A/N: Ianto's idea of a purpose. A bit long due long period of silence.
Spoiler alert: The Last of the Time Lords
Beta-ed: TattoedLibrarian.
Ianto wasn't quite sure what he's going to say, but he had to try to keep them busy and focused. He only hopped the task would be engaging enough. He prepared the materials at hand and went to briefing room and without hesitation stood at the head of the table. The others watched him without high expectations. They were tired and weary, sadness and lack of hope had taken their toll. Ianto took a deep breath thinking of what to say first but Owen beat him to it.
"So Tea Boy, will you now give us pep talk that Jack had dictated to you in ten minutes, tell us that everything will be just fine and we should just lie back and enjoy this wonderful ride." Ianto glared at him but he was grateful for this intro it made things easier to explain.
"There will be no lying around Owen." He said seriously. "We have task to fulfil." Ianto pushed the button and on the screen appeared face of Martha Jones Ianto managed to dig out. When he knew what he was looking for it wasn't hard to find data on the Doctor.
Owen leaned forward and Ianto saw with satisfaction, his growing interest.
"What, Jack had lost a beautiful girl and she will make all this goes away with a magic wand?" Owen inquired further.
"This is Martha Jones; I think you should remember the name" Ianto changed picture.
"I wasn't too far off" snorted Owen "it is a fairy godmother."
"For the man whose seen fairies you should be more open-minded."Gwen reprimanded him. "Go on Ianto, what about the mystery woman."
"She was a companion of the Doctor" Ianto continued "and she was with the Doctor and Jack on the Valiant when all this began. Martha Jones then left the ship and she's been on a mission ever since. I'm not informed about the nature of her mission but it's the crucial one to finishing all this nonsense with flying balls."
"How inspiring, what should we do, listen into rumours about her adventures and be happy that she may succeed." Owen continued.
"Ianto what can we do for her?" Gwen was awake and serious, Ianto smiled.
"That is the right question. She needs to get back to the Valliant when her task is complete."
"So we need to wait and give her the ride" Owen snorted.
"It's not that simple, she doesn't need to get to Jack, but to the Doctor, there is a difference."
"A big difference" Tosh spoke up before Owen got the chance to say something more. "The Doctor is in the middle of everything, we would all be shot before anyone would know who we were."
"I thought about it and the only way for her to get to him is that the Master takes her there, but I fear he will shoot her on sight if he thinks' she is dangerous to him."
"Though" Owen sighed "he already knows she is dangerous, he mentions her every now and then."
"Yes, but if we give him a reason to relocate his fears from her personally to something that she has that is dangerous, his vanity will win and he will keep her alive to gloat and to show her to the Doctor. We just need a good cover story, we're good at that."
"That's brilliant Ianto" Tosh smiled "but there is one problem, even the Master wasn't able to find her, how could we, she travels on foot, she could be anywhere."
"That's why I've showed you this picture" Ianto turned and magnified Jack's and Martha's joined hands. "See here, Jack gives Martha his wrist strap; I don't think it's a gift she would just throw away."
"I can work with that" Tosh smile grew "I can't tap into it, that thing is impossible, and Jack wouldn't let me near, but I scanned it often enough, I would be able to find it. But we can't just phone her on that."
"No but we can send a word through radio, we met quite share of people on our return, and we can use Unit too. We'll let her phone us."
"Clever Ianto, what do you ever need us for" Owen smirked.
"Actually I thought about the threat for the Master as a Time Lord, he is like the Doctor he doesn't die easily, he won't be afraid or convinced by simple bullet. Here is everything I managed to gather about the Doctor, can you make something out of it." He pushed file towards Owen, he reluctantly took it but soon he was taken by contents.
"Ianto dear" Gwen cleared her throat "sorry for asking, but you suddenly know a whole lot, how could Jack tell you all that in just ten minutes?" Everybody looked at him.
"He just told me about Martha's mission, things about the Doctor I knew from earlier, from Torchwood One, they were quite interested in him." He explained courtly.
They nodded, Owen kept reading, Tosh tapped on her laptop, but Gwen was thinking, Ianto waited.
"So that means you knew all about that Doctor, when Jack yelled 'Doctor' on the plaza and didn't tell us nothing about it." She said slowly.
"He didn't want to disclose things about the Doctor" Ianto felt stiff.
"You little sly ball" Gwen murmured "you were in the loop the whole time, keeping his secrets all along." She scratched her nails on desk surface and Ianto didn't know what to say.
"What did you think, that he didn't get any privileges for sleeping with the boss" Owen said absently taking notes. Gwen tapped her fingers angrily. Ianto had an urge to explain himself, but he controlled that, it would be easier for him to keep charge of them if they thought he knew more than they did.
"It seems to me" Owen started in his professional manner "that most distinguished thing about these Time Lords is their regeneration ability, if you kill them in any matter of ways they just bounce back, but if you suspend their ability to regenerate that would scare them more than death itself."
"Great, can we do that?" Ianto leaned forward supporting his weight on his fist put on the table not conscious of how perfectly he had reflected Jack in that moment.
"Sorry mate, to be at least believable I would require at least a sample of their DNA, I won't say I can make the real serum, but even fake one that wouldn't be discovered at first glance I would need something to base it upon. Otherwise we can put coloured water in there, but I don't believe our Master guy is so gullible."
"Surely you've got samples" Ianto frowned. "You honestly want me to believe that you've had his hand here all this time, a hand that doesn't deteriorate, and you didn't poke it while Jack wasn't looking?"
"Who's hand?" Owen was confused.
Ianto played video that showed the Master and his big grin.
"I've got his hand" Master said.
Ianto froze the picture and in the corner there could be seen just enough of the container that sat in the Hub for everyone to see.
"That was the Doctor's hand" Owen's features were softening by crocked grin "that cocky bastard was hiding it in plain sight. Of course I've got samples, that damn samples never dies, just changes, I can work with that, in fact I've been working with just that before I gave up. It's nearly impossible to actually persuade those cells to stop living, but I can manage a fake serum."
"And what exactly will we do with that fake serum of yours, spray it in his face and laugh" Gwen started to shout agitated and desperate.
"No, we will let him destroy it, it's just a decoy, but we need him to know Martha's got it" Ianto explained calmly knowing it's the only way.
"We don't even have it now, let alone that Martha girl." Gwen didn't give in "Why would he believe any of it, it's just not convincing enough. What will we do, spread the rumour and hope he will hear it. No one we know would ever tell him anyway."
Ianto held his breath thinking.
"That's your strong suit Gwen" he said with exhale "that's why Jack took you, because you know people, who would he trust?"
She frowned for a moment but now just from thinking, her anger was gone.
"A traitor" she sighed "but how do we find one? They are keen on hiding."
Ianto tighten his lips at the sour taste of his next words.
"We just need to find someone that loves too much" he said looking at the table when he looked up no one looked at him; they all knew too well he's right. Maybe that was the thing that linked them, they all loved, lost, and betrayed because of it.
"I'll scoop him out for you" Gwen said bitterly. "But what will we gain from all of this, will anyone still be alive when we're done, that Martha is taking her time walking the Earth, we'll have to justify that, why is she walking? Why would she walk if she's had the weapon all the time?"
"It doesn't matter who will live or die" Ianto started knowing this was the moment they all were present enough to comprehend magnitude of it "if Martha succeeds time will be rewritten, all of this will be just a bad dream we won't remember" Ianto said firmly although he wasn't sure he believed it.
They all looked up and stared at him.
"Just like that?" Owen smiled "Puff, gone."
"Everyone will be back?" Gwen's hands were trembling.
"Things will be as they were?" Tosh lifted her head from computer screen.
"Yes" Ianto said in his convincing, serious manner that would always fool Jack and it worked.
Tosh got up and started to pace while tapping on the screen in her hand. Gwen smiled and sat on the table with her feet on the chair. Owen lied back in his chair.
"Nice work Tea Boy" he snorted "you've could have told us that first." Ianto smiled but kept silent, he didn't want to ruin everything by explaining their state before all this, and his decision to manufacture a job for them.
"We have to do better than this" Gwen spoke up loud and strong focused after a long time. "There are still loose ends in our story. Why does she walk the Earth? We have to give her the reason, not the real one."
Ianto was quiet, he knew to recognise when she was thinking; she had that absent look on her face.
"That serum of yours" she turned to Owen "what will it look like?"
"Syringe, why?" He was cautious.
"Not sinister enough" she exclaimed "it has to look dangerous."
"We can make it look like anything really" Tosh looked up "it's just a shell, we can make something gun-like up."
"Can it be in pieces, like five of them?" She asked further.
"No problem." Tosh said confident in herself.
"I can even make the serum in two colours" Owen smirked "to make it pretty."
"Perfect" Gwen shouted and smiled jumping of her feet to face them. "We'll send our lady in treasure hunt. She's already travelling; all we need is to say to our dear traitor that it will save us, that the gun was divided in five pieces and spread across the world hidden. It will explain her trip and why it took so long."
"That's fantastic" Tosh exclaimed in her familiar fashion that wasn't heard so long. "But how will we deliver the gun to Martha? She's in South America now."
"You've find her?" Ianto was amazed.
"Five minutes ago, didn't want to interrupt before I had more accurate position. Will we have to go to America?" She looked torn with that idea; their trip didn't go well with her techno-geek nature.
"No, that's the beauty of it" Ianto explained "she has to come back home to get up, the Master descends only to England, he's still attached to his status of our Prime Minister. All we have to do is to give her the weapon before she meets the traitor."
"It seems like you've got a crack of that Master fellow" Owen commented "but you're right, I just didn't notice that before, wasn't interested."
"All we need now is cover for Martha to go and meet our mystery traitor" said Gwen in her almost forgotten cheerful manner.
"That depends who it will be" Ianto answered still a bit nervous about whole traitor thing.
"Not necessarily" grunted Owen "we can use our net for bringing down Flying balls. One of those would make anyone forget to ask a lot of questions."
"Will you tell us now?" Tosh asked softly Owen just shook his head in denial.
"Gwen while you're finding a traitor, find us a companion for Martha, someone reliable, big and strong" Gwen stared at him baffled "Someone who can do something if our traitor goes on murder spree rather than delivering information. We're too recognizable."
"Good thinking" she nodded.
"That's all settled now" Owen stood up taking files "but how will we make that Martha girl trust us when she calls, we could be one of those traps that we're putting for the Master."
"That shouldn't be too hard" Ianto smiled "after all she has met Jack."
It took a month for Martha to call them. She was in North America by then and they had a prototype of a gun. On the radio they used their code names so when Ianto answered the phone it was with a `Tea boy` name.
"I've heard you've been looking for me. Why? What do you need?" her voice was a bit high pitched and she sounded young.
"It's more about what do you need to finish. We have an acquaintance in common. A certain Captain, he gave you a parting gift." Everyone stared at Ianto, Owen with his arms wrapped around him, standing with his legs spread apart, Tosh leaned against the wall, her hair in her eyes, Gwen crouched by the desk staring at the floor. "He sends his regards. And people rarely mind his hellos." Ianto smiled "At least until he says them to someone else."
There was a pause on the line after which came short laughter of relief "Indeed" she said "but it's luck really, I don't know what I would do if he didn't say it to that blue girl right after me, she didn't mind either."
"No one ever does" Ianto smiled fondly picturing Jack flirting away.
"Enough of that" Owen snapped and took radio out of Ianto's grip. "We have a package, story and address you need to visit when you get home." He said concisely.
"Who's that?" Martha was confused.
"Grumpy" he grunted.
"It suits you just fine" she answered. "Got to go now, I'll be in touch." With that she was gone.
They look at each other.
"Really Ianto, 'hello' was your big plan in gaining trust?" Owen couldn't let it go.
"It worked" Ianto shrugged his shoulders.
"Admit it" Tosh sighed "it's true, even you didn't mind it. What would I give to see just one more `Hello, I'm Captain Jack Harkness` then I would know the world was fun again."
"It will be" Gwen stood up "I have a chaperon for our Martha; she should thank me for this one."
"Traitor?" Ianto turned to her.
"I have few leads, it's a trickier one. We need to be sure. I have favourite, she would go well with our Flying Ball stunt." She looked weary from the job, and Ianto couldn't blame her.
"Keep me posted, anyone for a coffee" of course everyone was.
I felt Martha's cover story needs explaining, and think it fits into our characters abilities.