Author's Notes: Hope everyone enjoys the new chapter. Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed the previous chapter, including the guest reviews which I really do appreciate. And a special thank you to Prothrombintime for invaluable reassurance and feedback.
Chapter Twenty-Three
October 29th, 2004
"Mr. Jones? Ms. Hartman will see you now."
"Thank you." Ianto stood up and smiled politely at the immaculately dressed, serious young woman. She glanced at him from behind her neatly organised desk, giving him the merest hint of a tight, courteous smile before returning her attention back to her computer keyboard and monitor.
Clearing his throat, he tugged at the cuffs of his shirt and smoothed down the lapels of his suit jacket, flicking away an imaginary speck of lint from the charcoal-grey wool. He'd worn his most austere suit for the occasion, pairing it with a crisp white shirt and a sombre tie with a simple pattern of alternating blue and grey diagonal stripes.
Squaring his shoulders, he walked briskly across the white, pristine expanse of the outer office and reached the doorway on the opposite side. He took a deep breath and tried to ignore the churning of his empty stomach. He'd woken early after a restless night in the unfamiliar bed of his nearby hotel room, his stomach feeling like it was full of rats. With the thought of food threatening to make him violently ill, he'd foregone breakfast and settled on a single cup of strong black coffee. In hindsight he realised that probably hadn't been the best of ideas, but he needed to keep his wits about him so a caffeine fix had been essential.
Reminding himself of Jack's reassurances that everything would be fine, he schooled his features into his best professional mask and hoped his poker face was every bit as impenetrable as the Captain light-heartedly claimed. Although Ianto didn't consider himself to have an overly mendacious nature, he was fully prepared to be judicious with the truth, and he had no qualms about lying outright if necessary. In fact, he fully expected that his ability to remain composed under pressure would be tested to the limit over the next several hours.
With grim determination, he pushed open the thick, opaque glass door and crossed the threshold, allowing the door to close smoothly behind him.
"Ah, Ianto. Good to see you again." Yvonne Hartman rose gracefully from behind her large, glass-topped desk. Smiling widely, she stepped forward and shook his hand. "I hope the journey from Cardiff was a pleasant one?"
"Good morning, ma'am," Ianto replied, smiling in return. "Yes, the trip was fine, thank you. Very enjoyable."
The director of Torchwood looked identical to when he'd last seen her a little over a year earlier. In her late-thirties, slimly built and above average in height, she was attired in a perfectly tailored black skirt and jacket, the style sharp yet feminine, and complimented by tasteful, understated silver jewellery. With flowing waves of thick blond hair cascading down over her shoulders combined with flawless skin and make-up, Yvonne Hartman was striking, stylish, and attractive. She exuded confidence and cool, detached elegance. Everything about her seemed to embody the epitome of a successful corporate, career-minded woman. However, beneath the smiling, personable exterior, Ianto had always thought there was a ruthless, uncompromising woman, with a highly questionable moral compass. There was a hardness beneath her perceptive green eyes, and a hint of malevolence that made his skin crawl.
She looked at him reproachfully. "Please, it's Yvonne. You know I like to keep things informal here at Torchwood Tower. We must move with the times, after all."
Ianto nodded and offered up a contrite expression. "Yes, of course."
Feeling his resolve momentarily falter under her intense scrutiny, he glanced to his right where a huge expanse of glass provided a stunning, panoramic view of Canary Wharf, the winding River Thames, and the entire south-west of London. Their location on the forty-fifth floor of the towering building allowed for an unobstructed vista of almost the entire city.
"Breathtaking, isn't it?" she stated proudly, walking over to the window with the loud click of stiletto heels on the smooth, shiny floor tiles. With her hands clasped firmly behind her back, she stared out at the city.
"Spectacular," Ianto agreed, taking a couple of steps closer, but keeping a respectable distance. He had the unpleasant sensation of watching a monarch admiring her realm.
She turned back and looked at him with an expression of mild curiosity. "You must miss being here?"
Ianto nodded. "Sometimes, yes. Although Cardiff isn't without its charms."
"Yes, I'm sure that's true," she agreed in a tone that failed to hide her lack of sincerity. She walked back to her desk and sat down again, gesturing towards the empty chair opposite. "Relax and make yourself comfortable, Ianto."
"Thank you, Yvonne." Ianto sat down, keeping his back straight and folding his hands neatly in his lap.
"I thought it would be beneficial to have a face-to-face meeting since you've been at Torchwood Three for a year now," she began, resting her hands on top of a thick red folder on the desk in front of her and looking at him intently. "Thank you for your reports by the way, I must say that some of them make for very interesting reading. I'd like to go through some of the details with you this morning if that's all right?"
Ianto smiled amiably. "Absolutely."
"Before we get into that, I'm curious to know how you've been getting on with Captain Harkness?"
"Well, as I'm sure you know, Captain Harkness can be..." Ianto paused and frowned for effect, pretending to search for the appropriate words. "He can be a difficult man, to put it politely."
Yvonne chuckled, looking surprisingly amused. "I suspect others would be far less generous in their assessment."
Ianto allowed the corners of his mouth to turn upwards into a smirk. "Oh, of that, I have no doubt." He took a deep breath before continuing. "He wasn't at all happy about my arrival at Torchwood Three. For the first few weeks, he hardly spoke to me. I think he hoped I'd give up and return to London. For the six months after that, he barely tolerated my presence."
"And now?" she prompted.
"I believe we've settled into an amiable working relationship." Choosing his words carefully, Ianto gave her a small self-deprecating smile. "It's taken time, but I believe he now trusts me, at least, to a point. He finally accepts that I'm useful to him."
"Hmm, I see." Yvonne sat back in her chair, her cool gaze never leaving him. "Well, he seems to think very highly of you, Ianto. He says that the Cardiff branch has never run more smoothly. He also says you've made great strides in cataloguing Torchwood Three's archives and bringing them into the twenty-first century."
"That's very kind of him," Ianto said, allowing a hint of surprise to filter into his voice. "Uncharacteristically so, in fact. As I've explained in my reports, organising the Torchwood Three archives has been a significant undertaking. Without any staff dedicated to research and archiving, they'd been neglected for a long time." He shook his head disapprovingly. "Frankly, they were in a deplorable state."
"Do you have an estimate of your progress so far?" she asked.
"A little over fifty percent," Ianto replied apologetically. "Realistically, it could still take another year or more."
Yvonne frowned. "Really, that long?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so." Ianto breathed out a small sigh. "It's very time-consuming and painstaking work."
She nodded, but her expression was entirely unsympathetic. "To be honest, I'd hoped you'd uncover more useful items than you have so far."
"I'd hoped so too," Ianto agreed quickly. It was an accusation he'd expected, knowing her hunger for alien technology. "Unfortunately much of what comes through the Rift is little more than space junk, and the more interesting stuff is often damaged beyond repair. Captain Harkness refers to the Rift's output as the flotsam and jetsam of the universe." He raised an eyebrow curiously. "The Captain mentioned a particle weapon that was recovered several years ago which showed promise?"
"Yes. We've got one of our best R&D teams working on reverse engineering it. It's slow, difficult work, but we're confident that we'll be able to replicate it eventually." A smug smile crept across Yvonne's ruby-coloured lips. "We're also working on a large scale version which we hope we'll be able to use to defend against alien ships."
Ianto widened his eyes and hoped he looked sufficiently impressed. "And the sonic blaster I sent you six months ago?"
"We're working on that too. But, as you suspected, the power supply had burnt out. We're trying to fabricate a replacement."
Ianto nodded. "The Captain said that might be a problem."
Yvonne stared at him for a moment, her eyes searching his features. Looking back at her expectantly, he wondered if his demeanour was perhaps a little too controlled and polished. He smiled gently and shifted in his chair, reaching up and smoothing down the length of his tie with his hand. The subtle distraction worked and Yvonne's eyes lowered to the desk, giving him a momentary reprieve.
"Captain Harkness has asked me to make your assignment to the Cardiff branch permanent," she said a moment later, her eyes meeting his again and narrowing slightly. "Did you know anything about that?"
"No," Ianto replied, shaking his head firmly and trying not to show any outward sign of his relief at the prospect. Returning to London and Torchwood Tower had only served to reinforce that his home was now in Cardiff with Jack. It had always been a concern at the back of his mind that he might be recalled to London, especially as he and Jack had grown closer. While he hoped Jack would have intervened if that had occurred, if he was permanently assigned to Torchwood Three, it would be less of a worry. "No, I didn't," he reaffirmed.
"But you're not surprised?" Yvonne asked, looking at him speculatively.
"Not especially," Ianto replied evenly. "As I said, I believe the Captain realises I'm useful."
Yvonne nodded, but she didn't look entirely convinced. "So, you don't have any objections to remaining in Cardiff on a permanent basis?"
"Actually, no. The work is challenging, and on a personal note, I have family and friends in Cardiff." Ianto paused thoughtfully. "Plus, I believe I'm more of an asset at Torchwood Three than I am here in London. It could also be beneficial in fostering better relations with the Cardiff branch."
"I completely agree. I'll have the paperwork prepared to make transfer official." Yvonne smiled broadly, apparently pleased with her altruism, and Ianto wondered if he was imagining how disingenuous the expression seemed on her features. "I believe good work should be rewarded," she added, her smile not faltering.
Ianto nodded, smiling in return. "Thank you."
"However, I would like to know if you think Jack Harkness is fit to continue running the Cardiff branch." Her magnanimous expression promptly vanished, replaced with a look that was hard and uncompromising. "He has the position by default and he isn't someone I consider to be a team player."
"You're thinking of replacing him?" Ianto asked, unable to fully hide the incredulity from his voice as a frisson of panic clenched at his chest.
"I've certainly considered putting someone else in charge. The Captain is useful, despite being stubborn and uncontrollable, but I'm not convinced he should be running Torchwood Three, especially not single-handedly. However, he's quite well connected... removing him from his position could be difficult." She paused and leaned forward, fixing him with a piercing stare. "I assume you know about his unique condition?"
Ianto nodded, having anticipated the question. "Yes. The Brecon Beacons incident. Captain Harkness was mortally injured while we were trying to escape."
Yvonne's eyes widened, her expression of gleeful curiosity causing Ianto to angrily clench his right hand into a fist between his knees. "You saw him die?" she asked eagerly.
He nodded again and held his features steady, not trusting himself to speak for a moment.
"That wasn't in your report," she said, a frown creasing her smooth brow.
"No. It didn't seem relevant." Ianto willed himself to remain calm and detached. "Captain Harkness asked me not to include that particular detail. I saw no reason not to honour his request."
"I see," Yvonne said neutrally. She opened the folder in front of her and gazed down at the first page. "Recently there was the St. Telios Hospital situation. You stated that the Captain travelled back to 1918 via the Cardiff Rift and had himself put into cryo-freeze in order to return to the present."
Ianto nodded. "Yes, that's correct."
"A shame." A smile crept across her lips again, and Ianto felt a cold shiver tremble down the length of his spine. "If I'd known what was happening, I might have been tempted to order you to keep him frozen."
It took all of Ianto's inner strength not to recoil in horror. "Respectfully, Yvonne, I think that would have been a mistake."
"Hmm. Perhaps." She frowned and stared hard at Ianto. "You like him then?"
"Not especially, no. But I've grown to respect him." Ianto gave a small shrug, attempting to feign indifference. "It's obvious that Captain Harkness is committed to safeguarding Cardiff, and I've seen nothing to suggest that he isn't completely loyal to Torchwood. I admire his dedication and skill. In all honesty, I don't think you could find a better person for the job."
Yvonne looked at him sceptically for a long moment, a hint of irritation flashing across her features. Then she breathed out a resigned sigh. "Well, I suppose I'll have to take your word for that. At least he seems to be reasonably competent, and better the devil you know, as the saying goes. By the way, has Captain Harkness ever mentioned the Doctor?"
Ianto didn't need to pretend to be surprised by the sudden non sequitur. "No. Never."
He watched as she retrieved a large photograph from the file and slid it across the desk. "This image was captured by a Torchwood operative in 1941 during the London Blitz."
Ianto picked up the photo, immediately feeling a shudder of shock and confusion as he stared down at the grainy, slightly blurred, black and white image.
It showed three people. The first he recognised as an incarnation of the mysterious time-travelling alien known as the Doctor. It was one of the younger versions that Torchwood had on record – the man was tall, with close-cropped dark hair, prominent ears, and wearing a black leather jacket. The second figure was a young blond woman, in her late teens he guessed, while the third was unmistakeably Jack Harkness. Jack's dark hair was shorter and arranged in a neat, military style, unlike the more contemporary, tousled style Ianto was so familiar with. Otherwise, the Jack in the photograph looked physically the same as he did in the present, with one notable exception... Jack in 1941 had a youthful, carefree appearance about his expressive features that present-day Jack usually lacked. This was clearly a Jack who hadn't yet been burdened with the curse of ageless, unending life.
"He was a companion of the Doctor?" he asked incredulously, the question slipping from his tongue before his brain had a chance to censor the words.
He glanced up at Yvonne, who was scrutinising him intently, before returning his gaze to the photograph. There was something mesmerising about this tangible visual evidence of Jack's past.
"It's certainly a possibility," she replied. "Perhaps the Doctor is somehow responsible for the Captain's condition. Did he provide you with any explanation after he revived?"
Ianto shook his head. Reluctantly he slid the photo back across the desk. "No. He just said that something happened to him a long time ago."
"Perhaps Captain Harkness doesn't trust you as much as you think?" Yvonne suggested archly.
"Perhaps," Ianto conceded, regretting that in light of this sudden revelation, the statement seemed to be not entirely untrue.
He thought he'd earned Jack's trust and respect, but it was possible he'd deluded himself. It didn't seem to make sense that Jack hadn't told him about being associated with Torchwood's sworn enemy. It was bad enough that Jack had allowed him to be completely blind-sided by Hartman of all people, but on a personal level he felt a sharp stab of hurt accompanied by a surge of anger.
"He's a very private man," he continued, the words sounding pathetic even to his own ears. "He doesn't talk about himself. Besides, we're colleagues, not friends."
"Yes, of course," Yvonne said quickly, but there was an undeniable hint of victory in her voice. The smug look on her face only served to intensify Ianto's annoyance as he struggled not to show any trace of emotion.
She put the photograph back inside the folder and smiled at him. "Now, there's some things I'd like to go through in your reports. Would you like some tea or coffee before we get started?"