1

"So, Mister Jones. Can you tell us in your own words… what transpired on the day of your flight, from the first sign of turbulence to the plane's destruction? As best you can."

Ianto sighed as he rubbed his face, knowing this was gong to be awkward not to be too long winded. He also told himself not to rant. Speak plain, stick to the facts… get out.

"Gwen, the Welsh woman was complaining about the sandwich selection. I swapped the Chicken one I had just accepted for peace's sake."

"So, you already knew Ms Cooper?"

"No. No, we might both be Welsh but that is like asking if I know the nearest spot to find a dragon. No. Not all Welsh know one another. I just recognised the accent." Ianto snorted softly. He could see where this was going and wondered if the others were subjected to this same line of questioning. Seems he was one of the last to be interviewed today.

"And then?" the other interrogator… ah… investigator asked, glaring at his partner for asking stupid questions.

"Right. I drifted off the sleep and was woken by the first real slam. It was like… freefall." Ianto explained "Then another sharp slam sideways, like something was shaking us. King Kong had us in his grasp, ya know? Then things settled and the Fasten Seatbelt sign pinged off so I headed to the loo."

"And when you returned to your seat?"

"Suzie… the flight attendant was getting the drinks cart out and Doctor Harper… no I did not know his name then or have a prior relationship with him… and I shared a look as we secured our carry-on bags in case the turbulence started again. Gwen was a bit tipsy now, complaining and argumentative. Suzie kept telling her to calm down and she couldn't have any more alcohol as per regulations. She was getting loud. Her fella… Rhys… told her to cut it out."

They both nodded clearly knowing all about Gwen's voice and it's habit of getting loud. He hid his amusement and continued "Suzie was handing out bottles of water. I took some. The couple siting in front of me had a little toddler, Dylan. He was holding my hand though the seats playing when the entire plane just… well… dropped. The baby flew in midair, and I caught him, buttoned him up in the jacket so I didn't loose a hold. Suzie was flying past, the captain… Jack… he was sitting behind us further back deadheading in a spare seat seized her and she straddled him and clung to him, he to her. The noise was deafening. Screaming, twisting metal and vomiting… from the smell clearly someone shit themselves and it was not the small child… no… this was it."

Ianto stopped talking, feeling the vomit in the back of his throat at the memory of all those souls lost, taking a deep breath and then he said softly "The plane hit the water like a freight train, going too fast, hitting wet concrete… and it went under the waves, even as the wings tore off and the explosion tore through the fuselage, the plane splitting in two and both sections waving bye bye to one another."

"You were seated behind the wing? You saw the water and the tearing away?"

"Yeah. I was in the back half of the plane that is still floating at this stage… well… OK… sinking slowly. The captain took control. He and Suzie ushered us towards the exits. They got the door open, the ramp deployed, and we were suddenly out."

"How many of you were on the slide raft?"

"Suzie. Gwen. Rhys. Owen. Toshiko. Ken and Barbie. The man who had been next to Toshiko at the window, Mark. Dylan, Jack and me."

"Right. And at some point, you split into two groups?"

"Yes" Ianto nodded "Gwen and Rhys, Suzie, Ken and Babie, Mark and little Dylan were in one raft. Me, Jack, Toshiko and Owen in another raft."

"Why so many in one, not more evenly placed?"

"Barbie felt safer with Gwen and Suzie. Jack and Suzie said one company representative per raft so… Ken and Barbie stuck to the raft with Rhys and Gwen. Gwen had taken over care of Dylan."

One of them nodded then asked "Mark? Why not take him in yours? Was that his decision or yours?"

"Was known to me. He was only on the flight to stalk me. My dead wife's ashes were with me, he was trying to take them for her family. I did not want him anywhere near me. Everyone agreed we had to be in separate rafts." Ianto shrugged. "There was no violence, no real animosity really. We just… didn't want to be near one another.

"So…. Last you saw of the raft, everyone was still alive" one of them muttered, scribbling on the pad. "And you had no reason to harm him."

"No. I saw Ken and Barbie get pushed out of the raft and I found Barbie in the surf next morning after I had found myself on the shore. Ken's body with her." Ianto shrugged.

"And Mark?"

"Last I saw of him, I was in their camp with a big arsed spear being all tough and threatening, I collected the baby because Gwen was sick of him. Mark was there telling me he was going spear fishing in the rockpool." Ianto supplied "Andy… he surprised me later on in the piece. He told me about his raft arriving and being chased off his things by Mark and the others. Andy saw him much later than me… I did hear him but Andy sighted him that day."

"Right. Andy…. Right" one of them muttered, flicking though papers "Right. Heddlu Officer… yeah. He said Mark was with Gwen and Suzie… the two women fighting over him… catfight he called it."

"Well… it was Gwen who pushed Ken and Barbie out during the storm. I saw her clearly doing it and Babie told us afterwards about that too."

He sat back sure they wanted to know about Ken dying and Gwen's involvement so he was not prepared for their next question about that night in the water.

"So… you want us to believe you did not push Mark off the cliff while he was pig hunting?"

Ianto felt himself go cold.

What?

"What?"