Same Ianto, Different Jack
Chapter 43
by Gracefultree
A/N: I'm off on vacation now, but I wanted to post a chapter before I left. Enjoy!
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Ianto found sleep difficult, expecting a call from whoever was watching the Hub. When it came at 4am, he climbed out of bed as he answered. He hadn't bothered to undress, so he still wore jeans and a jumper, which would be fine for a middle of the night call-out.
"Jones," he said, running his fingers through his hair quickly to make it more presentable. Not that anyone would care, or notice. Not even Jack.
"Big disturbance in Swansea," Bruce Thomas said without bothering with a greeting. "Both teams have been called in, and Jack's coming with us. Rex, too."
"Give me the coordinates and I'll meet you there," Ianto replied.
"Sorry, son, I'm sending a car for you. I'm not letting you drive out there unescorted when Jack's in this state."
"What state is that?"
"He's been on a hair-trigger ever since he emerged from his bunker, yelling and ordering people about. Haven't seen him like this in months, not even last week after your argument with him. He's looking to kill or get killed tonight. I wouldn't put it past him to run into the line of fire."
"Ah, so you're thinking if he sees me without an escort he'll react badly?"
"Something like that. I want you nearby if he does die. Sonya from Medical will be with you, just in case. Mike and Reggie went out with Johnson's group."
"I'll be out front." Ianto found his boots and tied the laces. He grabbed a few things he'd need and put on a pot of coffee, intending to have a thermos ready for when Jack revived. And to wake himself up. The drive to Swansea wouldn't be that bad at this time of the morning, but it wouldn't be great. He wondered who Bruce sent to drive him.
Ianto got down to the ground floor just as the Torchwood SUV pulled up. He climbed into the passenger seat and greeted Sonya and Harry Webb, the field operative who was driving.
"I'm glad Lieutenant Thomas called you, sir," Harry said as his own greeting. "The Captain's in a foul mood. Has been all week."
"Not exactly in a good one, myself," Ianto replied.
"He's in such a bad mood because at least three people told him off for how he treated you," Sonya explained. "Lieutenant Thomas, Gwen, and Esther," she added. "That wasn't appropriate for the workplace, what he did. You're always so professional about your relationship, and then he went and did that? No one likes it."
"They confronted him in public?" Ianto demanded, horrified at their lack of tact. He expected better of them. Granted, none of them had said anything that even resembled what she was saying, and he'd spoken to all of them. It was interesting to hear other people's versions of what happened.
"No, sir," Harry answered. "But you know how Torchwood is. They each went into his office with a certain look in their eyes and when he threw them out a few minutes later, it was clear when they were talking about. He doesn't exactly modulate his voice when he's angry."
"Ah."
They drove in silence for a few minutes before the radio crackled to life. "Webb, get Jones here now!" Bruce shouted. "You've got the green light from the cops to use the turbo engine."
"Yes, sir," Harry said, pressing a button on the dashboard and stamping on the gas pedal. The SUV shot forward to settle at 120 miles per hour. "Hang on, everybody!" Harry began weaving in and out of traffic as the few cars on the road struggled to get out of his way.
"Bruce?" Ianto called. "What's going on?"
"Sontarans. Ten of them. Jack and Rex are drawing their fire so the teams can get them from behind," Thomas said. Under his voice they could hear the unmistakable sound of gunfire. "We're going to lose some people."
Ianto cursed. "I can't risk getting in the middle of that," he muttered. "Is there a safe perimeter?"
"Working on it. Just get here."
Ianto hung on as Harry swerved, praying, yet again, that Jack would be safe. He knew he wouldn't be. He knew Jack would die, several times. The Sontarans were a clone race, bred for battle, and believed that the only worthwhile combat was face-to-face. Jack and Rex would square off with them, giving the other field agents time to shoot them from behind, their only weakness being a small air hole in their armor at the back of their necks. The problem was that when Rex and Jack were dead, the Sontarans would take the time to kill the agents and even civilians unlucky to be nearby, as well as destroy property. The Sontarans didn't exactly discriminate when they were at war. According to Jack, they'd been at war for over 50,000 years and it would still be going on in his birth-time.
Ianto pulled his modified earpiece from his pocket and turned it on, listening to the military chatter and Jack's taunting of the Sontarans. At least that sounded familiar. He heard laser-fire and Jack's gargle of pain. He waited, biting his lip, as the gunfire and chatter continued, listening for Jack's resurrection gasp. Once he heard it, he switched to a private line with Jack and started talking to him, reassuring him, hoping to get Jack awake and aware enough to be able to finish the mission.
"Now is not the time, Ianto!" Jack growled. Ianto could already hear him moving.
"It's always the —"
"I'm in the middle of a fucking battle. Talk me back to myself all you want when there's no bullets flying." Ianto heard a click in his ear as Jack disconnected from him. His earpiece automatically switched to the main channel and Jack's voice. "Bruce, how many left?"
"We got three. Seven more to go."
"Rex?"
"Still down."
"Have the boys follow my lead. Harkness out."
Twenty minutes later, after three more of Jack's deaths, another of Rex's, and five more Sontarans taken out, Harry pulled to a stop in front of the main gate of Swansea University. A make-shift medical tent had been erected, and Ianto could hear Rex's screams even before he opened the car door. He didn't resurrect as cleanly, quickly or quietly as Jack did, though he also didn't try to kill people when he came back. Sonya disappeared into the tent immediately. Three other people needed medical care, and Mike and his assistant needed her help.
"Where to now?" Ianto asked Harry.
"We follow the explosions," Harry answered, pointing at the plumes of smoke above their heads. Gunfire broke out, and Marta Johnson's voice called for reinforcements over the comms. Harry handed Ianto an alien technology-augmented bulletproof vest before giving him a helmet, night-vision goggles and semi-automatic machine gun. "Come on. You've been approved for the field and Lt. Johnson needs more bodies."
Ianto shuddered at his choice of words, hoping he wouldn't become a body while looking for Jack. They ran, following the sounds of battle. Coming around a corner, they came upon Bruce, bleeding, unconscious and being given rough first aid by one of his men.
"Jones, get the Lieutenant to Medical," the soldier ordered, tying off the final bandage. "Webb, you're with me."
"Where's Jack?" Ianto demanded, moving to pick up Bruce with the men's help. He'd be fine to carry him once he was settled over his shoulders.
"Not sure, sir," the man answered. "The last two are proving harder to kill, and the captain went down to protect Lt. Thomas. He got up three minutes ago and I haven't seen or heard from him since. I think his comm got blown out with the last death."
"Shit," Ianto breathed. "That means his head —"
"Don't think about it, sir. It wasn't pretty. He'll need you when this is all over."
Ianto nodded and turned away, intending to take Bruce to the medical tent as the soldier told him to. What was the man's name? He couldn't remember. Besides, he had more important things on his mind. Like the fact that everyone seemed to believe that he would be able to help Jack. That he was needed to help Jack.
Jack himself might not be able to admit it yet, but it sure seemed like the rest of Torchwood knew Ianto's place in his life.
In his ear, Jack shouted, the scratchy sounds indicating he was fitting an earpiece to his ear as he spoke. "Bruce, report!" When he got no immediate answer, Jack shouted again. "Johnson, Rex, someone tell me what's going on!"
"Porter here, sir. Lt. Thomas is down," the soldier behind Ianto said. Ianto glanced back, but he could no longer see him or Harry Webb. He continued moving towards the medical tent with Bruce. "He's alive, and —"
"Freeze, human." The low growl stopped Ianto in his tracks. "Turn and face me that I might teach you of the might of the Sontaran race!"
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