4
A rare and steady rain begins to fall.
Located in the very heart of downtown Los Angeles, the two bedroom, one-bathroom hovel is unceremoniously located amidst industrial buildings on the verge of ruin.
Standing over the stove, Lupita Martin -early twenties, petite, weary, beautiful if ever she caught up on sleep- rips open two cups of dried ramen noodles. Once the water boils, she turns off the gas, takes the pot, and fills the Styrofoam bowls up to the appropriate line.
Behind a closed door, we hear a toilet flush -followed by the running of water in the sink- before the door opens and Luis Martin -early twenties, thin, poor man's goatee, just as tired as his wife- exits, stifling a yawn.
Luis heads towards the kitchen, pausing to glance through an open doorway to a room beyond, before entering the kitchen-where he kisses her on the back of the neck. She offers the best smile that she can before motioning towards their small table.
Luis says in Spanish "Smells good."
Lupita checks her watch -as in Ianto's watch- before placing a plate of food down before him. She relies "You've gotta' go soon."
Behind her, we see Ianto -like the goddamned boogeyman- standing at the end of the long hallway beyond, a living silhouette, light reflecting ominously off of his aviators, the gun held tight in his hand with knuckles white.
A long beat... and Ianto -both tense and relaxed at the same time, a feral cat ready to strike- moves forward, silent and calm.
Luis is complaining "These double shifts are killing me."
She sighs "Me, too."
He treads softly, moving slowly, but then hesitates to glance down at the stack of mail upon the entry table. All we see are MEDICAL BILLS and PAST NOTICE STATEMENTS. Ianto glimpses through the open doorway which Luis had paused at before. Their one-year-old son -his chest heavily bandaged, a mask feeding him oxygen- lays in his crib, struggling to breathe.
Ianto lowers his face, understanding now, deflating for a moment before "returning to character".
Lupita is still talking in Spanish "We're gonna' make it, right?"
Luis reaches across to squeeze her hand. "Baby, I promise you, I..."
Lupita trails off with eyes wide, mouth agape... ...as Ianto presses the barrel of his pistol against the back of Luis' head, the man reacting in horror as anyone would.
Lupita splutters in Spanish "Please, we don't have…"
Ianto pulls back the hammer with a deafening CLICK, plummeting the room into silence.
Ianto growls in fluent in Spanish "I speak... and you listen."
A long beat... as Ianto takes a deep breath, holds it, and exhales, centering himself as he lowers the hammer, his point made. Lupita's eyes water as she swallows hard while Luis clenches his eyes shut.
"Do you know why I am here?"
Luis and Lupita share an "oh shit" look.
Ianto continues in Spanish "Because I am a good man. A family man. And most importantly, a man who did not deserve... We see a glimpse of feral rage in Ianto's eyes. ...your gun... in his face."
A moment of silence relished by Ianto and anguished over by the Martins.
"Now..." Ianto growls "...the watch."
With a fumbling hand, Lupita removes the watch from her own wrist, and hands it to Ianto who slips it into his pocket.
"And the kitty-cat bracelet. "
"The... what?"
With a burst of sudden rage, Ianto drives the barrel of the pistol into the back of Luis' head, pulling back the hammer as he shoves Luis face first down upon the table as Lupita lets out a stifled cry.
"Give me... the goddamned... kittycat bracelet... MOTHER... FUCKER." This is the only time we see Ianto lose "almost and completely" lose his temper.
Luis swallows hard, then "I don't know what you're talking about, man. I really don't."
A long beat... and we hear the baby in the other room begin to cry.
As Lupita weeps and Luis trembles, waiting for the bullet, Ianto... lowers the weapon. Ianto reaches into his pocket, removes the wad of cash, and tosses it down onto the table.
.
.
Dejected, Ianto slowly trudges through the expanding puddles, oblivious to the rain. Suddenly exhausted, he stumbles, catching himself against the wall. As he moves to steady himself... his hands become fists as -with an anguished cry- he punches the aluminum-siding façade until he draws back, his knuckles cracked and bleeding.
A beat... and Ianto pulls the watch from his pocket, studies for a moment, and then hurls it at the wall before trudging off screen. A long beat... and he returns, dropping to a knee to retrieve it. As he straps it to his wrist, he trudges off into the night.
.
.
Ianto slows to lean against the bus stop, staring off into nothing. A long beat... and the bus slows to a stop before him. The doors open, and Ianto steps -to stare through Dona -fifties, black, rotund, hard but quick to smile- who says little as he taps his Metro Card to gain entry. Ianto offers a silent, half-hearted wave before making his way down the aisle.
He passes a young woman who offers him a half-smile before returning to lean her forehead against the glass, infatuated by the rain, her soda can in hand with a bendy straw pressed between her lips. The only other passenger is a giant, CAPTAIN AMERICA-looking bodybuilder who sits with his face down, eyes locked upon the pages of a dog-eared, paperback edition of THE STRANGER by Albert Camus.
Ianto sinks down to sit in the middle of the row in the very rear. As we we hear the roar of a powerful vehicle as its headlights wash over the bus, soaring past, swerving erratically to crash in front of it, the driver slamming on the breaks.
Through the front windshield, we see the drunken silhouettes of the vehicle's inhabitants emerge from the totaled vehicle...and flag down the bus as they approach.
Donna glances to her right with a worried gaze, hesitates, but then reaches over to pull back the lever to open the door... Five, drunken Goons -Russians, each wearing overpriced suits, silk shirts, and no ties- followed by their apparent alpha, one Teddy Saxon - tall, thick, broad-shouldered, and thin skinned- who tosses a couple of bills at Donna to serve as their fare.
Ianto watches them as they continue to stand, laugh, and strike each other's shoulder, all drunk off of whatever they had been drinking and the testosterone pumping through their veins. Teddy begins to hit on a young woman... while his boys egg him -and one another- on.
When she shoves aside Teddy's hand and stands to move, he grabs her -hard- and shoves her back down. Teddy has a knife in hand. He turns to scream something at the driver... who at first ignores him... until his goons each produce blades of their own.
As Ianto witnesses this unexpected turn of events, his dour expression slowly evolves into one of pure Zen. Defeated, Donna pulls the bus over to the side of the road. Surprisingly to everyone but Ianto, the Bodybuilder is the first one to flee the scene... with the others soon following.
With only Ianto and the driver remaining, Teddy sneers back at Ianto... who stands. As he moves down the aisle, he sidles past the goons-and casts a glance at the horrified, pleading expression of the young woman- -before reaching the front of the bus.
Ianto sees that Donna has her cell phone in hand, looking to call 9-1-1... but Ianto shakes his head, something in his gaze convincing her to end the call.
Donna stands, eyes down, and walks off.
Ianto takes a step down, pauses-and then -to our surprise- takes a step back up, reaching over-to pull the lever, closing the doors... as Ianto, without looking up at it, drives a fist back to break the bus's security camera.
Ianto chuckles "The universe, man. It's gotta' unique way a' payin' out what's owed."
Standing in the very rear of the bus, Teddy looks amused while his men share a confused expression.
"Y' know..." Ianto takes off his watch, and tosses it down onto the driver's seat.
"I thought I'd finally have some satisfaction tonight..." Ianto reaches behind his back "...but it was not to be..."
He removes the pistol with eyes growing wide. Ianto smirks "...so this... this'll have to do. (smirks) And yeah, I'm thinking this... (Ianto pulls back the slide to catch the ejected round.) ...is what I've been waiting for. "
Lead Goon grins "You and me both, friend."
Ianto slides out the magazine, pressing the bullet down to fill it out.
"This..." Ianto places the weapon and the magazine down onto the driver's seat before turning to face them. "...is just what I need."
A beat... and Teddy laughs. "And I agree, you crazy fuck! Boys?"
On cue, the goons surge into Ianto as one.
(Note: Ianto is always reactive when he fights, never the one to make the first move.)
When he first engages them, Ianto is unsure and a tad bit awkward. But with each movement -much like an old machine coming back to life- he finds his tempo and rhythm. To the lead goon's surprise, Ianto moves swiftly still into him, ignoring the man's blade -which slices through his cheek- as he proceeds to shatter the man's left knee... and both arms... before kicking in his sternum... and breaking his jaw as he knocks him down. The goons freeze as Teddy's eyes grow wide... as Ianto continues to pummel the center of the unconscious goon's face when suddenly Ianto snarls "STOP!"
He freezes... and stands... ...to face the others.
Ianto reaches up to touch the fresh wound on his face with a frustrated sigh. Ianto mutters to himself "Rusty, man. Rusty."
"Dude... just... FUCKING KILL HIM!" Teddy screams.
We watch in sheer and absolute amazement as Ianto proves himself to be a force of nature. He does not kill these men but instead wounds them to the point of perhaps desiring death. With half of their number decimated, Ianto pulls back.
"We can stop here.." Ianto takes a beat, then "Or continue on."
"Your call." He adds.
A beat... and the remaining men surge into Ianto who counters their every move before delivering a pain unlike any of them had ever known. At one point, his jacket is sliced, causing his Metro Card to drop down onto the floor.
With each one down, Ianto seems to come into his own, his methods, means, and motions precise... until it is just Ianto and Teddy who -albeit a bit nervous- keeps his game face intact.
"And a guy like you takes the bus?" Teddy asks, now a little nervous.
"What can I say? I like the company I keep."
A beat... and Teddy lunges into him with his blade. Maybe tapping a bit too deeply into the memories of old, Ianto catches Teddy's outstretched arm, snaps his wrist, twists his arm to shatter, kicks in his leg, and drives a fist into his throat, crushing it.
As Teddy sinks, choking to the ground, Ianto takes pause, running his fingers through his hair. "...fuck... "
Ianto reaches over, plucks the bendy straw from the young woman's soda can, retrieves a blade, punctures a hole in the man's trachea, and inserts the straw, making for an improvised tracheotomy. He stands, wiping the blood off on his pants.
He speaks to the young woman "Are you ok"
She nods, unable to find the words.
"Good." Ianto makes his way to the front of the bus where he collects his watch and father's pistol from the seat. He tucks it into the back of his pants before pulling back the lever to open the door.
Standing down below, Donna (the bus driver) is grinning from ear to ear. "Dude, that was... fan... fucking... tastic!"
Ianto shrugs sheepishly "Thanks."
Ianto exits the bus and walks off, a thin smile spreading, a weight seemingly lifted.