The Doctor and Jack arrived at the Hub to find Ianto hard at work at his terminal, oblivious to their entry. He looked up only when he heard Myfanwy's cry, as the pteranodon dove at the Doctor. There was a loud thud, as a taloned foot hit the Doctor's shoulder causing him to cry out and stumble. Jack managed to grab him before he fell into the water at the base of the fountain.
"Jack, are you sure this is just a greeting?" the Doctor asked as he recomposed himself, rubbing his injured shoulder, while warily watching Myfanwy return to her post in the upper reaches of the hub. "It seems a bit violent."
"I really don't know what's got into her," replied Jack as he removed the Doctor's coat and ushered him into a vacant chair under an overhang.
Safely seated, the Doctor tried moving his shoulder and winced. "Well, until you do, I'll try to keep out of the open when I am here."
"Will this help sir?" The Doctor looked up to see Ianto holding out an ice pack.
"Yes, thank you," said Jack as he took it from the young man.
"Ouch," complained the Doctor as Jack applied the pack to the back of his shoulder. "Do you have to be so rough?"
"I'm being not rough," Jack objected. "It does have to be in contact with you to work, you know."
"Sir, I could get you some tea if you want," Ianto interjected.
"Yes, yes, and you can stop being so formal around me," the Doctor replied irritatedly. He looked up to see the Welshman was rather distressed at the reprimand. "Sorry, that came out a little harsher than I intended. Not used to being attacked right after breakfast. No, I take that back, I should be used to that by now. Just please don't keep calling me sir. I find it unnerving, like I've been drafted into the civil service or something."
Ianto looked questioningly at Jack. "Just humor him," Jack said. "He has some odd quirks at times."
"I do not have odd quirks. You're the ones keeping a pet that enjoys using guests for target practice," declared the Doctor, peering nervously from under the overhang at the prehistoric predator as she lazily circled far above him. "You do feed her well, don't you? I don't relish the idea of being her midmorning snack."
"She's quite well fed," Jack assured him. "I really don't know what her interest is in you. Maybe she just recognizes another ancient being and wants to play."
The Doctor twisted in the chair to fix Jack with a stony stare. "You're no spring chicken yourself. Why doesn't she want to play with you?"
"Actually she does. She's a whiz at basketball. Makes a great point guard," Jack replied cheerfully.
"Really? You sure she doesn't just consume the opposition?" the Doctor asked.
"I'm sure, at least the head count is the same after the game as before. Though there was that one game…" Jack smiled. "Really, she's not bad at all. I don't know why she has such a thing for you."
"I have your tea, Si… should I call you Doctor?" Ianto asked as he held out the tea.
"Doctor is fine," the Doctor answered as he took the tea and tried a sip. "This is very good, thank you."
"Ianto, did you get things straightened out?" Jack asked.
The Welshman frowned and shook his head. "No, I'm sorry Jack. UNIT was no problem, they understood and thanked us for saving their equipment. MI5, however, was not at all pleased and has threatened to destroy all of our devices that they can find. I tried to explain what the situation was, but they want to talk to you in person about it."
"Great, you did tell them I was busy with a special guest, didn't you?"
"Yes I did, and they said they would very much like you to bring this guest with you."
"That's not going to happen," Jack declared. "Who do they think they are, anyway?"
"An agency with a lot more personnel than we have, who can make our lives miserable if we aren't careful?"
"Dammit, I don't like this."
"I can go with you," the Doctor offered. "I might find it interesting."
"You might find it permanent," came Jack's rejoinder. "I'll deal with them. Ianto, is it the office here, or do I have to go to London?"
"It's the one here."
"That at least is good news. Take care of my friend here. Get him anything he wants." Jack removed the ice pack from the Doctor's shoulder. "Is it better now?"
The Doctor tested his shoulder. "Yes, it's much better thank you. You sure you don't want me to come with you? It might be easier for you."
"No, thanks for the offer, but no. This is one of those cases where if we give an inch they'll take a mile. In fact, here." Jack removed his vortex manipulator and handed it to the Doctor. "I don't want that on me when I get there. Hang on to it for me, and if you want, you can fix it.
Jack looked at the Doctor hopefully, then frowned. "Alright, you can't blame a guy for trying. I'm off. You kids behave yourselves and wish me luck." The captain then left the Hub, his stride purposeful but not rushed.
The Doctor turned to Ianto, who was studying him, a concerned look on his face. "I don't believe we've been formally introduced." He stood up, smiled and held out his hand. "I'm the Doctor and you are Ianto I believe."
"Yes Doctor, I'm pleased to meet you," replied Ianto and he took the offered hand. "I gather you and Jack have known each other for a while."
"Oh, we go back further than either one of us would like to admit. But really, it's all very boring. Why don't you show me this alien technology you need my help puzzling out."
"Yes, Doctor, right this way. It's out the back."
Ianto lead him down a corridor to a large wooden door with an odd collection of modern and archaic locks on it. With practiced ease the Welshman dealt with all the locks and opened the portal. The Doctor stood stunned and opened mouthed by what he saw in the middle of the room, a Cyber conversion unit.
"Jack surely doesn't expect me to get that working for him."
Looking at the conversion unit, Ianto's expression was unreadable, but the Doctor suspected he saw sorrow and regret on the man's face. "No, in fact it is functional. It's from Torchwood London."
Slowly walking around the device the Doctor studied it. This shouldn't be here at all. It should have been sucked back into the void with the Cybermen. He put on the glasses that allowed him to see the void particles. Trace amounts, more likely from contact with contaminated objects, not enough for this to have been in the void itself. Made in this universe, that was disturbing. He wondered what else they had left behind.
"It's not being used, is it?" the Doctor asked sharply as he returned the glasses to his pocket.
"No it's not." Ianto's voice was too controlled, devoid of emotion. He was clearly becoming troubled by this conversation. The Doctor realized he was another person who had suffered at the hands of the Cybermen.
He surveyed the rest of the room studying it carefully. There was plenty here to keep him occupied. "Well, I think I can get started. You don't need to stay here. I'm sure you have better things to do than babysit me."
"If you're sure you don't need any assistance."
"I'm sure. I'll let you know if I need anything."
"Alright then, I'll get back to my duties."
With the Welshman gone, it was time to get to work. The Doctor decided the first order of business should be pulling the teeth on the Cyber conversion unit. There was no possible good reason he could think of for it to be operational.
The device was in two parts, the table where the victim would be strapped down and the surgical unit which was above it. He aimed his sonic at the surgical unit, removing the bolts one by one that secured it to the support arm. They fell on the table with a musical ring before rolling off and landing on the concrete floor with a plink.
Suddenly there was a loud metallic screech as the unit swung free, now held in the air precariously by only one bolt which the Doctor promptly removed. It landed on the table with a satisfying crash, significantly damaging both units.
This, however, was not enough for the Doctor in his current mood. The technology was not that advanced, it was just perverted, which made it the most dangerous thing in the room. It would be easy for someone to reproduce what John Lumic had created with the hints contained in the remaining parts of the machine.
As he took it apart, he briefly considered each piece to determine if it should be saved or destroyed. He used his sonic to take demolish whatever parts he felt were too dangerous to remain intact, before throwing it into a pile where they would clank, clatter or shatter upon landing. He found his aversion to the equipment such that there was ultimately very little that he saved. A few nuts and bolts were all that survived his judgment.
He stood over the remains of the razed machine, a satisfied smile on his face. He'd worked up a bit of a sweat, but it felt good to get rid of that evil. Almost cathartic, knowing what he was doing was the right thing. Surveying his work, he saw a small flicker of light. He aimed his sonic at it and there was a pop accompanied by a puff of smoke. "There, good and dead," he thought, the acrid smell of the destroyed circuit was actually pleasant to him, a sign of accomplishment.
He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. Quickly he twisted around to see Ianto holding a tray of food, a stunned expression on his face. For a second, the Doctor wondered if perhaps he should have told Jack or Ianto what he was going to do, before he so utterly annihilated the machine. He was about to explain his actions, when the Welshman spoke.
"Thank you," he said softly, in his eyes a mixture of sadness and relief.
"You're welcome. I trust you have no problems with this?
"No, no. We should have done that long ago. I should have done that long ago."
The Doctor took the tray from the stricken Torchwood employee, partially from kindness, but mostly from concern that his lunch might soon hit the floor. "I gather this has some personal significance to you, then?" asked the Doctor, as he searched for a safe horizontal surface on which to place the tray.
"Yes, you could say that. I was at Torchwood London when it fell."
"You lost someone?" He turned towards the young man, still holding the tray he had been unsuccessful in finding a suitable landing place for.
"My fiancée," answered Ianto taking the tray from the Doctor and setting it down on a small round table, tucked away in the corner of the room. "She had been converted… partially. I had thought the right person could reverse it and I could have her back. I was wrong, as it turned out."
"I'm sorry," the Doctor said. "You know, there is more here than I could possibly eat. Care to join me?"
Ianto shook his head. "No, thank you, I already ate. Is there anything else you need?"
"No, no, I'm fine. Is Jack back yet?"
"No," Ianto furrowed his brow and frowned. "He should be though."
"I wouldn't worry. Jack can take care of himself," the Doctor assured him, as he sat down in a chair next to the table. He picked up a sandwich and bit into it.
"I know, it's just sometimes he…" Ianto didn't finish the sentence.
Looking up from his meal the Doctor saw the young man considering him carefully. He could tell the Welshman had an unspoken question on his mind.
"Yes?" the Doctor asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
It was very quiet in the room as Ianto bit his lip, warring with himself before he responded. "Is it true what Jack says about you?"
"I don't know. What does he say?"
"That your species mates for life."
The Doctor nearly choked on his sandwich. That was just about the last question he expected. "He said what?!"
"That your species mate for life, he said that's why…" Ianto stammered to a halt, too embarrassed to continue.
Suddenly things became clear to the Doctor, the rude attitude the night before, the condoms in the suitcase. Apparently his arrival had interrupted something and now this man wanted to know if the Doctor was competition.
"No, we don't mate for life. However, to answer your real question, I'm not interested in Jack. At least not that way."
"But every time you turn up, Jack leaves to be with you. Once even when the base was under attack."
"But he always comes back, doesn't he? I've given him a chance to travel with me. He turned me down. Said he wanted to get back to the people here. I gather that at least one of those people is you."
"If you're not interested in him, why would you ask him to travel with you?"
The Doctor sighed and shook his head. "Humans, why did they have to complicate everything by bringing sex into it?" he bemoaned to himself. "Look, Jack is a good friend and a great person to have your back. That is why I made him the offer. I'm not interested in him in the way you seem to think I am. Honestly."
"But he was flirting with you and…"
"Doesn't he flirt with just about everyone?"
"Well, yes, but you seem special to him. With you, it seems like he means it more."
"Maybe because with me he knows it's not going to happen," the Doctor tried reasonably. One glance at the distraught young man told him that wasn't going to be enough. He sighed, so much for a quiet lunch. "Look, sit down and I'll see if I can explain it to you."
Ianto pulled up a chair, dragging it along the floor with a loud screech, before noisily unfolding it in front of the table. The Doctor winced internally. This was going to be difficult. He pulled Jack's vortex manipulator out of his pocket.
"Do you know what this is?"
"It's Jack's vortex manipulator, a former acquaintance of his came here with one. He could use it to travel in time and teleport. Jack's seems to be broken."
"Good, so you know he's from the future?" the Doctor asked, relieved that Ianto did know something of Jack's past.
"Yes, that actually was pretty obvious, even before he let us in on it."
"That's one thing we have in common, we both are both from the future. He was actually born a few centuries after me. And we also both travel in time. Well, in his case, used to travel in time." The Doctor hoped his time travel was still in the present tense.
"So we are just comfortable around each other and that's all it is, and I don't need it to be any more, I don't want it to be anymore."
"But don't you have someone to…" again Ianto's speech fumbled into an uncomfortable silence.
"No, I don't and I don't need to. I'm not human, it's not the constant drive it is with your species. You lot feel the need to fill every available space with more humans. In Jack's time, with time travel, more advanced transportation and colonization technology, that need went into overdrive as if some genetic trigger had been tripped and your whole species became very intent on spreading its genetic code any way it could. Jack is just a product of his time."
Studying the young man, the Doctor could tell he was understanding what he was being told, but he wasn't convinced. The Doctor took a deep breath and continued.
"He flirts with everyone and everything, as near as I can tell. He just can't help himself, it's part of who he is. If you're going to be upset every time he does it, you are going to be in for a lot of upset. He turned down a chance to explore entire galaxies, to travel Throughout time to be with you. Isn't that proof enough it's you he wants?"
Ianto squirmed uncomfortably in the chair. "Yes, I suppose you are right. But, I think if he felt there was a chance with you."
"It's not going to happen. We are friends, that is it. He has you and I don't need or want that kind of complication in my life. People are hurt enough when I have to leave them behind for their own good, without adding that kind of emotional baggage into the mix. As I told you in the beginning, it's really not important to me and definitely not important enough to risk the kind of suffering it will eventually cause the people I care about."
"But, you don't have to leave them behind."
"Yes I do. Eventually, everyone either leaves me or I leave them. It's inevitable."
An annoying beeping sound interrupted whatever Ianto was going to say in response. The young man pulled a communication device out of his pocket as he stood up, scowling at the screen. "I'm sorry, you will have to excuse me, someone's just entered the Hub. I need to see who it is."
"Could it be Jack?" the Doctor asked hopefully.
"No, the SUV is still at MI5 and Gwen shouldn't be back yet. But whoever it is knew how to get past all the alarms. I'd best go and check into it."
"Need any help?"
"No, I know how to do my job, thank you," came the testy reply.
"Ouch," thought the Doctor as he watched the retreating back of the Welshman. The prickly attitude was back in full force. He should have just told the man Jack was right, he mated for life and ended the discussion there. Honest candor had only made things worse.
He was about to follow Ianto, his curiosity piqued as to who the intruder might be, when his eye caught a piece of equipment that was very definitely out of place here. When he strode towards it, it started to hum, as if it had been waiting for him.