Ianto Jones

Ianto rubbed his tired eyes as the glow of the monitor illuminated the shadows and lines on his face. Carefully checking over his handy work he made sure no detail remained unchecked as he created an identity, a back-story for a life torn apart. Ok, now that was done he really needed to focus on other things, anything to take his mind off the past few hours.

Shuffling out from behind the terminal he grabbed the rubbish bag from behind the barista and started to tidy up the Hub. Usually he loved being in the Hub when the others had gone home, the peace that came from blessed silence usually never failed to ground him after tiring long days as a Torchwood operative. Tonight though, the silence weighed heavy on his shoulders.

He closed his eyes and took a moment to gather himself together, centering himself on the constant water flow down the tower. Images and thoughts pressed against his skull, images flashed in his head long enough to torment but not long enough to hang on to. His breathing gathered pace and he felt his chest tighten. He dropped the bag as the room suddenly started to close in on him, the oxygen in the air thinning and he could feel the panic attack creeping up on him.

He saw a bloody hand in his, felt the strain of his arms as he held on tight while waiting for help that came too late. He felt Owen's frustration turn to anger, Tosh's desperation turn to guilt, Gwen's tears turn to sobs and Jack's courage to defeat.

He focused on driving the images from his mind as he willed his breathing to slow, taking deeper breaths to calm himself. He felt the Hub spin back into view and shook his head in a feeble attempt to rid his mind of the macabre images from earlier.

Christ he was tired yet his mind refused to allow him to relax, the thoughts of the day running through his head unbidden. But he needed to keep busy, preoccupy his mind with something else, with anything. He picked up the rubbish bag and made his way around the Hub with a manic intention, bagging the rubbish before pulling out cleaning equipment to start scrubbing away dirt and grime that only he could see.

Wiping wetness off his face from tears he wasn't aware had fallen, Ianto did the only thing that made sense in his mind……..he cleaned.

6 Hours Earlier

Ianto checked his weapon and took a deep breath before moving off quietly but swiftly in the direction the thing, whatever it was, had dragged the man. Hearing the faint cries he followed slowly and carefully down the long hall of the top story. At the end of the hall Ianto paused outside of the door where he could hear cries from within. Should he go in or wait for back up? The man was in bad shape, and even with only basic field first aid training, Ianto knew the man needed assistance, and fast or they would be dragging a corpse out.

Ianto swallowed hard as he thought about what he would at the end of the hall. The thing that grabbed the man seemed familiar yet so alien. It had all the appearance of a man yet it was big, too big and moved somewhat clumsily, like animated clay.

At the threshold of the door Ianto could hear the whimpered cries of the man behind the door but it wasn't until another voice entered the mix that Ianto made his decision to act. Gripping his gun tighter he checked the safety was off and braced the door. Silently counting to three Ianto shouldered the door open swinging his gun out in front of him.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he encountered behind the door. The trail of blood he had followed led to the crumpled, moaning form of the man but it didn't stop with him. The trail grew, spreading out beyond the room in a limitless crimson gore that painted the walls as well as the floor. The all too familiar metallic tang hung in the hair, permeating on his tongue and up his nostrils as he fought the need to blanch as it overwhelmed his senses.

"Help them…"

The weak cries of the vulnerable form at his feet shook him into action as he bent down to check on the man's status. The man merely shook his head and repeated his request, raising a shaky hand.

"Help them, my wife…."

Ianto's gaze followed the man's hand, his own hands still tightly clenched around his gun.

His heart beat faster and is eyes widened at the grisly sight before him. A woman hung on the wall amongst a thick sheet of blood. Ianto jerked back and swore as movement of the prone figure alerted him to the fact that she was still alive.

"Ianto!"

Ianto ignore Jacks call over the comms, not in ignorance, he just couldn't. He was transfixed by the scene around him. Moving towards the woman, his mind was already working out a way to get her down. Her injuries looked even worse close up and as she groaned Ianto realized she was still conscious, that alone couldn't be a good thing. Busy assessing the situation, Ianto almost missed the soft desperate whisper.

"Help him."

"Shhh it's ok, we'll help you and your husband."

"My son…..it has our son."

"Ianto!! COME IN!"

Ianto startled at the shout Jack let off in his ear.

"Jack, second floor, end of the hallway. GET HERE NOW!"

"On our way."

Ianto turned his attention back to the woman and looking closer, realised what was holding her to the wall. Hooks protruded through both her shoulders that he knew if moved, she would most likely bleed out.

"Hang on we have a medic on his way."

Ianto spied a small table in the corner of the room, rushing to it he dragged it over to support the woman's body weight, still murmuring under her breath.

"Our son…….help, our son, he ran, but that thing……it went after him."

"Where did he run to?"

The woman raised her eyes and pointed to the hole in the ceiling that led to the roof crawl space.

"Hang on, my friends will be here soon."

Needing both hands to lever himself up Ianto holstered his weapon, preparing to rush off into the crawl space after the child. Just as he did he heard Jack and the others at the door.

"Fuck! What the hell…." Owen muttered, immediately rushing to assess the injuries of the man on the floor.

"Ianto?"

He turned to face Jack, ignoring the pallor of Tosh's face as she swayed slightly beside Jack as she looked in horror at the woman on the wall.

"Their son, Jack it's after their son, he ran to the roof space."

Jack nodded without asking any more questions and Ianto watched as he barked instructions.

"Tosh, help Owen here and get them out. Ianto and I are going hunting."

As Jack braced his hands together, Ianto stepped into them for a boost into the hole in the ceiling re-drawing his weapon as soon as he righted his feet . Ianto was relieved to get out of that room but feeling ever so vulnerable as he breached into the darkness above. He turned and helped Jack up into the dark space as they both waited for their eyes to adjust to the din.

"Which way?" Jack asked glancing around the deceptively large space. Ianto's reply was cut off by a crash and yelp towards the men's left side.

"This way I guess…….stay close to me."

Ianto resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the last comment, this was one time he was more than willing to give Jack the lead.

They set off together, the mission clear. Save the boy, destroy the thing, whatever it was.

Next: Captain Jack Harkness

It was quiet and peaceful across the water and normally he would find his own peace within it but not tonight .The events of the day played heavily on his mind.