9
TOOL AND DIE SHOP - MORNING
As the secretary approaches the double doors, she slows... ...to find them bound by Yellow Tape. There is a notice taped to the glass.
"Apologies on the late notice, but the building has experienced some electrical problems. It will remain closed until the issue is addressed. Until then, you will receive your normal pay so enjoy some well deserved off time. Sincerely, The Management."
Watching from the window, Ianto glances over at the short wave radio crackle with static.
"Ianto. You there?" Mickey asks … a beat, then "Ianto, come on, man."
Ianto flicks a switch. "Hey."
"Dude." Mickey barks "Abe knows you're alive."
Ianto mutters, amused "Gotta' love the timing."
"And if he's good with the math, and I am sure that he is, he'll put two and two together and figure out that I'm of the 'still breathing persuasion' as well."
Ianto stops him, interrupting "I'm finishing what I started, so I'll cross that bridge when I reach it."
"Listen, dude, you can't just go it the fuck alone! You'll…"
Ianto abruptly turns off the radio, runs his fingers through his hair, and stretches with a groan.
.
.
Ianto is building a number of booby traps throughout the building. The first one takes the most time in the lobby: a complex array of pressurized tubes filled with re-bar. In essence, Ianto has created a "kill box" upon entry in the hopes of inflicting multiple casualties.
Elsewhere, Ianto wires a detonator to a series of four oil drums resting upon a metal pallet.
.
.
Somewhere high tech and heavily fortified a guard paces, unnerved at the final minutes of a soccer game playing out on one of the dozen monitors situated on the wall before him.
He glances at one... to find Ianto standing alongside the four oil drums in a service elevator. The guard averts his gaze just as the feed scrambles momentarily, but then glances back... to find the elevator now EMPTY.
As the other team scores, the guard reacts with a defeated sigh and as the opening chords of yet another song by Sammy begins to play,
Saxon walks out on stage to rapturous applause, relishing the moment. He takes a deep breath, but before the first words of the song can escape his lips, he pauses... at the sight of Ianto sitting at a small table out in the audience with his eyes down, focused upon the meal resting before him. A beat... and Saxon drops the microphone, steps down off of the stage, and strides over to take a seat across from Ianto with his men surrounding them.
The other patrons look on, more than a bit perplexed as the song continues to play. For the first time it is apparent that he lip-syncs.
"Mr. Harkness-Jones... Good evening."
"Hey."
"Enjoying your meal?"
"I am" Ianto nods.
"And the show?"
Ianto shrugs "Meh."
"What? You don't like my man, Sammy?" Saxon seems genuinely shocked.
"I just prefer Joey, is all."
"Huh. Now, that... is new." Saxon grins "And then, call me curious, but what - pray tell- might be your thoughts on art?"
Ianto shrugs "If it's not Rockwell, I'm not interested."
Saxon is bristling, then "You have... some nerve... to be here... like this."
"I guess. I mean, on the one hand, y'know, there's this long dormant piece of me now waking that wants so very badly- to play this out" Ianto calmly reaches into the Shoe Box upon his lap to remove a Claymore Mine, placing on the table between them so that Saxon may see the words "FRONT TOWARD ENEMY"
"...Jesus..." Saxon gasps as Ianto holds the detonator in hand.
"Maybe see what you can do." Ianto shrugs "Maybe see what I can handle. On the other hand, though, the more reasonable piece of me -what's left of it, that is- would like to end this little tete-a-tete right here and now. What's done is done. I mean, hell... we can both rebuild, right?"
Saxon is thinking " Right. Wait... rebuild?"
Ianto responds to this with a somewhat impish shrug.
Saxon's face falls. He whispers in Russian, "My paintings. (in English) What about my paintings?"
"What floor were they on, again?"
"Third."
Ianto opens his mouth to say something, but decides otherwise, choosing instead to lower his eyes with a shake of his head. Silence... as Saxon sits back in his chair, blood drained from his face, at a complete and utter loss.
Which doesn't exactly make us even, I know, but..." Ianto stands "...you did come to my house."
Ianto takes the claymore as he motions "And you know you don't do that."
He tucks it into the back of his pants -beneath his jacket, still facing Saxon- as he calmly walks to exit the building, the door swinging shut behind him.
.
.
As a couple of busboys smoke out front, one of them places a fresh cigarette between his lips-which Ianto plucks from them to place between his own, unlit. Ianto crosses the street and enters the Maserari which he again hot-wires to life.
(Note: We notice the Monet resting in the at the foot of passenger's side seat.)
His fingers remain in place, and actually look to be crossed, as Ianto looks to be hoping against hope... as we wait with him for a long beat... until Saxon furiously emerges from the supper club, motioning for his men to take chase.
Ianto can't help but to allow himself a smile as he shifts into gear, pressing down the gas pedal. The Maserati roars off with Saxon and his men clamoring and the Maserati screams away.
Ianto drives with eyes set upon the road, fingers relaxed upon the wheel. A beat... and he glances over to find an open, 8-Track Tape Holder encased in pleather resting on the seat beside him. He selects a tape, places into the dash, and presses play.
Ianto seems to relax even more as we see the thin semblance of a smile cross his lips.
The convoy consisting of Saxon's crew -three cars in total- chews up the pavement as they continue in their pursuit of Ianto. Every muscle in Saxon's body is tense his eyes wild and teeth set as he sits in silence, anticipation mounting.
.
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A long beat... and the Maserati arrives at the Tool and Die shop.
Ianto hesitates, noticing something, and turns the wheel to park in the owner's spot. Ianto exits with the claymore in one hand and the painting in hand... just as Saxon's car -and two others- surges towards him...joined by the deafening ROAR of his burgeoning convoy.
Ianto has not expected this and moves faster towards the building. As Ianto runs towards the doors Saxon aims at him from his open window as his vehicle turns to skid. He fires-the round cleanly ripping through the flesh of Ianto's left shoulder.
He stumbles to fall, catching himself against the painting, the claymore -along with his keys- clattering to the ground.
As Saxon aims to deliver the killing shot-THOOM!- a sniper round strikes his driver between the eyes, exiting to rip off Saxon's ear.
Suddenly, as pieces of glass fall all around Ianto, the doors of the building behind him swing outward-before Ifan-who fires a sawed-off, lever-action, ten-gauge shotgun with lightning swift speed and ungodly accuracy.
Silence... a beat... and Ifan offers Ianto his hand.
Ianto sighs with a half-smile "Hey, Tad." and takes it to be pulled to his feet.
Ifan nods with a growl. "Son."
Ianto grabs the claymore and Ifan the painting -and his keys-as they seek to take refuge in the building. Just when it seems to look like they are not going to make it- sniper fire continues to erupt from the top floor of the Tool & Die Shop. Three rounds find their marks in quick succession, sending gunman flying, dead before they hit the ground.
"Is that...?" Ianto asks.
Ifan shrugs "Who else?"
Standing before the window, Mickey -forties, black, average height, lean, thick hair, three-day beard, dark features, perpetual smirk, eyes always hidden behind tinted sun glasses- chews on an intimidating wad of gum as he takes aim.
(Note: Mickey mutters a sing-songy version of a classic, Christmas carol... but it is anything but joyful.)
"On December five and twenty..." A half-beat, and as his finger tenses upon the trigger, we see a tattoo upon his wrist of a single card - the rules of poker."Foom."
His bullet finds his mark.
As the others shift their fire upon his position, Mickey dives to the floor with a grin as the ceiling tiles are chewed by bullets overhead, the fragments raining down upon him like snow.
Pavel leans forward, tentatively. "Y'know, I think he led us here?"
Saxon presses a hand to the side of his head, blood seeping between his fingers. "OH, YOU THINK!?"
Ifan and Ianto enter with Ifan leaning the painting against the wall just inside and Ianto planting the claymore before turning to lock the door.
Leading the charge, Saxon -wielding a heavily-modified, AR-* 15 with double-drum clip- fires indiscriminately. As they move towards the counter, machine gun fire erupts from behind him, shattering glass.
Ianto leaps over counter and dives down behind it as Ifan calmly steps for cover behind a large column. As Ianto peers over the counter, Ifan removes a pistol from his lower back. Doing so, we see a tattoo of two playing cards Face Down upon his wrist. He slides the weapon across to Ianto who catches it, and performs a single-hand, chamber check before dropping as a second wave of gunfire chisels away at his position.
"Y'know..." Ifan reloads the shotgun one round at a time, without looking at his hands, the motion having become like muscle memory. "...I tried the retirement thing. I enjoyed it."
As Ifan talks, Ianto uses office supplies to tend to the wound upon his shoulder.
"Sleep in late, breakfast, walk around the quad, chess with Frank... lunch, nap, swim, cribbage with the girls, dinner... drinks with the boys, cigar alone, my shows, my shower, my bed. Rinse, wash, and repeat. (softly) Rinse, wash, and repeat. (softer still) Rinse, wash, and repeat. (softer still) ...enjoyed it..." A beat... and bullets eat away at Ifan's position, eliciting an exuberant laugh, his eyes bright. "But goddammit, Toto, if I didn't miss... this... shit!"
Like a man reborn, Ifan returns fire alongside Ianto... before pulling back to reload what few rounds remain. A long beat... and Saxon and his men approach. Once they all enter, searching, Ianto reaches over to grab the firing mechanism for the trap he spent so much time on... only for it to malfunction shorting out with a fizzle.
Saxon is laughing "IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT?!"
As if in response, Ianto fires -his round ripping off Saxon's other ear. As he drops to his knees, screaming far more from rage than from pain, Ianto drops back into the building as the others take chase.
Ianto, Ifan, and Mickey work together as a family reunited. While Ianto is sheer liquid motion... Ifan is calm stealth... and Mickey is pure and unadulterated chaos. The other booby traps work wonders... one of which dispatches of Albert in a truly brutal fashion... slowly carving away at Saxon's army... including Saxon himself who may or may not be dead.
Ianto ducks into the kitchen and as Pavel enters, firing, he swings open the fridge door to absorb three rounds. Pavel adjusts his aim and fires, just as Ianto opens the freezer door -to absorbs four round- to reach deep inside...to rip free the box of frozen vegan burritos. He pulls out the gun Gray forced upon him and strides into Pavel, firing, the man dead before he hits the ground.
Mickey and Ifan continue to move outward as they lay waste to Saxon's forces, working together to drive them back from the epicenter.
Seeking to join Ifan and Mickey, Ianto is suddenly shot in the back by Saxon.
Ianto drops hard, crawling for cover, as Saxon continues to fire, hitting Ianto in the leg and shoulder before his weapon empties. "Tell me the truth, Mr. Harkness-Jones."
Saxon tosses aside his weapon and produces a wicked looking blade. "you love Sammy, don't you?"
"Of course." Ianto replies on Saxon's look "I mean, as an actor."
Saxon snarls as he surges towards Ianto.
First, at some point, the air vent falls down to lean upwards at an odd angle.
Second, while Ianto intended to use the Claymore to kill Saxon directly, he is instead forced to face the explosive himself. Using a piece of thick, plate steel, Ianto takes the blast full on, causing the ball bearings which surge forth from it to ricochet into a "broken trap", causing it to impale Saxon.
Third, as Saxon lays dying, he does so facing the Monet painting. He dies with a chuckle and a smile.
With numerous police cars on fast approach, Mickey and Ifan help Ianto to his feet. They each share a look and a nod in silence. Ifan walks off in one direction -with Mickey heading off in another- leaving Ianto to face the front doors of the building where a glowing cascade of police lights multiply like glow bugs. Seemingly resigned to his fate, Ianto takes a few steps, and then pauses to kneel down next to the air vent... and retrieve a kitten. Now we know why he had to change the attack with the vent.
He tucks the kitten into his jacket pocket. He pauses to collect a can of tuna and an old-school opener from on top of the secretary's desk, stuffing them into his other pocket.
Ianto retrieves the painting -still leaning against the wall just inside the lobby- before exiting towards the police.
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INTERROGATION ROOM
Ianto, having just delivered his line from the beginning, leans back in his chair, reaching forward to stroke the back of the kitten as it dines. We pull back to see numerous FBI agents, detectives, and policemen facing him, all at a loss.
"That ain't much of an answer." An agent finally says.
"Trust me." Ianto says flatly.
Everyone's cell phone begins to ring in one accord.
"It's answer enough"
.
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We are at a camping ground. Typical summer holiday scene.
As Franklin cooks up some flapjacks with Gray squeezing oranges for juice, Ianto -bandaged up, but still looking a great deal worse for wear- clasps a hand on Gray's shoulder, eliciting a slight twinge of fear. "Sorry about before."
Gray is thoroughly intimidated "Yeah. Yeah, ok."
As Ianto moves to sit at the table with Jack, Alice, and Blake, Gray sighs to himself, relieved.
"Hey, dad?" Alice -wearing her Kitty Cat Bracelet- reaches down to lift Sparky the cat into her lap, stroking his back.
"Yeah?"
"Where you goin'?"
"On a trip" he replies, and then adds "A business trip."
"For how long?"
"I dunno." He shrugs, hesitates, then "Awhile, but... I'll be in touch."
Alice nods... and then takes off her Kitty Cat Bracelet and hands it to Ianto. "For luck. Keep it safe, ya' hear?"
"I hear."
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Later that day Ianto shakes the hands of both Franklin and Gray, their past drama now silently considered 'water under the bridge'. Hell, 'just call me Franklin' seems quite friendly these days.
Ianto says to Blake "Keep an eye on your Dad and sis, will ya'?"
"Ok, Tad." Blake nods, hesitates, then "Hey, Tad."
Ianto turns back and can see that Blake doesn't quite know what to ask, let alone say.
"I love you, too, kiddo." Ianto motions between them "We'll figure you and me out when I get back."
We can see that this is exactly what Blake needed to hear. Ianto leans down to pick up Alice, clutching her tight. Upon lowering her, Jack takes his hand and walks him towards the motor home. They walk in silence, but it is oddly comforting... reassuring.
Ianto hesitates, then "I don't know how long I'll be."
"I figured."
"You cool with that?"
"No. I am jealous as all hell. But if it gets us back to where we'd both like to be... "Jack smiles as he leans close and kisses him on the cheek. "...I'm good with it. It's nice to see the man i married again. I get it now. Sorry."
Ianto smiles, nods, and walks down to the street... just as a 1977, GMC Motor Home -painted yellow and orange- pulls up to the curb, its windows smoke-tinted. Ianto opens the passenger's side door, hesitates...and strides back towards Jack "We should probably…"
Jack is interrupting "Yeah."
Ianto reaches out to embrace him, kissing him long and hard.
Ianto enters the vehicle to find Ifan sitting behind the wheel. Ifan waits for Ianto to buckle his seatbelt before silently holding out his hand. Ianto reaches into his front pocket to produce the ZIPPO which he hands to Ifan who places it on the dash.
Ianto then reaches behind his back to slide free the Colt, offering it to his father. Ifan takes it, pulls back the slide, ejects the magazine, and inspects it. Satisfied, he locks everything back into place and slides it into the shoulder holster hidden beneath his jacket.
"So..."
Ianto glances into the rearview mirror to find Mickey surrounded by two dozen cellophane-wrapped bales of Saxon's cash along with dozens upon dozens of weapons, including magazines, accessories, and boxes of ammunition, making for a mobile armory/treasury.
In the very back, the Monet proudly hangs upon the wall, repaired with -of all things- duct tape.
Mickey asks "...think this'll be enough to buy out Abe's rage?"
"I don't know. But here's to hoping, Mickey. Oh, and..." Ianto removes his wrist-watch "Here."
He is offering it to Mickey whose eyes grow wide at the sight of item. He tries to say something, but the words won't come. "Ianto..."
Ifan is interrupting with a bark "Volume Two. Track two."
Ianto and Mickey share a look and a half-smile. All three of them have "Ali's Mixtape Collection" memorized. Ianto flips down the visor where CD are "Good choice. ..."
He selects one marked Ali's Mixtape Volume Two and inserts it into the CD player, selecting Track Two.
KC AND THE SUNSHINE BAND begins to play GIVE IT UP.
Mickey clasps the band of the watch around his wrist with a smile, relaxing visibly, seemingly at whole once again.
Ianto places Alice's Kitty Cat Bracelet onto his wrist, face down, to perfectly hide his tattoo. Ifan shifts into gear as the motor home drives off into the distance,
We….
FADE TO: BLACK