4.

"Run, run, run, run," Jack panted, pulling Ianto after him. Owen was behind Ianto, making sure they weren't being followed. The corridors seemed to stretch into endlessness. Especially since the voices of the former Time Agents and their heavy-booted steps echoed along the walls. They hadn't caught up with them yet but they were close. Jack's grip around Ianto's hand tightened. There was no time to hide him, no time to stop for even a second. "Split up!" Jack called when he saw a junction coming up. "Ianto and I'll try our luck with the garage. Gwen, the tourist office. Tosh, Owen, the side entrance." The side entrance was the short name for the former submarine bay. Owen and Tosh would be able to dive their way out of the Hub, if the intruders hadn't tampered with the locks like they had with the one on the cell. Jack really hoped that they'd overlooked one or two entrances.

They reached the junction and Owen and Tosh ran towards the side entrance. Gwen nodded at Jack and wanted to head for the tourist office, but Ianto grabbed her hand and stopped Jack. "Gwen," he panted.

Jack pulled on Ianto's arm. "We have to go."

"The top drawer in the back room of the tourist office. There's a red chip with a button on top. It's a beacon, it will call for help."

"Help?" Jack asked with a frown. "By whom?"

Ianto let go of Gwen. "Go!"

She nodded and ran off.

Jack tightened his hold on Ianto. "Who?"

"John."

Jack's eyes widened. "You can't trust him. He is a Time Agent, just like they are. He probably told them to come here."

"I trust him," Ianto replied, staring at Jack earnestly.

The steps echoing down the corridor came closer. Jack pulled Ianto along. "I hope you're right."

They turned a few corners and Jack noticed that Ianto was starting to lag behind. He felt like a jerk for pulling him along but there was no way he would leave him. "Come on, not much farther."

Ianto stopped. "I can't." He struggled to breathe. "Jack." His hands went to his stomach and then he fell to his knees, biting his lip to suppress a scream.

Jack cursed. A cramp. He pulled Ianto up and around another corner into a storage room. They crawled underneath a shelf, Jack lying on top of Ianto and trying to apply pressure to stop the cramp. But the space was too narrow. Ianto couldn't hold back a whimper of pain anymore and Jack clapped his hand above Ianto's mouth, cutting the sound off. Ianto writhed beneath him, fighting against Jack's hold. The door opened and they froze.

"I get lifesigns down here." Kenya's voice.

Jack closed his eyes. He'd forgotten about the vortex manipulator's ability to detect lifesigns. He and Ianto were already lost.

A second set of steps followed Kenya inside. "Jack?" Rick asked. "Or whoever … we've got your two friends."

Jack's eyes widened and he looked down at Ianto who was grabbing Jack's arms hard enough to leave bruises. The cramp had to be bad.

Rick sighed. "This is pointless, come out."

It really was pointless, Jack realized. Except ... two friends. That meant that Gwen was probably still running. Probably already at the tourist office. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Ianto's, kissing the bridge of his nose. "No shooting," he said then.

There was a grin in Rick's voice. "No shooting," he promised. Jack crawled off Ianto and out from underneath the shelf. Rick and Kenya had their guns pointed at him and were smiling triumphantly. Rick nodded towards the shelf. "Get your boyfriend out here." Jack helped Ianto out from underneath the shelf, relieved that the worst of the cramp seemed to be over. Ianto was pale and visibly shaken but he didn't use Jack as a crutch when he stood, preferring to stand by himself. Rick put his gun away. "On your knees. Hands behind your head."

They obeyed, Ianto a bit slower than Jack. Rick came towards them and used a set of handcuffs on Jack to bind his hands behind his back. Kenya threw him another pair for Ianto. When Ianto was bound, Rick stepped back and looked at Jack before hitting Ianto across the face. Ianto remained kneeling, barely. Jack glared at Rick.

"No shooting," Rick said with a grin.

xxx

"Red, with a button," Gwen muttered, rummaging through the top drawer of Ianto's desk in the back room of the tourist office. She found the emergency beacon hid away between two requisition forms and without further hesitation pushed the button. Whoever would come, Ianto trusted that they could help, so Gwen would, too. She put the device back where she'd found it and closed the drawer, then ran to the door. It was locked, as expected. The tourist office was, after all, closed. She opened the wall panel next to the door and retrieved the key. The tourist office door was the only one leading into the base with a normal lock. It would only cause questions to secure it with more than a key. Instead, the secret door down to the base and the backdoor in the office behind the main room of the tourist office could be protected by passcodes. Gwen had been able to leave the Hub via the door to the back room with her usual code. Either the intruders had overlooked it or they just plain hadn't bothered tampering with the lock. Now, only a wooden door separated her from the cool Cardiff night, freedom and a call for help. UNIT, she decided. However much Jack hated them, this was a perfect time to work together. She pushed the small key into the lock.

"Stop!" a man said from behind her. A gun was cocked. "Drop the key. I will shoot you."

There was no point in risking her life, Gwen knew. So she did as she was told. Slowly, she turned around to a man wearing something that looked like a beige jumpsuit. He had short, red hair and a young-looking face with grey eyes. She raised her hands. The man stepped towards her and pulled her gun out of her waistband, tucking it into his holster.

There was a sudden gust of wind swishing a few flyers down from the counter and Gwen frowned in confusion. Before she could figure out what could cause the breeze in a closed room, the man grabbed her and shielded his body with hers, holding his gun to her temple. Just a few steps away, a golden light appeared and then parted to open a Rift in space and time. Out of it stepped none other than John Hart. Gwen made a sound of surprise. John looked at her, clearly puzzled, then at the man behind her. A slow grin spread over his features. "I see the party started without me."

xxx

Jack was forced to his knees in the main Hub beside Owen and Tosh. Kenya opened one of the cuffs around his wrist and looped the chain around the railing behind Jack, then fastened it again. Owen and Tosh were restrained in the same manner. Jack saw a big pile of boxes and crates beside Owen's workstation and a smaller one next to Tosh's. "I see you are already going through the goods?" he asked Rick who just smiled and forced Ianto to kneel next to him, a few steps away from Jack and the others. Jack didn't like the implications of that. So they were going to use Ianto against them. He wasn't really surprised and exchanged looks with Tosh and Owen. Both of them seemed to be okay, even though there was a scratch down Tosh's cheek.

"I'm impressed by the vast amount of technology you have here," Rick answered Jack's question, "but I also know that the really good stuff is hidden away somewhere. I get the energy readings and I found the safe in your office and that huge, thick door down in the storage ..." He pulled a face. "Unfortunately, those locks are more secure than your entire base." He tapped his manipulator. "Can't get them open."

"Sorry about that," Jack said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well," Rick replied and put a hand on Ianto's head, patting him mockingly, "we're going to find a way to convince you that giving me the necessary information to open those doors will be worth your while."

Jack swallowed. "Sorry, no can do." There was potentially dangerous technology in his safe – things that weren't supposed to see the light of day ever again. And behind the door in the archives: weapons. A small arsenal that could win any war. He had a responsibility to keep those weapons and the things in his safe away from everyone – especially people like Rick. "Open his handcuffs at least," Jack said, looking at Rick pleadingly. "Come on."

Rick smiled. For a moment it looked as if he would refuse Jack but then he opened Ianto's handcuffs. Ianto rubbed his wrists and gifted Jack with a reassuring smile.

Owen asked, "So, what's the plan?" That got him Rick's attention. "Steal more than you can carry and leave?"

"That was the plan," Rick said with a nod. He walked away from Ianto and pulled over Owen's deskchair, sprawling into it. "It changed. I quite like this place and we would never be able to carry everything we find here and … to be honest, we don't even have a proper home at the moment to store things."

"Oh, I feel so sorry for you," Owen snarled.

"The point is," Rick continued, unimpressed, "why drag the mountain to the prophet if the prophet can come to the mountain?"

Tosh narrowed her eyes. "So you're going to stay?"

Jack shook his head in disbelief. "You're stealing my base from me?"

"Yes, Jack, I'm stealing your base from you," Rick answered. "I'm making it my base and then I'm going to resurrect the Time Agency and we're going to be bigger and better than ever."

"The Shadow Proclamation won't tolerate a Time Agency run from a planet in the 21st century."

"I don't care about the damn Shadow Proclamation!" Rick said and stood up violently, toppling over the chair. "The Shadow Proclamation didn't stop us from going down-"

"They'll have their reasons for that!"

"You would know all about that, wouldn't you, Jack?" Rick spat and stepped closer to him.

"I don't get what you're saying."

Kenya snorted. "Traitor."

Jack looked at her, clueless. "I have never betrayed you."

Rick's fist caught him by surprise. He fell back against the railing and hit his head on the iron – hard enough to make him see stars. Rick yelled, "You are responsible for us going down! What do you think why we erased your memories, Jack? You killed the Time Agency!"

Jack stared up at him. He couldn't remember. "Why would I do that? Why would I bring down the only good thing I had in my life?"

Rick sneered. "You don't even deserve an answer." He turned away again. "Give me the codes to the safe and that door in the basement. And while you're at it, also give me the code for the armoury."

Jack, still shocked, shook his head. "No."

Rick stopped behind Ianto and put his hands on his shoulders. Judging by Ianto's grimace, he was leaning his full weight on him. Rick looked at Owen and Tosh. "I'm not only asking Jack. If anyone wants to share those codes-"

"I'm the only one who knows them," Jack said. That was true for the weapons arsenal in the basement. The code to his safe … Ianto knew that one as well. And learning the code to the armoury was part of the induction of Torchwood agents, so all of them knew it. But Jack wanted Rick's focus on him.

Rick looked at Kenya and nodded. She pulled something out of her jacket and threw it at Rick who caught it. It was a slim, black leather case. Rick opened it and got out a syringe. He carefully closed the case again and put it on the topmost step to Jack's office. "Do you remember the Telka?"

Jack's heart skipped a beat. His chest became unbearably tight. "Please," he said. "Rick, please don't."

Owen asked, "Jack?"

Rick smiled at him and explained, "Poisonous creatures. Their bite can kill beings as big as space whales."

Jack's eyes were riveted to the clear liquid in the syringe. Then he looked at Ianto who had gone pale, but he met Jack's gaze with determination and shook his head.

"Of course, it kills humans as well," Rick continued conversationally. "Not very fast, though. A space whale needs about three weeks to die. A human … I've never tested it, but I heard something along the lines of eight hours." He chuckled. "Of course, I don't know the effect it would have on a pregnant person. Say the carrier dies within eight hours … I guess the baby dies sooner. Give it two hours, maybe three?" He grinned. "Let's test it." He placed the syringe against Ianto's neck.

"No!" Jack screamed. He heard Tosh choke on a sob and metal grating against metal when Owen fought against his cuffs. Ianto was eerily calm.

Rick paused. "Then give me the codes."

Jack stared at him, then he looked at Ianto, undecided.

Ianto said, "Don't give him the codes."

Rick grabbed his hair. "You shut up!" He looked at Jack again. "I'm waiting – three, two ..."

The alarm sounded and the Hub door rolled open. Rick straightened and looked towards the entrance. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked as soon as John strolled through the cogwheel door with Gwen and Lance in his wake. Jack had never been more happy to see John. He noticed that Lance had bound Gwen's hands behind her back and was pointing his gun at John. Jack cursed inwardly. They didn't trust him.

John answered, "Don't be so enthusiastic, Rick. One could think you missed me."

"The last time I saw you, you were turning your back on us."

That surprised Jack.

John nodded. "So? I'm not here for you."

"Why then? Are you stalking us?"

John looked around, taking in the opened crates and the boxes with the technology. "I see you were faster than me."

"You're after the tech?" Rick asked.

"Not originally, no. But I got some very interesting energy readings on my way down. Thought it couldn't hurt to check it out after our friend stopped pointing his gun at me." He looked at Lance who glanced at Rick.

After a moment of indecision, Rick nodded and Lance lowered the gun. He pushed Gwen towards the others and chained her to the railing.

John followed him up the few steps to the working area and put his hands on his hips. "Very nice!" he said, looking around. His eyes focussed on Ianto. "Very nice." He then saw the syringe in Rick's hand and turned his head to the team. Jack made a show of looking the other way as if he didn't want John to recognize him. "Did I interrupt some kind of torture? Sorry about that." He hopped onto Tosh's desk. Several gadgets and papers fell to the floor. "Please, do carry on."

Rick sighed tiredly. "What are you doing here? Really."

John rolled his eyes. "I guess the same as you."

And that was when Rick made his mistake. Jack couldn't help but be amazed at the ease with which John had managed to draw more information from the former Time Agent than he should have given him. But then again, John had always been extraordinarily good at extracting information.

Rick said, "This is just a bonus. We followed Sophia's manipulator."

John raised his eyebrows. "You got the signal, too, then?"

"Yeah," Rick answered.

"Just a short burst of data?"

"Yeah, was hard to track. Took us a while."

"Me, too," John replied. "So, is it here?"

"No. But look who we found," Rick answered. Kenya grabbed Jack's hair and forced him to look at John.

John pasted on a surprised look, then he chuckled. "Darling … and I thought I'd never see you again."

"You told us that he's on Earth, 21st century, but you never mentioned that he's the boss of a base full of technology."

"'Cause I didn't know," John answered.

"Well, he got himself a pretty little team. Got himself a lover." Rick patted Ianto's head again. "You've been replaced."

John looked at Ianto. "He's pregnant."

"He is," Rick said with a nod.

John looked at Ianto's belly. "How far along?"

Ianto met John's eyes. "Five months."

"Is it Jack's?"

"Yes."

John hopped off the desk. Jack said, "Don't you dare touch him!"

John ignored him. He was at Ianto's side with a few quick steps, grabbing his chin and tilting his head into the Hub's bright lights. Now, Jack could see a bruise form just beneath Ianto's eye, probably from when Rick had hit him in the storage room. John seemed to deduce the same and frowned at Rick. "Couldn't wait to hit him?"

Silence engulfed them for a moment, then, unexpectedly, Kenya answered, "There's no need for you to get involved, John." Her voice was gentle, understanding.

John looked at her, then at Rick. "A word?"

"Sure," Rick answered and gestured towards Jack's office. When John had passed by him, Rick waved Kenya closer and gave her the syringe, nodding at her. Then he joined John in Jack's office.

Lance snorted. "Stupid idiot."

Kenya replied, "Stop it. He hasn't been the same since Terry." She looked at Jack. "So … the codes, please."

Jack hoped that John had a plan.