Preparing for the Future Chapter 24: Inner Turmoil, a torchwood fanfic

Twenty-three: Inner Turmoil

Ianto felt himself stiffen as Jack looked over at him from the driver's seat. "You okay?"

"I...no."

"What's wrong?"

"I can't feel Marius."

Gwen looked over at him as she got back in, the ax having helped to save multiple lives of those trapped within their cars as the sky began to get thicker with the smoke. "Anymore of this and we'll be dead!"

"A few have reported into the hospital," Ianto said, going back to business as Jack drove off to the next street, the various policemen and women helping in the crisis and luckily keeping in communication. After the debacle between the Sleeper cell and Grey, Gwen had arranged a meeting with Jack and herself, representing Torchwood, and the local law enforcement, ensuring better plans were in action. Ianto had come in to take notes and read off regulations, making him both liked and disliked among the group.

Marius, despite urging from Ianto, Jack, and Gwen, had stayed in the Hub, stating he 'needed time to think'. Since it had been a few days after meeting with his brother, Ianto was still more then positive that he had done something to make Marius like this, and the inactivity had only intensified...whatever it was that brought about this depression.

"Ianto," Jack's voice made him look back over as he asked, "can you feel him?"

Ianto shook his head. "It's like he was never there."

No, some part of him thought, more like he's been cut off, like something is keeping him from you, or...

"It's not like when Owen died, when he was holding in everything, or even lately, after Tyr's visit. It's...it's like there's just an area that he's cut off from."

Gwen suddenly gasped, yelling, "Look out!" before Jack screeched to a stop, the group looking up to see the girl, Tesni, standing in front of them, tapping that wooden sword of hers against her leg. Her hair was brilliant white in contrast to the canary yellow shirt and light colored slacks she wore, but despite her sunny clothing she looked very serious and very worried.

With a few quick strides she was over to Ianto's side of the door, opening it up to look at him as Jack started to protest. "Where was he last?"

"Who?"

"Marius, my Field Agent," she said, her voice dangerous as she glared at the three, "Where was he last, Ianto Jones?"

"Marius' father asked for a barrier to be put up. While the two are inside, no one but those who were inside already and left can enter again." The sky above them was on fire, clearing out the monoxide and signaling that UNIT and the Doctor had once more saved the day. Jack and the others had done what they could to save humanity, and truthfully Marius was just as important. Plus, UNIT already said they 'had it' so Jack saw now reason to worry. Between UNIT and the Doctor, most things were figured out if they didn't affect Cardiff alone.

"So what makes you think we can get in, then?" Gwen asked.

"Marius is connected to everyone," Tesni said simply, leaning against a railing. "I'm not allowed in because I'm not part of this reality, so it's impossible for me to go in and help. There is a...chance...that you three could make it through because of the connection."

Jack looked over and said, "At least you didn't just say 'Ianto'."

"The chance I got was higher for Ianto Jones then you two, Captain Harkness. Considering your feelings and Gwen Cooper-William's feelings concerning teams, as well as the two in question, there is more then a small chance that you two could make it through on sheer will and stubbornness alone."

Ianto glare at her, saying simply, "You could be less cold-blooded about it."

"I'm practical to a point," Tesni told him, "and this isn't protocol or cold-blooded. In fact, asking you three to do this breaks any number of rules set down by Chronometrics, Enforcers, and even a few Caretakers. I'm not being reprimanded for it, though, because these rules are also being bent far too much by...others...who seem to not understand the nature of your connection with Field Agent Marius. I'd rather they leave him, and therefor you three, alone, but meddling seems to be a cultural trait." She paused and motioned towards the area. "We don't have all day, by the way. You can think what you want about me, but I do care about your well being and the well being of my Field Agent. He and you have gone through quite enough."

Ianto's glare softened, and he breathed in before muttering "right" and heading forward, Jack and Gwen following closely behind him.

Jack felt himself going through the wall, reaching back to grab Gwen's hand when he noticed her stumbling. Ianto reached back as well, Jack's hand coming comfortably into his as they continued forward. It was like walking through a wall of molasses or thick honey, or even a type of gel that threatened to harden and encase them at any second if they stopped moving forward.

Just as suddenly as they had entered the area, Jack felt himself stumble, Ianto nearly being knocked over as Gwen, a second later, also tripped and bumping into Jack.

Ianto had drawn his gun with his free hand, and after seeing the scene there, Gwen were not far behind, all three still holding onto the other just in case and unsure as to what they were facing, exactly.

Marius lay on the ground, face up and with vacant eyes, worse then even when they had found him half-conscious and out of it in that torture room. Above him, glaring down at the prone body, was a man that you won't look at twice, his clear eyes looking the three over with a superior disdain that Jack had reserved for only the few times he and Bilus had crossed paths.

"What have you done with him?" Ianto demanded, his gun not wavering as he almost started forward, Jack's hold on him stopping the Welshman from doing anything foolish. Gwen's report on the incident with Grey had reported that Ianto, after seeing John, had nearly shot the other Time Agent, though Gwen and Toshiko's intervention had stopped it...just. Marius had helped at the time, though he would've been able to react quicker had the band that Mextli put on him not been there, but...

"You must be that one who caused all the problems," the man, Marius' father, said simply, not even bothering to look at Ianto longer then a second, glancing over Jack and Gwen in even less time before looking back to out to the ocean. "I don't understand what's so special about you. Absolutely nothing, as far as I've seen. In fact, you're plain. Annoyingly plain, annoyingly simple creature. Why anyone would stop for you is beyond me." He looked back at Jack for only a second before saying, "Even you, who could be something much more, are plain. He shouldn't be here, or have done anything for you three."

Ianto cocked the gun, training it on the man. "WHAT did you DO?"

"I heard you, boy," the man said, not bothering to turn around. "I simply checked on something. He never could deal with it as a child, and with such a fractured mind because of dealing with you three, he reacted badly to it. I really must speak to Tyr now." He glanced back to see Ianto still there, training the gun on him. "Are you still there? How did you three get through the shield, anyway? Plain things like you should've been kept away, after all."

Gwen now spoke, "We're not plain. Not to the people here, and not to Marius. Marius isn't just something you can go in and break then--."

"My, you are a dull thing," Marius' father said, "Of course I can. Marius is my son, and as such is under my rule until such a time as I see fit to release him."

"You disowned him, though," Ianto said.

Marius' father now seemed to take an interest in Ianto, tilting his head to look at the tall Welshman, his clear eyes seeming to have an attempt at reading his thoughts. "Did he tell you that?"

"Yes," Ianto said, "I asked, and he told me."

Marius' father paused, then gave a small, almost unheard, snort of disgust. "He considers you a brother. I would be more disgusted by that if Tyr didn't also think the same thing. How odd, but then again those two always were." He looked back at the ocean, then shook his head. "Pointless thing. Pointless planet, really," he turned and looked down at the vacant-eyed Marius. "And now a worthless offspring. At least his sister and other brother made something of themselves." Not even looking up, he said, "Keep it. I don't need this...thing...as part of my family. I'd send you Tyr as well but I can't seem to find him. I suppose it doesn't matter," he waved, "I'm done. Take it, don't bother me again."

In a sudden flash of gold that surrounded everyone enough to blind them, and then Tesni was racing forward, a strange older woman in the same type of uniform that Avery had come in earlier racing to the scene.

"Damn it!" the woman cursed as Tesni stopped, glaring at the area before asking the older woman, "Do you have it?"

"I do," the woman said, beginning a check up, "What are you going to do?"

"Find Tyr," Tesni said with a finality that seemed very dangerous, very...Enforcer. "He might be able to shed some light on the situation. If not, then you at least have those three."

The woman nodded. "Oh, why thank you."

"As long as they're kept alive and sane."

"...Does your father know you threaten older beings?"

"Yes," Tesni said, "but only if I must, and since my duty is to take care of Torchwood Three, Cardiff, the Rift, and Marius, I'd rather make sure all of them are in good condition when I can't take care of them." She nodded to the others before saying, "Professor Avery, I leave this to you."

The three looked over at her as she disappeared before looking back at the woman. She blinked and sighed. "WHAT?"

"Professor...Avery?" Gwen asked in disbelief.

"Can we get to this now, get to why I've decided to be female again later?"

The three jumped, Jack smiling briefly as he commented, "Alright, I'm convinced. You're Avery."

Avery placed Marius on the examination table, shaking her head as she did. "I honestly dislike Seidra line. After the whole thing with Ulamo I went looking, but the whole family is down to his, and guess what they said?"

"You're worthless and not worth their time?" Ianto asked.

"They'd tell you that, or kill you. Apparently your name ranges from 'Abomination' to 'Problem' to..."

"I got the picture after Mextli."

"Elders, what happened?" the voice caused the group to look over as Tyr, currently being held by the scruff of the neck by Tesni, was pushed down the stairs to where his brother lay.

"Your dad happened to him," Jack said simply, "and he said something about doing the same to you, too."

"He can't, I already warned his Caretaker, plus his assignment," Tesni shook Tyr, who didn't seem to care as he looked over at his brother, "moves around too much for him to be in one place for more then five minutes."

Gwen looked over, worried. "What happened to him?"

Tyr shook his head. "Dad didn't he wouldn't, he did--."
Tesni shook Tyr harder, turning him around and pushing him aside as Avery started to protest. "Obviously, whatever he 'didn't' do he did, and now your brother is catatonic, enough that even I can't feel his presence, and I'm his Caretaker! The only thing I should feel about him is if he's alive, dead, or anything in-between. This isn't even in-between! This isn't even a state of anything, so what, in the name of the Elder Brems, did your father do to him?"

"Tesni," Avery said quietly as she saw the wooden sword out, "There are a lot of breakable things here, and I, and Torchwood, and Cardiff, don't need them broken. I know you're mad, I know you want him to be safe, but yelling at his brother isn't going to help."

Tesni glared at Tyr, her grip on the wooden sword tightening as it began to glow a coral color before it disappeared and she stalked out and into the main area of Torchwood. Avery breathed out a sigh and shook her head. "Now, Tyr, I need you to tell me, or show me, do anything, but what was it that your father wouldn't have done to put Marius like this?"

Tesni sat, waiting nearby as Tyr looked up, then to Ianto before saying, "It's a punishment. It was a form of punishment, the worst type. He said he wouldn't do it, but...he gave us...pieces of it. When we misbehaved."

Gwen frowned, looking over at Jack, who looked at her then back to Ianto. "Ianto?"

Tyr and Ianto continued to stare at each other, though, Avery now looking at them before Tesni felt it and sent a push, stumbling Tyr and causing Ianto to blink, looking around as if he wasn't sure where he was.

"The Sterrise have a punishment like it," she muttered, "it's when they want to confuse the enemy, or when the person has done something that requires they be..."

"What?" Gwen asked. "Did what? What happened?"

Ianto answered, his voice sounded strange, as if hollow. "It divided them. Divided enough of it so that all that is left is a shell..."

Jack walked up, touching Ianto's shoulder. "Ianto, what's wrong?"

Ianto shook his head, his body shaking lightly under Jack's touch as Tesni frowned, then looked back before connecting the pieces. "He took small pieces of what happened, didn't he?"

Tyr looked back at her as she said with confidence, "Using that form of punishment on a child is against the law, even for a Chronometrics. But if the child doesn't remember, if the memory is taken, a piece of it, and stored, elsewhere, used as—oh Elders, that's why they hate the links and that's why they hate Ianto!"

Tyr blinked before saying, "What?"

"Memories, at least Sidra memories," Avery said, "can't be taken out. They have to go somewhere. If Marius had amnesia about a certain time, or a reason for being as he was, then the memories would have been put elsewhere."

"What's that got to do with Ianto?" Jack asked, then stopped. "Marius was in his natural form when we first met, and he was near Toshiko and Ianto."

Tesni said simply, "The Caretaker of that area had placed a blanket over it, making it so any Sidra attempting to investigate the killings would, in turn, also be killed. However, in their natural form in that place, a Sidra would have to attach itself to something there. Marius reported he attached himself to Ianto, so there was a type of secondary shell, created by everything he was. When Ianto was hurt, the shell was damaged."

"The fracture," Ianto muttered, Gwen now coming to flank him, "When I was hit, there was a fracture, a crack. I saw Toshiko for a second...after that we both blacked out."

Jack looked back over at Avery, still feeling weird about the former handsomely-cute man with a baritone voice to this somewhat older lady with a voice that matched. Of course, the professional attitude and way of ordering people around was still the same.

"So," Avery said simply, looking over between Ianto and Tyr, "going by what I know and what we've found out, I take it your father took memories as punishment?"

Tyr looked off to the side. "He...didn't take. He moved."

"WHAT?" the outraged voices of both Tesni and Avery made Jack and Gwen jump, while Ianto simply flinching as Avery suddenly headed over and grabbed Tesni's arm.

"Oh no you don't. Stay."

"Professor Avery, I need to report this!"

Avery sighed. "I wonder if I was this bad. Look, Lilith wouldn't have reported this until she was sure, and considering one of her last acts as a Field Agent was to suggest you as Caretaker should the question come up, you owe her and my family this. Now stay and just wait. Okay?"

Tesni cast a glare before nodding and Avery, after another pause, released her while Gwen asked, "Care to explain, please?"

Tyr, oddly enough, was the one who did so. "Dividing a Sidra into pieces requires...other people, to hold on it. Moving memories or ideas into some other part causes them to be retained, to a degree, but it also...hurts."

"It's the highest violation of what we Sidra would consider a Geneva Convention. It's not allowed against even the worst offenders...only exception, or at least thought of exception, was as a rehabilitation for Ulamo, but it was vetoed because of the amount of pain it would cause. He was a monster, but we shouldn't lower ourselves to that area, either."

Ianto sighed. "So, what can we do?"

Avery looked over at him, Tyr also glancing at the Torchwood members before saying, "We need to find them. I think they're all within the links. That was the only part that Marius wasn't using, that none of us were using, and why after we found out Dad would disown him, or even move towards killing someone we know would cause him pain. We need to go into his connections and see if we can find them."

Avery had the group sit down in a circle, telling them, "This isn't like before. You have to go in through your own mental room, try to find anything that doesn't belong. It could even be in the connection itself."

Tyr nodded, near Ianto. "I'll help him look through the broken connections. I don't know if we can find everything, but probably enough to find out where Marius is."

Ianto nodded, Jack reaching out to hold his hand. "We'll stop this, Ianto. Promise."

Ianto gave a small nod, Gwen looking over as Tesni appeared suddenly, Rhys blinking as he looked around and saw the group, Jack frowning while Tesni moved Rhys over to be next to his wife.

"I figured she'd need a grounder too, and it was either him or PC Andrew Cooper, but he's still busy with everything after the Sontarans. Do you need anything else, Professor Avery?"

"No," Avery said, "thank you for the help, Tesni."

With a nod, Tesni headed out in a rush of gold, Avery saying, "I'll talk to you in a second, Rhys. I'm sorry to bring you into this, but we can't delay this any longer. If you all could start..."

The three nodded, Gwen giving Rhys a smile before closing her eyes as Tyr and the others did, slowly falling into an almost hypnotic sleep as Avery said, "Rhys, long time no see. There's a lot to go over, and not a lot of time to do it. Ready? I'm not about to waste anymore breath telling you something twice."

Gwen had never been in her 'room', or whatever it was that this place was called. It looked like her flat, a few things from Torchwood obvious and out-of-place among her normal things as she sighed. "Out of place, huh? Out of place where?"

Gwen turned full circle, wondering where something would hide if it was a child, or a memory.

"Poor boy," she muttered, considering everything. Since meeting Marius, he had helped out as much as he could, and somehow it was only recently that he started feeling like he wasn't worth anything.

She paused, looking at the small tray where Rhys sometimes put spare change, the two using it for laundry when they had to or other small things. There was change in one, but another was empty, and had odd writing on it. She slowly walked up to it, wondering if she should pick it up or not.

If I don't, how else will I get it out of here? Come on, Gwen, she thought to herself as she picked it up, blinking suddenly as she saw something inside.

"I don't understand, Mom," child-Marius was saying, "why does Dad say that the Hubs caused him to die?"

"It's the truth, Marius," his mom told him, "why can't you just accept it?"

"It's just...if deaths caused him to die, not all those injuries and trauma, then wouldn't Seidra die after he connected to everyone? Wouldn't he be in danger, in pain all the time?"

"Marius." Gwen saw Marius suddenly stiffen as his father walked in, "What are you speaking of this time?"

"I...it's just..." Marius fumbled before finally saying, "I don't think it was just the deaths of his Hubs that killed him, Dad. I think it was more than just that."

Marius' father frowned. "It wasn't. I was there, I know."

"I...I know, but...but what if...what if you're wrong?"

The whole of the room went silent suddenly, the dark feeling like the one that Gwen had felt when she tried to talk Jack into looking into the disappearances.

Gwen looked around to see herself back, shaking off the feeling. That had to be the first time Marius openly asked himself if his father was wrong, had said it to his father, and...and he had moved that memory? Why?

A crying sound came from the loo as she looked over, heading over to where it was, slowly opening the door before seeing the child Marius she had seen earlier cringing in the corner, crying.

"Hey," she whispered, kneeling down to look over at him, the young boy looking at her and shaking, "it's okay. I'm a friend. My name's Gwen."

"G-gwen," he hiccuped, wiping his cheeks clear of tears, "I'm scared. He'll come back."

Gwen shook her head. "Tesni and all of us will make sure he doesn't."

"He always comes back."

Gwen smiled, reaching out and touching Marius' shoulder. "We can deal with it. We can take care of you. Come on."

The child Marius looked around, then nodded and took Gwen's hand as they stood up.

Jack looked around his office, or the area that looked like his office with cross sections of the Time Agency and TARDIS all tossed into one. It was almost impossible to find the thing that was out-of-place.

"Great," Jack muttered, "please tell me Gwen and Ianto aren't having these problems."

He sat down, glancing at the area before he saw it.

Ianto's stopwatch.

Why would that be in his room? And besides, it looked...off.

Standing, Jack walked over to where the stopwatch was, picking it up and studying it as he felt something come up in the back of his mind.

"You keep that up, Dad'll punish you," a younger Tyr said, looking over at a much younger Marius. If Jack had to guess, he'd say that Marius was maybe a preteen or close to a teenager.

"I don't care," Marius said, standing up, "I'm going to do it."

"Why sonic weaponry?" Tyr asked, "Why even ask about the Time Wars? No one exactly likes the Dalek or the Time Lord Caretakers anyway."

Jack frowned, remembering that now the grouping was called Curators...meaning this was either during the Time War itself, or before it.

"It's just interesting."

Tyr sighed. "Dad said for you to do it on something nice, like the Sapphire Waterfalls or the twin planets or maybe even time travel devices. Every race plays with them at one point or another...and it'll make Dad happy."

"And I don't want to do them, or make Dad happy that I'm doing what he wants me to do. I'm doing the sonic devices. Besides, I would like to see how they work. It's not like I'm going to get one."

Tyr sighed. "You already wrote it up, didn't you?"

"I already submitted it, actually," Marius muttered, giving a small smile, as if triumphant but scared. "WHAT?"

"Who knows?"

"Mextli, but he's--."

There was a sudden knocking, Tyr looking over before saying, "I don't think Mextli can keep a secret. He hates it when you go against Dad."

The betrayal and hurt look on Marius' face as his father opened the door, Mextli nearby, was enough to make Jack want to kill the Enforcer that had hurt Marius a few months ago.

Jack let out a breath as he blinked himself awake, looking around the area as he saw a mild shining from the doorway that he knew was the link between his mind and the active Hub, the one that had been created with Ianto.

"I hope this is what I'm looking for," he muttered, opening the door to see a storm outside, worse then any he'd seen during his travels.

"You must be Jack," a voice made him turn, blinking as he saw someone who was obviously related to Marius sitting in the chair, reading a book, "or whatever you're actually called. I suppose it doesn't matter, in the end." The man stood, and Jack was amazed at how ancient he looked, his white hair even clearer then Tesni's own, his blue eyes like washed-down topaz as he walked up to look at Jack then beyond him to the storm. "It's really a doozy, what his father did to him, isn't it? I suppose you and that girl think you're the ones to fix it, don't you?"

"We're not?" Jack asked.

"Bravado aside," the man told him with a smile, "you're not. You're not the heart of it, or even where he is, in reality. That boy-toy of yours is."

"Ianto?"

"That's him."

"Why?"

"Because his mind was right. Because of the timing. Because it is foretold that you are to have one great love, and with your ability to live forever, to never die no matter how hard you try, or how much you want it, something must transcend that. It is, in fact, the same reason that all these odd things are going on. Vensha warned me, and now that I concentrate I see what he means. This is almost enough for the Elders to get involved. Since we can't, though, we need you to help our family." He nodded to the storm. "That being said, I really must be going. You'll all figure it out without my help, though. Run along."

With a forceful push, Jack stumbled and went sprawling into the storm.

"I told you, there's nothing!" Ianto yelled, walking around as Tyr glared at him, attempting to open up the burnt-out shell that had been Owen's opening.

"Try again," Tyr said, looking to the door next to it, the destroyed one that had once belonged to Toshiko. He hadn't realize there would be this much damage. With an annoyed glare he took a step back to look at the two as Ianto headed off elsewhere. Tyr didn't bother to watch, only sigh as he wondered what was going on and why these doors wouldn't open. Sure, their connections were now dead, but that didn't mean that they would just STAY SHUT.

Unless...

Tyr walked up to the nearest of the two, the one once belonging to Toshiko Sato, and frowned. The only reason he could think of was that Marius and Ianto hadn't fully thought through their grief, and thus it was shared.

Or Ianto hadn't. Or Marius hadn't. Or neither had, all things considered. He had never seen two people so connected that—oh crap.

Tyr looked around before he spotted Ianto standing nearby and sighed. "It all went somewhere, and I didn't think of it! Ianto, I need you to get down here and help me with something!"

Gwen fumbled with the door, helping the younger Marius in as the door up in Jack's office opened quickly, Jack coming in looking like he had just gone through a wind-storm and holding onto a small watch that the young boy quickly took, examining like it was a long-lost friend.

"Where's Tyr and Ianto?" Gwen asked, noticing how the Hub itself looked. There was at least two more doors, which she had to guess were Ianto's mental door to where he could be alone, and Marius', which was currently looking like it was unsteady, or even about to break.

"Here," Tyr said, Ianto coming up behind him as he said, "and I think I know where the rest of Marius is."

Jack looked over as Tyr looked at the child Marius, holding the stopwatch, then back to Ianto. "What's left of Marius is within Ianto."

Everyone stopped, looking between the two as Ianto blinked, trying to make sense of what had just been said.

"It's...in me?" Ianto asked as he looked over at Tyr, who seemed to be waiting for something or some registration, or even a reason, for what Tyr was telling him.

"The crack and the blanket, the fact that you two are close but not a Hub, or an Avatar, means that there's something else. Your ability to heal each other, but gain the same aches because of it. All of it should be that of an Avatar, but your mind acts more like a Hub."

"That's what Marius said Ianto and I were," Jack said, looking over at Ianto, "so he's not?"

"Marius didn't fully make you a Hub again after that Year that Never Was. The pain he went through caused him to divert the mental energy from you to the others. Despite it, though, he and Ianto shared much the same connection when, by all rights, it should've diminished like everyone else's did."

"Year that--." Gwen started, but Tyr cut her off.

"There was a year that shouldn't have happened. Jack disappeared for six months because he couldn't return before then, and when he did it was during the election. After that...well, it was a messy business on Earth, but it was righted and that's what counts. During that time, Marius built up the connections as he ensured your survival and the survival of those in Torchwood Three, but the end result was him losing most of those. Despite that, and despite Jack being the only one to remember the Year, Ianto's connection didn't change."

"But that doesn't...I mean..." Gwen paused, looking over at Jack then Ianto. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He should be," Tyr said, "as long as we get everything right. This area is the Hub, but it exists within everyone, as a central ground. If we fix this, Ianto won't be holding it here."

"What do we have to do?" Ianto asked.

Tyr looked over at him, sighing before he said, "I'm not sure. I don't even know if we'll be able to divide you two up."

"Should we ask Avery?" Gwen suggested. Tyr nodded, saying to the younger Marius, "Stay here. We'll figure this out."

"You three aren't done," Avery stated as everyone woke up, Jack giving her a smile as he muttered, "Nice to see you too, sunshine."

"What happened?"

"I found a part of Marius," Gwen said, "and we put him in the Hub. Jack found something too, but..."

"I got a visit from one of your Elders, saying that Ianto was the key," Jack said, "and there was a mild storm between my connection and the Hub."

"Probably because of guilt over something," Avery stated, "either that or confusion. One of the two."

"And," Ianto said, "Tyr figured out the rest of the memories, and most of Marius, is...well...stuck in me."

The room was silent as Avery looked at him, then began to curse. Tyr's face turned red as she stopped then said, "If that girl doesn't put a restraining order against his family for reckless endangerment, I will! Not you, Tyr, you're fine."

"Thank you," Tyr said, looking a little confused.

"Um," Rhys said, "What's going on?"

"Ianto, we need to figure this out, before it manifests."

"Why?" Rhys asked a second before everyone else did, Tyr included.

Avery looked at them before saying, "Think of the human mind as a balloon. As more knowledge goes inside, it inflates. Some hold a small amount, some hold a large amount, but all of them only have the capacity for so much. Too much will cause it to pop, especially if the too much is that of a Sidra. I read about a Human containing the Time Vortex in their head for a short period of time, and that nearly killed her. The same problem comes if a Human gained all the knowledge of a Time Lord. The Doctor can't share all his knowledge with a Human because, sooner or later, it will become too much and they'll die."

"But Sidra aren't Time Lords," Ianto said.

"Nope," Tyr told him, "we're demi-gods, and from a plane of existence that is outside everything, even the Void itself. We've taken it up to be your caretakers and overseers."

Avery nodded, finally saying, "Because of that, you won't just die, Ianto Jones. Your mind will be consumed, and your whole being will explode. You will fail to exist in any universe from that point forward, or even exist in our universe. In short, you'll cease to exist, and so will Marius, because neither of you will be able to be in the same place as the other."