though he could not stop wracking his mind about Ianto's strange behaviour. This was not the man he had bantered with before. "I should have told you before I went to get their cage, but at that time I thought it was a great idea. I wanted to surprise you."
"You're lucky that you didn't," Ianto grunted. "Did you pick them up yourself?"
"Yes." The hostility left Jack baffled. I thought I'd do him a favour. Okay, Tosh said he might take it wrong if he discovered it upon his return, but now that I'm telling him? Did I misjudge him so thoroughly?
"And that didn't kill you?"
If Ianto tried for humour, he failed. The serious tone of his query confused Jack even more, but he forced a chuckle as he replied, "By a hair's breadth."
"Astonishing."
That was all that was forthcoming, so Jack attempted to trigger a reaction by saying, "I… couldn't let them out, though."
"I see," Ianto calmly accepted the fact. "You could ask Tosh for help. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." A telltale pause offered Ianto all the information he needed to conclude, "She's already there, taking care of the spidermice while you called me as she suggested."
"Um…"
A soft laugh from the other end of the line made Jack aware that he had just confirmed Ianto's theory. What sent a chill down his spine, though, was, that this was not one of the pleasant laughs that he associated with the Welshman. Not knowing what was wrong, Jack went on with more banter, "What can I say? You know we're not on best terms."
"You and Tosh?"
Jack gasped. What could have been a witty comeback, sounded more like an insult. What the hell is wrong with him? This time, Jack did not know what to reply, so he kept his mouth shut, hoping that Ianto would fill the silence.
"You know, sir," Ianto sternly told him, "seeing your good intentions and the bravery of your actions I'm willing to grant you a raise of ten percent."
A cry of cheer might have escaped Jack at hearing that if the banter did not sound so forced. So I lost only five percent! I can live with that. I'd readily lose more, though, if I could have the cheerful Ianto back. As he did not want to upset him any more he asked, "When will you be back?"
"Late this evening."
That still sounded flat and distant, but Jack refused to react to it as he lightly suggested, "Shall I pick you up at the station?"
For a moment, the line remained silent, which put Jack on edge. Subconsciously he toyed with the cord of his phone.
"Under one condition," Ianto finally said.
"What condition?" Jack shot back, at once reprimanding himself that he should not try and antagonize him.
"No playing tonight and we're going to have a serious talk," Ianto explained.
"Talk about what?" Jack could not help but ask.
"I'll tell you tonight," Ianto evaded the question. "The train's scheduled to arrive at ten twenty-three."
"I'll be there."
"Then I'll see you when I arrive. Goodbye."
"Bye," Jack muttered and heard the phone disconnect. Now that was strange. Did I do something wrong? Is it a repercussion of his collapse? I think Owen should give him a once over.
Realizing that he still held the receiver in hand, Jack put it down on its cradle.
xXx
Waiting on platform one for the train from London, Jack pushed his hands deeply into the pockets of his coat. The strong breeze coming from the bay ruffled his hair and made him glad that he had pulled his collar up. The train was scheduled to arrive in six minutes and Jack felt his anxiety rise. Ianto had sounded somewhat peculiar on the phone, so Jack wracked his mind about what he had done wrong the night before.
Maybe I should've stayed. He asked me to after all.
He sighed.
He was ready to ask for more than just company. Somehow that felt wrong, though. I think that sharing his bed now would destroy any chance of our relationship developing into something very special.
It was not the first time that Jack felt that tingling in the back of his mind. Actually he had sensed it the moment he laid eyes on Ianto Jones. Forgotten was his need to wrap up the matter of the cleanup. All of a sudden he had felt an inexplicable urge to get Ianto out of the bloody conversion unit, as if that was the only reason why he came to London. It felt like he would otherwise miss something very important.
I can't really pinpoint it, and I'm still trying to figure out its significance.
A drizzling rain sprayed under the roof. Seagulls circled above the rails. An especially bold one landed on the platform and searched for anything edible. It picked at some crumbs and toyed around with a candy bar wrapping. When it marched toward a waiting couple, they shooed it away. Its wings almost brushed the woman when it swept up to join its mates.
Jack smirked.
He turned into the rain to try and see if the train was coming. A moment later, he spotted the approaching headlights and his anxiety mixed with excitement. When the train screeched to a halt and the doors opened, Jack looked around in search of Ianto. First he could not spot him among the other travellers, and then he was startled by, "Behind you."
Pivoting around, Jack came face to face with Ianto and a smile cracked his features, "Hello."
One look at the other man was enough. Jack just knew that something was wrong. As Ianto remained silent, he carefully inquired, "Did you have a bad night?"
"Yes."
Brusquely, Ianto marched past Jack, dragging a suitcase behind that hit Jack's shin.
The captain chose not to express his surprise at the minor pain and bit his tongue. Instead he followed Ianto down the stairs.
"I have the SUV parked near the back," Jack stated, but Ianto turned to the left. "Ianto? Wait!"
Ianto stopped, but did not turn back around.
"Please, tell me what I did wrong?" Jack softly prodded. All he had done was try to be nice, to be obliging, and, last but not least, to do him a favour. He could not understand why he was treated so harshly now.
"I… wanted to explore that," Ianto pressed through gritted teeth, still not willing to look at Jack, "but I… can't. I just can't."
"What do you mean?" Jack asked, going around Ianto in order to face him again. When Ianto started to walk past him, Jack stopped him.
Ianto's gaze drifted to the hand on his left shoulder and along the arm up to Jack's eyes. Seeing the anger reflected in Ianto's features, Jack removed his hand.
"Is it something I did last night?" he anxiously asked. "Have I been too forward?"
Ianto clenched his teeth and it took a moment until he said, "You've been a gentleman."
To Jack it looked like talking was a real effort for Ianto. The other travellers moving around them certainly did not make it any easier.
"Maybe we should find a calmer place," Jack suggested. "Then we can talk."
All of a sudden, Ianto looked haunted.
"No!" it escaped him sharply. Sucking in a breath, he tried for calmer, "No. I can't. I thought I could, but I was mistaken. I need to be alone."
With that he tried to push past Jack, but the captain sidestepped.
"Let me through!" Ianto hissed.
"You're obviously unwell," Jack muttered. "I'd be a bad boss if I'd leave you alone… again."
"I insist you do," Ianto snarled.
Of course, Jack could see that Ianto wanted to get away from him as fast as possible. It broke his heart. On the other hand, he really could not let him go like that. He was responsible for him after all.
"Whatever I did…" he muttered, "I'm sorry."
"It wasn't last night," Ianto pressed through gritted teeth, but he would not look at Jack. "It must've been what you did… earlier."
Realization dawned on Jack.
"At the memorial service?"
Ianto nodded, still not meeting Jack's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Ianto," Jack said. "There was no other way to help you, though."
"I understand that," Ianto hissed. "But… right now… I have to go. Really."
Once more, he started to march away.
I can't let him go like that!
"Will you talk with Owen?" Jack called after him.
Ianto paused.
Jack could see a shudder ripple through him. A moment later, he was relieved to see him nod.
"But I'll call him," Ianto said. "Not you."
"That's okay," Jack agreed, glad that Ianto would talk with someone. Somewhat helplessly he stood and watched the younger man who still stood there, the handle of his suitcase in hand, looking rather forlorn. Hopefully he raised his eyebrows when Ianto turned his head to look at him.
"Thanks for coming," Ianto murmured tonelessly, "and for relocating my pets."
"You're welcome," Jack replied, heartfelt. Trying to lift the mood a little, he added lightly, "It's my job after all, isn't it?"
"Well, you didn't care before."
It did not sound quite as harsh as earlier, but it still hurt more than it should.
"I admit that I would rather have seen UNIT take them in," Jack shrugged. "But… if you say that they might prove valuable, I'm glad that we found a solution."
"Yeah?"
"Well…" Jack drawled, trying for a roguish grin that failed to manifest, "as long as I don't have to feed them or clean up after them."
The tiniest of smirks cracked Ianto's features.
"I have to go," he declared, his voice slightly wavering. "Sorry, but I… just can't."
"Please," Jack pled, reluctant to let him part, "I wish I could help but I accept your decision. Just… find someone you can talk with." Watching Ianto like a hawk for a reaction, he paused. When none was forthcoming, he prodded, "Okay? Owen, or Tosh… anyone."
Ianto nodded.
"See you tomorrow?" Jack asked.
"Got a job to do," Ianto mumbled as he turned around.
Taking that as a yes, Jack let him go.
tbc…