STORIES
TWENTYSIX
They'd laid her out on the crèche adjacent to The Doctor's. Her bed's monitors flashed to life.
Ianto looked around. "Where are we, Jack? How did we get here?"
Jack tore his eyes away from the horrific sight of the woman he once loved, he still loved, would always love; her face battered and bruised, blood still seeping from the rather crudely stitched-up wounds, and looked at the Welshman – his friend and colleague – with as much compassion as he could muster. Appreciate it: the Captain was so angry about Wil's physical condition that dredging up merely the smallest modicum of tenderness, even for someone as important to him as Ianto Jones, was a major effort. Jack suddenly felt as if he was being pulled emotionally in too many different directions at once, and he didn't like it. In fact he was starting to feel like he'd just about had enough.
But the questions deserved answers, and Jack was definitely in a position to do just that. Whether or not the answers would be accepted gracefully, well… that would be up to Ianto. The Captain steadily met and held the young man's eyes. "We're on Wil's ship. The ship – her name is Grasshopper." Jack suddenly remembered how Wil had put it to him, "You've met her before, Ianto."
Jack watched the Welshman carefully for a reaction. But there was no startlement, no blanching. Just a slight nod of comprehension and acknowledgment. Okay…
"As for how we got here, Grasshopper has a modest beaming capability. At least it was relatively modest the last time I was aboard her. Her transporter is nothing to write home about, but she's significantly more advanced than the Doctor's TARDIS, at least in some respects." Jack shook his head, "I've never really sat down and methodically compared the two, but I'd say each ship has her own unique tactical and strategic advantages."
Jack looked at Wil and then The Doctor before his eyes went unfocused and wandered aimlessly around the room. "Grasshopper," he said out loud. "Will you tell us what's going on?"
The response was audible and to Ianto's discerning ear it sounded like the voice of a young girl, somewhat self-assured but at the same time tentative, even shy.
"What do you want to know, sir?"
"You can stop with the 'sir' business," the Captain smiled. "Call me Jack, and this is…"
"Yes, I know, this is Ianto Jones. Ianto Jones, I feel I owe you an apology. I know it is inadequate but I am very sorry. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me for what I did. For the pain and suffering I caused you."
Ianto looked down at the floor. This conversation was difficult for him, on several different levels, not the least of which was it reminded him of a time in his life he preferred to not think about. But what had happened seemed like ages – lifetimes – ago and there were other, far bigger, fish to fry… "It's all right, Grasshopper. An apology isn't necessary and no forgiveness is required."
"Grasshopper," this was again the Captain. "Can you tell us what happened to John?"
"Yes, Jack. The planet we are orbiting is… was called Erasmus. My Teacher – Wil – and John were attempting to help the population escape from the approaching Aedui invasion fleet. Regrettably the population was not cooperative. Negotiations took place but were largely unsuccessful. Ultimately, Wil was allowed to take the Erasmii children off-planet to a safe location. She – we – transported them to a distant world called Orolo. John remained behind to continue with the negotiations. Unfortunately my Teacher and I were unavoidably detained on Orolo by unexpected events. You can clearly see some of the consequences of those events on my Teacher's face and body. She was subsequently rescued and we made our departure as quickly as possible once the Orolo felt she was well enough to travel again. When we returned to Erasmus we discovered that we were too late. The population had been exterminated, the planet left in total ruins."
"Do you know where John is?" Jack asked.
"Yes, I do."
"Where is he?"
"He is being held in a complex deep within one of the mountains on this same planet – the planet we now orbit."
"Then why…" Jack's voice was clearly sounding more and more agitated, "why did you not go and rescue him?"
There was a long silence.
"Well? I'm waiting, Grasshopper. Answer me!" Captain Jack Harkness was indeed getting very, very annoyed.
As the sound of Jack's voice became angrier, Grasshopper's tone became softer, calmer. "There are three reasons why we could not rescue him. The first is that he is far too deep within the mountain to be directly beamed out by my transporter. The second is that my Teacher – Wil – is in fact too seriously ill to successfully execute a rescue by herself. The third is that once a vessel and its crew materialize inside the complex, the Aedui will detect them, will know the ship is there and the fleet will quickly return. The complex, you might say, is trip-wired. I am not sufficiently confident that I am capable of concurrently caring for my Teacher, conducting the rescue of John Hart, and fighting and defeating the Aedui, Jack. The Aedui are far more…"
"Hold on!" barked the Captain. "Back it up! What do you mean Wil is too seriously ill?"
Again there was a silence. This time Jack waited as patiently as he could for his question to be answered.
"My Teacher is more damaged than she appears. The Orolo physicians did what they could for her but they were not familiar with human physiology and she was not and is not a very cooperative patient. They allowed her to leave before they felt it appropriate and only under extreme duress. In other words, she demanded to be discharged from their care and they could not stop her. Since her departure she has not been following her physician's recommendations."
"Damaged? What damage? What's wrong with her?"
"I believe that is a private matter. I do not wish to divulge any specifics without her permission."
"Fuck you!" Jack hissed.
"Jack," it was Ianto's gentle, soothing voice. "It sounds like we have other far more serious problems than arguing about Wil. We need to find John and extract him from wherever he is, while at the same time avoid these Aedui, whoever they are."
The Captain was not to be appeased. "Screw that! Grasshopper? Spill it!" His words were angry, threatening.
"I cannot tell you, Jack. Wil does not even comprehend the full extent of her injuries. I have been taught to always do what is right. My Teacher is deserving of privacy, and this is a private matter. Please, do not put me in a position where I must go against her instruction."
"Damn it!" Jack looked around for something to kick but instead his eyes ended up resting on The Doctor's gaunt, colorless face. He stared at his precious Time Lord for what felt like a long time before shaking his head, his decision reluctantly but finally made. A decision The Doctor, damn him, would no doubt approve of. "Okay! You win, you stubborn, cantankerous old thing, you. Are all TARDISes such pains in the ass, I wonder?"
The question was answered with silence.
"All right, then," Jack lifted his chin and squared his shoulders. "Perhaps you'll tell us what you think we should do next?"
"The two of you should take The Doctor's TARDIS down into the mountain complex. I've already transmitted John's coordinates to her. She, in turn, has related to me that you may have brought something along – a particular weapon which goes far beyond any offensive technology that I currently possess – a weapon that might come in handy against the Aedui invasion fleet."
"God, how I detest ships who think they're smarter than me," Jack muttered under his breath. "Especially when they are…"
"Pardon me?"
"Nothing, Grasshopper. Yes, I may have brought something along that might come in handy against the Aedui invasion fleet."
"That small container?" Ianto had been so quiet Jack had almost forgotten that he was there.
"Yep, that small container."
"What is it?" the Welshman asked curiously.
Jack's eyes, in fact his entire countenance, suddenly darkened. "It's called the Everything Killer."