Ianto followed Tomas's instructions in a daze, going with Gage to the room that housed the monitoring equipment for the Secure Archives. They walked in and were nearly overwhelmed by the stench of beer in the air.
"They must have been in here drinking themselves stupid long before they went to beat up you and Joe," Gage said grimly as he observed the many empty beer bottles that were scattered around the room.
"Gage, look at this," Ianto said suddenly. Gage joined Ianto at the computer, and quickly realised what had caught the younger man's attention.
"The Secure Archives CCTV is off. It hasn't been recording for at least an hour and a half. Fuck, Ianto! Those sons of bitches planned on attacking Joe! Stupid fools probably couldn't figure out how to turn off only Joe's room, so they just shut down the whole of the Archives. This is good… although, not so much for Branton and Bourke."
"They got what was coming to them," Ianto said, with little remorse in his voice. "I'm just grateful that Joe's level of comprehension is still limited. I do not want him to feel guilty over those two bastards."
Gage eyed him quizzically, catching an undertone of tension in the younger man's face.
"Ianto? Are you all right?"
"No, I'm not all right. I watched two men die tonight, and the only thing stopping me from being terrified of the man who killed them is knowing that he only did it to protect me."
"He loves you, mate. It's simple as that."
Ianto's mind went back to the healing kiss he'd received from Joe, and his mind literally stuttered.
It's not half as simple as you think, he thought bitterly.
"Oy. Earth to Ianto. Snap out of it, mate. You need to focus. We've got to figure out what we're going to do here. I mean, it's all well and good to say we're going to get Joe out tonight, but where does he go? Do we go with him? How the hell are we going to keep Hartman and her cronies from finding him? Because you know they're not going to just let him go."
Ianto nodded. He knew, all right.
"One step at a time," he murmured. "Let's get back to Joe's room. I just need to grab a fresh set of clothes for him from my locker. And shoes… He's going to need shoes."
"I think he's about the same size as me," Gage estimated. "I'll get the spare pair of jogging shoes from my locker for him."
They arrived back at Joe's room to a surprising sight. Joe was sitting placidly on his bed, and Tomas sat beside him, gently mopping at a still-bleeding cut that was just above his right ear. Tomas smiled wryly at Ianto.
"Your boy is a smart one, Ianto. He knows I don't want to hurt him. And frankly, after what I had to do yesterday morning, I'm kind of surprised by that."
Ianto couldn't suppress a small smile.
"He is smart," he agreed quietly. He walked over and sat down on the other side of Joe, automatically taking one of his hands and squeezing it reassuringly.
"Yan toe," Joe murmured. Ianto leaned in to kiss him lightly on the temple, and Joe sighed contentedly and settled in against him, resting his head on Ianto's shoulder.
"I have to go with him, Tomas," Ianto said softly. "If we're really doing this, then I can't just abandon him. Wherever we send him, I need to go too. He won't cope on his own."
"Are you positive about that?" Tomas asked soberly. "Because if you go with him, there'll be no turning back. And you know what'll happen if they catch you."
"It doesn't matter whether I stay or go. If I'm here tomorrow morning when they discover Joe's missing and those two bastards are dead, who's going to be the first person they haul in to question? Me. And it wouldn't matter whether I had a hand in it or not. I'd still get the blame. You know that. It's best all round if I go. That way, you can all say I was solely responsible, and no one else has to get into trouble. Plus, it'll be a lot easier on Joe if I'm with him."
"Where will you go?" Tomas asked. "Do you have any idea?"
Ianto ran his fingers through his hair. He hadn't anticipated this happening. In his mind, he had imagined the mysterious Doctor coming in, all full of righteous fury, and delivering Joe from the hell that Torchwood represented. His head was spinning with the realisation that, all of a sudden, Joe's liberation was very firmly in his hands.
"I suppose there's my Mam and my Tad. They live in Wales, about an hour out of Cardiff…"
"Ianto, you can't go home," Gage said tensely.
"He's right," Tomas agreed. "It's one of the first places they'll watch for you. You can't go anywhere near your family. No contact, nothing. It's too dangerous."
Ianto felt the stress building in his gut, but before it could really take hold an idea struck. It was a slim chance, but it was all he had.
"I know somewhere that he might be safe, at least for the time being," Ianto murmured. "I can get us there all right, but I need help getting him out of the building."
"Already thought of," Tomas said. "Did you realise there's a back way out of here? Leads straight out into the parking lot, believe it or not."
Ianto raised an eyebrow sceptically, but Tomas only grinned and shrugged.
"What can I say? Love those mandatory emergency fire exits. Now, where's your car?"
"I can't take my car, Tomas…"
"Oh, I know that. I was going to take it, and leave it somewhere. Make it look like you took it to start with and then ditched it, so it'll at least give you some leeway. No, mate, you're going to take my car. Then, when you're done with it, just text me to let me know where you left it."
Ianto shivered with a mixture of fear and anticipation.
"We're really doing this, aren't we? Right now…"
"Yeah," Gage murmured. "We are. You ready?"
"Not really," Ianto answered ruefully. Ignoring him, Gage crouched down in front of Joe.
"I'm letting you have my lucky runners, Joe. You take good care of them, all right?"
"All right," Joe echoed softly, although the baffled expression on his face suggested strongly that he didn't really understand what was going on. He watched with a detached sort of fascination as Gage pushed the runners onto his feet and laced them up. Then, Ianto and Tomas urged him to his feet and began to lead him from the room.
Comprehension dawned on his face as he was shepherded towards the door, distress filled his face and he tried to pull away from them.
"What's the matter with him?" Tomas asked in annoyed confusion. "He can't want to stay?"
"Maybe he's just been here so long that the idea of leaving is terrifying in itself," Ianto said breathlessly as he struggled to push Joe through the door.
"Maybe he just doesn't understand we're getting him out of here?" Tomas suggested.
"Maybe you're both wrong," Gage said from behind them. They paused, and Gage stepped around them and held out two items to Joe – his blanket and the toy dog. Gratitude and relief flooded Joe's face, and he quickly snatched the two precious items up in his uninjured arm.
"Thanks, Gage," Ianto said sincerely. "I never even thought about them."
"C'mon," Gage said with a wry smile. He backed out of the room, motioning for Joe to follow, which he proceeded to do without hesitation.
They made their way quickly to the fire exit, safe in the knowledge that the CCTV wasn't tracking them. It would be a different story, of course, when they got outside, but Tomas had told them he had a friend in the primary observation department who had the skills to either wipe or alter footage from any CCTV camera that Torchwood had access to. A friend, he'd said with a nudge and a grin, who owed him a couple of very big favours.
Every moment that they drew closer to the fire exit, Ianto kept expecting a hand on his shoulder, or the piercing wail of the alarm. Neither happened, but it didn't save his nerves from being shot to hell once they finally reached the door.
"And out we go," Tomas murmured after Gage had disabled the alarm on the door.
Ianto stepped out into the cold, clear night, and gently drew Joe out with him. The older man went slowly, his eyes wide as he looked around at his new surroundings. Despite Ianto wanting to hurry him along, he still paused to take a great, long sniff of the air.
"I suppose after however many years locked away in dungeons like an animal, this air must smell pretty damned good," Tomas remarked ruefully.
Oblivious to the amusement of the others, Joe tilted his head back and took in another deep breath. Then, as his eyes opened again, he finally saw the stars that glinted high above their heads.
Ianto halted, realising where Joe's attention was suddenly being directed. As he watched, a look of yearning filled Joe's face, and a single tear slipped down his cheek.
"C'mon," Ianto urged him softly. "We have to keep moving."
Joe allowed himself to be guided through the parking lot with some reluctance, and Ianto found himself having to tug on Joe's hand in order to keep him walking. For his part, Joe's eyes were fixed firmly on the night sky, and it wasn't hard to guess where he longed to be.
Tomas led them to his car, and handed Ianto the keys.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?"
"Yeah," Ianto answered, keeping it to himself that he wasn't at all sure whether he could find the hoped-for safe house again, having been there only once – not to mention, he had no idea whether they would even be welcome. "We'll be fine. And both of you… thankyou."
"All part of the service," Gage said cheerfully, but there was also sadness in his eyes as he pulled Ianto into a hug. "Take care of yourself, and our boy. And don't take this the wrong way, but I hope I don't see you again. At least, not in this place."
Ianto nodded in understanding. He then ushered Joe into the passenger seat and buckled him in. Joe looked bemused, but put up no fuss at the unexpected happenings. Gage leaned in, and kissed him on top of his head.
"You look after Ianto now, okay?"
Joe stared up at Gage, and for a moment his eyes lost the innocent emptiness that had been predominant for so long.
"I will," he said softly, and then reached up with his uninjured arm to touch Gage's cheek. Gage clasped his hand over Joe's briefly before stepping back and closing the door.
"For heaven's sake, keep your heads down, wherever you go," Tomas told him as Ianto got in. "Hartman will tear this city apart when she finds you both gone."
Ianto could only nod. Swallowing the sheer terror that was threatening to overwhelm him, he put his foot down on the accelerator and drove himself and Joe out of the parking lot, and away from Torchwood.
"They're going to kill us," Gage said in a preternaturally calm voice as he and Tomas watched Tomas's car disappear into the night. "You know that, don't you? No matter what we do, how much CCTV footage we get rid of, someone's going to peg us for helping them, and when they do, they'll execute us both."
Tomas smiled crookedly.
"Of course I know. But don't you think it'll be worth it, to see Hartman in hysterics because her pet anomaly has gone missing? That bitch has messed around with Joe's life for far too long, and I'm just sorry I never had the balls to do anything about it until now. If they want to kill me over this, then let them. As long as Ianto can keep Joe safe, then I'll consider it worth the sacrifice."
"Yeah," Gage conceded with a weary smile. "Me, too."
From the moment they were on the move, Joe had his face glued to the window. He peered out into the darkness at the passing scenery, and occasionally up at the stars. Ianto was immensely grateful for it, as it allowed him to concentrate on where they were going.
He had two prominent concerns right at that moment. Firstly, finding Sarah Jane Smith's house in the dark, after having been there only once. Secondly, whether she would welcome them or turn them away. If that were to happen, he would have to rethink everything, but he'd deal with that if and when necessary. He hoped that she wouldn't turn them away, but at the same time a little voice whispered that she would be perfectly within her rights to slam the door shut on them.
He tried to push that worry away from the forefront of his mind. First thing was first. He needed to find her house.
Gradually, he became aware of Joe murmuring to himself as they drove. Curious, he listened more closely, and realised that Joe was actually naming things that they passed. Trees… houses… fences… It was as though he was trying to kick-start his own memory.
Smiling to himself, he returned his attention fully to the road ahead, and silence reigned for the next several minutes until Joe spoke unexpectedly.
"Where are we going?"
Ianto glanced at him in surprise. It was one of the few complete, coherent and unprompted sentences that Joe had uttered since he'd started talking.
"We're going to find someone called Sarah Jane Smith. If we're lucky, she'll be willing to hide us for a while."
"Hide?"
"That's right. We have to find somewhere to hide, Joe. Things are going to get very tense. Joe… Do you understand what's going on?"
Joe turned his gaze back to the window, and Ianto thought for a moment that he wasn't going to get a response.
"Running away," Joe said finally, softly. "Escaping. No more bad place."
Ianto felt his heart clench at his weary tone. He wondered all of a sudden whether he really was the first to ever try and get Joe out of Torchwood.
"That's right," he confirmed, and he reached across to grasp Joe's hand. "No more bad place. I promise I'm going to do my best to keep you safe now, but you have to do as I say. Okay?"
"Okay," Joe answered agreeably. There was another minute of silence, and then Joe spoke again uncertainly.
"It hurts, Yan toe."
"What hurts? Your arm?"
"Arm… head…" He touched his chest gingerly. "Here."
"I know," Ianto murmured. "I'm sorry, Joe. Can you hold on for a little while longer?"
Joe managed a small smile, and tried to settle down in the seat, still cradling his arm to his body. He was frightened, Ianto thought unhappily, and he had every reason to be. As terrible as it had been for him inside Torchwood, at least there had been some degree of stability – some certainty from day to day. In one fell swoop, that stability had been yanked out from under him, and Ianto suspected that Joe probably understood better than any of them what he faced if recaptured. It wasn't in any way a pleasant thought.
They found the house purely by accident. Ianto was almost to the end of the road when he spotted the dimly-lit sign on the corner, telling him they were in Bannerman Road. Heart pounding, Ianto did a quick about-turn and drove slowly back along the road until he finally recognised the house that Sylvia had brought him to.
Sylvia… Ianto thought abruptly, his stomach lurching. He could only pray that she wouldn't be implicated in Joe's rescue, and that if she was she would be able to maintain a cool head. He would hate to see her suffer when she was the one who had put him in touch with Sarah Jane to begin with.
"Joe?" He reached over to rest a hand lightly on Joe's shoulder, and a pair of pale blue eyes blinked back at him drowsily. "We're here. C'mon. Let's go see if anyone's home."
Luke Smith was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a large bowl of ice cream while happily reading an astrophysics text book when the doorbell rang. His first instinct was to abandon both book and bowl, and flee back to his bedroom – after all, it was well past time when he should have been in bed. Curiosity overcame self-preservation, though, and he went to see who was there.
Sarah Jane was just coming down the stairs at the same moment, wrapping her dressing gown tightly around her body.
"Luke? What on earth are you doing up at this hour?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get some ice cream and catch up on some reading. Who's at the door?"
She sighed inwardly.
"I'm about to find out. Stay back, just in case."
She gave him no chance to ask in case of what. Striding over to the door, she opened it with every intention of telling the individual on the other side to go away before she decided to call the police. The words, however, died in her throat when she saw who was there.
"Mr Jones," she said quietly, her eyes narrowing. "I assume there's a very good reason why you're standing on my doorstep at this hour? Especially after I specifically told you that I would be the one to contact you. And two days is hardly enough time to make any progress…"
"I know, Ma'am," Ianto said breathlessly. "I'm very sorry, but circumstances have changed fairly drastically."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? In what way?"
Ianto took a step to the side, and drew another individual into sight. Sarah Jane frowned for just a brief moment before realisation struck, and her mouth opened in shock.
"Is this…?"
"This is Joe," Ianto confirmed. Sarah Jane moved quickly aside, and ushered them in. Ianto urged Joe to go ahead of him, murmuring reassurances as they went.
"Dare I ask what's happened?" she asked as she quickly locked the door behind them. "I mean, aside from the obvious."
"Two of my colleagues got themselves drunk and attacked Joe," Ianto explained. "He didn't fight back until they turned on me."
"And then…?"
"Then he killed them."
Sarah Jane stared warily at Joe, acutely aware of Luke's presence behind her. Ianto saw the look on her face, and spoke anxiously.
"He's not dangerous. Not like that. He did it to protect me, and I think he just doesn't have any concept of his own strength at the moment."
Except, Ianto reflected dully, that was a blatant lie, for Joe's actions had been concise and controlled. He'd known exactly what he was doing. Slowly, Sarah Jane approached, and Ianto rubbed Joe's arm reassuringly.
"It's okay, Joe. She's a friend."
"Friend," Joe whispered, and visibly relaxed. Sarah Jane raised an eyebrow at Ianto in curiosity, and then closed the distance between her and Joe.
"It's all right, sweetheart," she murmured when Joe trembled slightly at her touch. "I'm not going to hurt you." She peered up at his battered face, and then at his arm. "He's hurt. Mr Jones, if you'll bring your Joe to the kitchen? And Luke, go and get the medical kit from downstairs."
She led them into the kitchen and put the kettle on to boil while Ianto ushered Joe into a chair.
"You were saying about what happened tonight, Mr Jones?"
Ianto nodded, while at the same time he pulled a chair around so that he was sitting beside Joe.
"I called a couple of colleagues, and we made a sort of impromptu decision to get Joe out of there, while we had the chance."
"You've taken a very big chance, Mr Jones."
Ianto shuddered involuntarily.
"Yes, Ma'am. I know. But when the opportunity presented itself, I had to take it."
She walked over to them, peering thoughtfully at Joe. It was an effort to maintain a composed exterior, but inside she was weeping at the sight of the traumatised man before her. For just a brief moment, she could see her own Luke in this man – frightened, confused and alone.
Crouching down so as to avoid any suggestion of a threat in her posture, she reached out and laid one hand lightly on Joe's knee.
"What's your name?"
He thought about it for a moment before speaking hesitantly.
"Joe."
"But Joe isn't your real name, is it?"
He looked aggrieved.
"No."
"He can't remember his name," Ianto said. "His memory hasn't really started to come back yet."
Sarah Jane ignored him, and kept her focus on Joe.
"Tell me, Joe, do you remember the Doctor?"
Joe's breath hitched slightly in his chest.
"Doctor," he whispered, and his free hand clenched reflexively. He said no more, though, and Sarah Jane sighed softly and reached up to stroke his cheek tenderly. "I think you could have so much to tell us, if we could just unlock your mind."
Footsteps outside the kitchen announced Luke's arrival, and he hurried through into the kitchen with what looked like an industrial medical kit. He set it on the table with a resounding thud.
"Mum? Got the kit."
"Thankyou. Now, finish boiling that kettle, and when it's done I need you to make me a nice, strong cup of tea. Mr Jones?"
"Tea is fine," Ianto murmured. He would have much preferred coffee, but he wasn't going to be choosy at two in the morning when he was on the run from what was most likely the most powerful agency in all of Britain.
"What would you like to drink, Joe?" she asked. He hesitated, though, as if he was unsure how to answer.
"There's chilled water in the fridge," Sarah Jane suggested, deciding tea might not be the best thing for him. "Or if you'd rather, we have fruit juice… or even just plain milk."
At the mention of milk, Joe's face crumpled and he whimpered softly, his good arm slipping around to hold his stomach. Sarah Jane looked questioningly to Ianto.
"He has issues with milk?"
"He was poisoned with milk just yesterday," Ianto admitted grimly. "I don't think he quite understands that it won't happen again."
"Luke, pour some fruit juice for him," Sarah Jane instructed firmly. As Luke did so, Sarah turned her attention to providing Joe with whatever medical aid she was capable of giving. For his part, Joe sat in stoic silence, allowing her to dab gently at his face with antiseptic and only wincing occasionally when she touched a particularly sore spot.
"His arm is broken," she said softly, and Ianto nodded.
"I know. I braced it as best as I could. It will heal within a few days. If you have painkillers that I could give him, I'd appreciate it. He's in quite a bit of pain."
"I imagine he is," Sarah Jane agreed. "Tell me, Mr Jones, exactly what is it that you want from me? Now that you've achieved your goal and rescued Joe from Torchwood?"
Ianto's breath caught slightly in his throat at her tone.
"Joe might be out of Torchwood, Ma'am, but he's far from safe. They'll know he's gone within a matter of hours, and then there'll be very few places we'll be able to hide."
"And that's why you've come here. You expect me to hide you both? Mr Jones, I have worked very hard to avoid any attention from Torchwood, and you've just put that in extreme jeopardy!"
Ianto scrubbed a hand over his face, and tried desperately to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking clearly. You're right, of course. I'll take Joe, and find somewhere else. Perhaps if we just keep moving, they'll eventually give up."
Sarah Jane rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"It is far too early in the morning to be playing the guilt card, young man. And for the record, I never said I wouldn't help you."
Ianto looked up at her, suddenly hopeful.
"You'll let us stay?"
"For tonight, yes. And then tomorrow night, we'll get you both to another location – hopefully one that's less obvious than here."
Ianto looked to Joe, who was watching him and Sarah Jane with eyes that were dulled somewhat by the pain he was in.
"He won't be completely safe until we find the Doctor. The Doctor is the only chance he has to escape Torchwood."
"Here," Luke said, bringing over a tall glass with fruit juice in it. When Joe just stared at the glass warily, Luke spoke enthusiastically. "Try it, it's good. Really good."
Reluctantly, Joe set his blanket and dog on the table beside him, and picked up the glass and sipped at the juice. A smile lit up his face as he registered the pleasant taste, and he drank the contents with fresh enthusiasm.
"He's thirsty," Sarah Jane remarked with a smile, and Ianto nodded.
"He hadn't had much at all to eat or drink after the business with the milk yesterday morning. I imagine he's quite hungry, too."
"Luke," Sarah Jane said, "sweetheart, toast some bread for Joe."
"I could get him some ice cream," Luke suggested, but Sarah Jane smiled and shook her head.
"No, no ice cream. Not at this time of night. If he's not had much to eat, that will just give him a stomach ache. Now, Mr Jones..."
"Please," Ianto murmured. The adrenalin was starting to wear off, and he was suddenly finding it difficult to keep his eyes open. "Just call me Ianto."
Sarah Jane nodded agreeably.
"Ianto, then. We'll get Joe fed and do what we can to ease his pain, and then finds beds for the both of you. You'll both need to stay hidden throughout the day, and then tomorrow night we'll move you elsewhere."
"Where will we be going?" Ianto wondered, trying to stifle a jaw-cracking yawn.
"I'm not going to tell you where. Just that you should be safe, and if there's any place that you're likely to meet up with the Doctor, it'll be there."
Ianto looked sadly at Joe, who was demolishing the toast Luke had brought to him with renewed enthusiasm.
"I hope so, because Torchwood is relentless, and I really don't know how long we'll be able to hide from them."
tbc...