Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor who or Torchwood etc etc.
A/N: I'm terribly sorry about leaving this so long without an update...And hey, don't worry. If there was going to be a character death...I'd warn you. :P And I really don't know what I'm going to do..because this is part 9 here, part 8 on LJ...and it's actually the start of chapter 6... *sigh* It's very messed up, isn't it?
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Jack was a mess. He couldn't lose Ianto, he just couldn't. He didn't even care if he had to cause a paradox to save him. Half-formed plans skittered through Jack's mind. He was suddenly envious of Romeo, able to follow his lover into death through poison. And then the rational side of him – which always sounded like Ianto now – laughed.
You're being an idiot. Stop it, and think clearly! You've got an ex-Time Agent, the Doctor and all the weight of Torchwood behind you. You need to find an unknown cure in less than thirty minutes. What's the first step?
"Find out what the antidote is. So we need to get to the Hub. Or..." Jack's head whipped up.
"John. Tell me what the antidote is."
"Are you agreeing to my conditions then?"
"As I see it, you're in no position to argue. Either you help, and you get to live, or you don't and you die."
The Doctor was keeping one eye on their conversation as he rummaged around for something useful. He was mildly concerned, but that was forgotten when his fingers brushed against something he had placed in his pocket earlier…
"Jack!" He cried, drawing out John's wrist-strap triumphantly and then rushing to his side.
Jack just blinked at him.
"Now, you wanted to get to the Hub, right? Well, I disabled your teleport, but I can fix that -" He pulled out his sonic screwdriver with his other hand and pointed it at Jack's wrist-strap for a few seconds. "- so now you can get to the Hub. The TARDIS might even be able to help with a diagnosis. No promises there. Who knows? I might have the antidote tucked away in storage somewhere. And we've got two of these, so we can both go."
Jack could have kissed the Doctor. But the rational Ianto part of him - which was taking control now and giving him a sudden burst of energy- thought that would be a bad idea. So he didn't.
"No. Wait. I'm not leaving him" –he gestured towards John- "with you alone. Don't want you to lose another regeneration. You take Ianto. Get a head start on the diagnosis. I'll follow with him."
"I have a name, you know?"
Jack ignored him. He undid his wrist-strap. "Take mine. I don't even want to think about the potential traps he has built into his."
The Timelord nodded, bent and scooped Ianto out of Jack's arms. As Jack stood, he couldn't help but notice the fact that the Doctor, skinny though he was, was actually quite strong. They swapped wrist-straps and the Doctor typed in the co-ordinates of the Hub.
"I'll take care of him." And then they were gone.
"You know me too well." John muttered as Jack walked over to him. There was a trap set into his wrist-strap. A precaution, he liked to think. If someone tried to use it to go somewhere without John…well, it wasn't pretty, anyway.
He watched as Jack pulled the garbage bag out of the nearby bin and swept the pile of weapons off the counter and into the bag with the rest of the rubbish that had accumulated there in the early morning.
"Hey! Be careful with that stuff!"
Jack just glared at him.
"Oh, I get it. Still angry. Look, if I knew he meant that much to you-"
"You would have done exactly the same thing. Worse, maybe. In future – if you get a future – try asking. Believe it or not, honesty gets you a lot further than trickery ever will."
"Well…you've changed."
Jack laughed bitterly. "You finally noticed?"
He tied a knot in the garbage bag, set the coordinates and took hold of John's arm.
"You try anything funny, you so much as scratch a member of my team, and I won't just kill you. I'll torture you within an inch of your life."
"Okay! I get it already!"
Jack looked at him for a moment before he pressed a button on the wrist-strap and they teleported to the Hub.
The Hub was awash with activity when they arrived, but as much as his heart yearned to check on Ianto, Jack steeled himself to take John down to the cells first. He dropped the bag of equipment by Tosh's workstation as they passed it, picking up a post-it note that gave him a floor and cell number. He smiled. Sometimes, Tosh's brilliance startled him.
John ended up in a holding cell opposite a Hoix, and sandwiched between two Weevils.
"You're leaving me here? Alone?"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Our technical genius Toshiko Sato would like to draw your attention to the CCTV which has been recording – and streaming – to the main Hub upstairs. We can also hear anything that goes on. Also, if you happen to be able to open this door, all the other cell doors will open too. But that one" – he nodded towards the exit -"will go into lockdown. So unless you want the experience the intimate company of two Weevils and a Hoix…"
"I get it. Stay put. Be a good boy. You're not even going to take these handcuffs off. This is really just revenge for my comments about breakfast, isn't it?"
Jack closed the door and leant against the glass. "If you feel like helping, give us a shout. Because don't forget, we'll be watching you."
"I'll make sure to put on a good show then, won't I?" John smirked.
Jack rolled his eyes and made his way back upstairs.
--
When Owen and Gwen stepped through the cog door and into the Hub, they were met by an obviously worried Tosh.
"Tosh? What's wrong?" Gwen asked. She suddenly remembered her earlier conversation with Ianto. "Oh god, what's wrong Tosh?"
"Ianto just called. He said to be prepared – armed. They're bringing in a hostile alien."
"Right." Said Gwen, fully professional now, "Let's get to it then."
"Uh…have you forgotten about the riot outside? How exactly are they getting here?" Owen was frowning as he spoke. Gwen and Toshiko just shrugged. "Great. Waiting for an undefined amount of time, early in the morning, and no coffee."
"I could make some if you want." Tosh smiled hesitantly.
"Thanks Tosh, but no. I'll survive. No offence, but your coffee's got nothing on Teaboy's."
Gwen smiled. "Whatever would we do without him?"
They got to work. Within minutes, they were ready for whatever alien Jack and Ianto were bringing in. And bored. Tosh was working on one of her side projects, fingers tapping away at her keyboard. Gwen was meandering her way through the internet looking for alien artefacts that they might need to confiscate. Owen found himself flicking through CCTV footage and wondering briefly why the keys to the sports car had vanished from his desk.
And then Owen's eardrum was nearly shot to pieces. "Ouch! Jack, what is it?" Gwen and Tosh listened in quietly, confused. Jack had only contacted Owen, not the whole team. Which really wasn't a good sign. Better for their eardrums though, maybe.
"Owen?" Gwen ventured.
"Ianto. He's been poisoned. They can't get here, and we can't get to them."
Gwen's eyes grew larger with alarm. "Then what do we do?"
"Nothing. There's nothing we can do."
The three of them descended into silence. Even the thought of losing a team member hit a little too close to home.
"You know," Owen muttered, "We should find or invent a teleport or something. I bet you could do it Tosh."
Toshiko blushed slightly.
"It'd save us a lot of time, wouldn't it?" Gwen mused, "No more being late. No more not being able to get to places in time. No more clean up of bodies because we couldn't get there in time."
"No more of Jack's driving." Tosh added with a slightly sad smile.
Owen nodded. "That's what we need. A teleport."
Imagine their surprise when the Doctor arrived (teleported) with Ianto in his arms not long after.
"Right. We need to get Ianto down to the medical bay immediately." Owen said, after he got over his surprise. Oh, alright, and amusement. A fucking teleport!
"The TARDIS could do it much quicker. We should do this there."
"Look Doctor. To be blunt, I don't know who you are. You turn up, out of the blue, and we don't even know your name. And you've made it perfectly clear that your ship, whatever it is, isn't working. Which is why you're here in the first place, isn't it?"
"Yes, but that has nothing to do with her ability to-"
"I don't trust it."
His words were met with silence, but Owen continued anyway. "I don't trust it at all, and you know, I don't think you do either, do you? You and Jack both. You avoid it like it's about to…" He struggled for a comparison and settled on something so obtuse it couldn't possibly be true, "take over the world and go on a killing-spree."
The Doctor was silent. Lost for words.
Gwen decided enough was enough. "Stop arguing. Ianto comes first. Or do you want Jack to find out Ianto died because of you two? Owen. Get him to the medical bay, now."
Owen took Ianto from the Doctor – somewhat surprised that the Doctor let him – and made his way down the stairs. Gwen trailed after him.
Tosh placed a hand on the Doctor's arm. There was something about the Doctor that she immediately connected with. And she could see, in his eyes, the same look Tommy had when they met every year, the look of a soldier who had been through wars, seen too much, done too much, lost too much.
"Maybe we could take a sample to the Tardis too? Approach the problem from two different angles?" she said softly.
The Doctor smiled. "Ah, Toshiko Sato. What a brilliant mind you have. Alright, come on. You get the sample, I'll get the Tardis ready. Maybe we'll even find the medical room I lost a few years back!"
He hurried off to the blue box in the corner. Tosh smiled and went to get a few blood samples off Owen. On her way back to join the Doctor, she passed by her workstation and noticed something slightly out of place.
Draped over her keyboard was a single sheet of paper. Tosh was a neat sort of person. Especially when it came to technology. Which meant that somebody else had left the paper for her when she'd gone to the medical bay. Which meant it wasn't from any of the team, or the Doctor. She knew who it was from though.
Over the years, Tosh had cultivated an intimate relationship with the Hub's computer. After initial shock that it was organic, living, and to some extent, sentient, Tosh had found the computer to be the best friend she had ever had. And being such close friends, it was always willing to help Tosh out.
She picked up the sheet of paper, glanced at it curiously and decided to ask the Doctor if he knew what it was.
"Doctor?" She asked, walking into the TARDIS.
The Doctor looked up from the faintly red console, mildly surprised that she hadn't commented about it being 'bigger on the inside'. He got that so often. Honestly, was it that hard a concept?
"Ah. Ms. Sato. Got the samples? Yes? Good. And oh, what's that you have there?"
Tosh handed him the paper. "It's a printout. Um…the computer gave it to me." She hoped the Doctor would know what she meant.
He studied the paper with interest and then looked up at her with a suddenly boyish look of excitement.
"This is amazing!"
"What is it?"
"It's a map! Not a complete map, that's too hard, but a basic one. Oh, old girl, you cheeky little thing. Were you talking to the Torchwood computer? What have I said about talking to strange computers eh? Oh well, never mind. It's beautiful, thankyou."
Tosh smiled. Evidently, the Doctor had the same habit of talking to sentient technology.
"Come on Ms Sato, I know where that medical room is now! And remind me to thank that computer later. What did you say it was called?"
Toshiko blushed as she followed the Doctor down a corridor. "Erm…I call it HAL." She murmured.