PART SIX
John Ennis O'Rourke squinted at the little mirror clutched tightly in his hand, willing the face reflected there to change to the one it should be. He glanced at the hot woman sitting opposite him and sighed.
"I must be on drugs or something."
The woman who was called Gwen was smiling at him in a way that completely failed to reassure him.
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"You're not the fuzz are you?"
She shook her head.
"Thought not, this guy.... the one you were with was too neat and now.. He's me and only I'm not.... what the fuck have you done to me?" He really was starting to get a little frightened now; drugs would've worn off hours ago.
"We have haven't done anything to you. Can you remember falling from the balcony?"
O'Rourke would've have buried his face in his hands if they weren't still cuffed to the table.
"Yeah, I remember. I'm dead then?"
The woman shrugged. "Your body is in our morgue with a broken neck and sundry bruises."
"So who is this loser?"
"My friend."
"And how come his neck aint broken?"
The woman turned away, looking up in the direction of a blackened window which was obviously two way glass. He watched as she nodded her head.
"Ianto has the ability to come back from the dead."
O'Rourke closed his eyes wondering where he scored the high class shit that was making him hallucinate so vividly, hardly his favourite fantasy though. He leaned forward and repeatedly head butted the desk hoping to clear his foggy brain.
"For the love of Christ, did Derek put you up to this?"
"Who is Derek?"
He rolled his head from side to side and realised that he was not improved in the slightest, which was not a good sign.
"Am I really dead?"
"Yes. Unless you're playing an especially bad joke on us, Ianto."
O'Rourke frowned. "Ianto's such a poncy name, sorry love no joking."
The woman sighed and got to her feet. He watched her leave and close the door with a resonating clang behind her.
Gwen charged back into the main area of the Hub with an agitated look on her face.
"Well, he's definitely not Ianto. There was no hint of recognition, none of that mischievous sparkle when he's up to no good, you know the one." She was facing Jack and could tell that he knew exactly what she was talking about.
"So what are we going to do?"
Owen and Tosh were both looking in Jack's direction as well and Jack realised he did not have an answer.
"I spoke to my counterpart; he said he'd never experienced any kind of separation from his body like what we're dealing with now. Jonsey suggested something a bit radical and I am inclined to try it unless anyone can come up with a better, less drastic course of action."
"Somehow I think I am not liking where this is going." Owen folded his arms, waiting for Jack to elaborate.
Jack tried to look non committal. "Let's take this to the boardroom, Gwen could you get us some coffee?"
Gwen was happy to oblige, even though the team were going have to put up with instant.
Ten minutes later and they were gathered in their customary places, Ianto conspicuous by his absence. They accepted their drinks without complaint, not wanting to discourage Gwen from at least trying and Jack gave them a minute to settle before starting to explain what Jonsey had suggested over the phone.
"When I die......" Jack really didn't like talking about this; Ianto was the only one who knew the ins and outs of Jack's deaths. "When I die, I am aware of going to a different place. I can only describe it as a room, a bright glass room with shadows that move on the other side of the glass. I don't know where or what it is, just that I am there and when I come back to life I am pulled back. It hurts..... It hurts a lot, like my whole being is aflame and sometimes I feel myself trying not to come back because I know instinctively how much it will hurt. I always come back. Lately it's been easier because Ianto has helped me, he's usually there when I wake up and it helps me. I can only assume that Ianto experiences something similar. He told me when he woke that first time in the morgue how much it had hurt, that he was aware of the time when he was dead. We know from Tosh's scans that Ianto's body is still repair mode, I am hazarding a guess that that will continue until his..... spirit.... soul, whatever is reinstated." Jack took a moment to glance at the faces of his team, his brilliant team.
"So how do we reinstate him?" Gwen asked not really getting where Jack was going with this. Owen and Tosh however had quickly figured it out.
"You think killing his body will fix it?" Owen asked, rather fascinated by the notion.
Jack nodded. "I'm hoping."
Gwen was gaping. "You're not serious?"
"Yes, I am."
Tosh gave her a smile. "I think Jack's right."
"But what about O'Rourke? I mean he's in there, he's alive, conscious. If you kill Ianto then he will die too."
Jack arched his eyebrows. "He's dead already; he just hasn't figured it out yet. I don't see the problem."
Gwen opened her mouth to protest but changed her mind on seeing the clouded expression on Jack's face.
"Anyone else?"
Owen pushed his mug away. "We are certain that Ianto's body is capable of.... well that thing that you do?"
Jack nodded. "I've seen it twice now."
"Ok, so let's get him into the autopsy bay and give him a lethal injection and see what happens, what is the worse that could happen?"
"You've no argument from me. You're absolutely positive that that isn't Ianto in the throes of a mental breakdown?" Jack was nervous enough about this as it was, but Owen's expression said it all.
"I've seen Ianto in the throes of a mental breakdown Jack and he doesn't turn into an Irish petty thief I promise you. I have triple checked, that man is Ianto's body, no doubt, but not his mind. This IS Torchwood Jack, what's so remarkable about possession, bleeding aliens do it all the time."
Tosh sniggered and Gwen continued to gawp in outrage.
Jack took a final look at Gwen, Owen and Tosh holding each of their gazes for a moment.
"Any objections, anyone?"
No one spoke.
"Good, then let's set this up."
O'Rourke eyed the man who uncuffed him with a degree of worry. He had stepped into the cell with a cold look on his face and an Asian woman had followed in his wake with a gun in her hand. She had been unable to meet his eyes, but the intention of the weapon was clear enough. He remained seated and rubbed at his wrists as a third man entered the cell with what looked like a satchel in his hand.
"You won't need those Owen." It was an American accent, the bloke who had snogged him when he had woken up in the car park outside his flat.
"What's going on?"
The yank turned and smiled at him, dazzling white nashers looking somewhat evil.
"You have nothing to worry about." The gun was passed over and O'Rourke gaped in horror as it was levelled at his forehead. His world went black.
"Oh Jesus Jack, you didn't have to shoot him!" Tosh exclaimed in horror as she watched Ianto slumped over the table. Jack handed the gun back to her.
"It's quick and efficient and takes the least amount of time to recover from."
Owen was pulling out his scanner and shaking his head.
"Ianto's going to have a mother of a head ache, get him lying on the floor, so he doesn't fall off the chair when he awakes."
Tosh put the gun on the table and she and Jack carefully manoeuvred the body on to the concrete. Gwen was watching from the doorway, none too happy about the proceedings and shocked that Jack could so callously shoot Ianto the way he had. Jack settled himself on the floor, resting Ianto's head in his lap and grasping both of his still hands. He watched in morbid determination as the hole in Ianto's forehead closed over. Owen was hovering near by, his scanner in hand and paying more attention to the readouts....
"Ok, here it comes."
A breath was sucked in, not the shuddering panicked kind that Jack was expecting, just a breath and then another. It was calm and even and Ianto's eyes remained steadfastly closed. The breathing continued as if he were asleep. Jack gently brushed at his cheek willing to younger man to come round.
"Ianto, wake up now. Ianto?"
Owen was frowning at his PDA. "We really should have waited until we got him into the autopsy bay. According to these readings.... well I am not sure. O'Rourke's gone, but I don't think Ianto is in there either. In fact I don't think anyone is."