Ghosts [RP]

[the_coffee_god]

Who: Ianto Jones, Captain Jack Harkness
When: Some time before Blackest Night storyline (Not Quite There AU)
Where: Torchwood Cardiff
Rating: PG-13 (language)
Thread is Closed.


They cut the power. Damn. Never a good thing at the best of times, even worse when we have a Hub full of Rashhokans who consider pitch black corridors to be the local equivalent of the takeaway shop. They’re probably placing their orders with the group matriarch right now.

Reminder to self: Don’t piss off the power company when you’re doing maintenance on the backup generators.

Fumbling in my pocket for my iPod—this process would probably be easier if I switched my gun to my left hand but when you start working for Torchwood logic’s the first thing to take a hit—I finally pull the thing out and unlock it, the shiick echoing sharply off the old Victorian brickwork that makes up this part of the Hub. Quickly pulling up the flashlight app and picking out the brightest one I can find, momentarily blinding myself in the process, I hold the thing out at arms length and turn in a complete circle to make sure nothing—including Jack—is sneaking up on me. When I’m certain there’s nothing out there, I continue on my way down to the archives; one hand holding the iPod so I can keep from tripping up on the uneven floor, the other holding the gun over the top edge of the iPod. After a few steps, I’m convinced something’s going to jump out of the dark behind me and sink their claws into my back while they rip me open with their teeth. Mind you, Rashhokans have about as many claws as a worn out teddy bear and they have a big sucking orifice instead of a mouth with teeth but the results would still be the same-- with me a big bloody smear on the floor.

Just like Lisa.

Ah, why did I have to think of that now?

All that blood. All my fault. I can hear the echoes of the gunshots that took her down when I’m alone in these corridors. Couldn’t do it myself, no; couldn’t shoot her myself even though Jack was right—it wasn’t Lisa anymore. Couldn’t put her out of her misery even when the body she was in wasn’t even her own, it was one she had stolen.

Why didn’t I just let her go after I found out what the Cybermen had done to her? She wouldn’t have survived if I hadn’t hooked her up to that damn machine; the same machine that they’d used to destroy her in the first place. But no, you had to keep her alive, had to put her through all that agony and for what? So you didn’t have to say goodbye? Is that why you’re with Jack now? Because you’ll never have to do that with him?

No, you know that’s a lie. Your whole life has been a lie though, hasn’t it? You lied to yourself, you lied to Jack, you lied to Lisa…

Oh God, so much blood… there was so much blood. All my fault. Why?

God, why did I try and save her?


Inspired by the early May parlour_treats prompt 3c. They cut the power. Ripley, Aliens

Comments

[cjharkness]

“Ianto?” Jack knew Ianto had been heading down to the archives when the lights had gone out; but when he hadn’t come back up when the backups had kicked in after some creative swearing and random button pushing, a few bad scenarios started crossing through Jack’s mind. The scenarios only got worse when Ianto failed to answer his comm. After telling everyone to stay in the upper levels of the Hub—not a difficult order for them to follow since it was going to take all of them to get the Rashhokans back in their cells— Jack grabbed a flashlight just in case the backup decided it was going to take a nap and headed down to the archives.

When he reached the halfway point, Jack stopped when he spotted someone huddled on the floor with his back pressed against the wall. He couldn’t quite see the man’s face but the suit he was wearing was Ianto’s; down here this deep in the Hub though, you could never be sure what you were seeing was what it appeared to be. “Ianto? You all right?”

[the_coffee_god]

Jack’s voice startles me out of my thoughts and I’m surprised to see the lights are on. When did that happen?

“Yeah, sorry.” When I swipe a hand over my face, I find I’ve been crying. That’s going to be a problem. After scrubbing my face dry with my sleeve I look up and see Jack holding out a hand to help me up; a concerned look on his face. Great, there’s going to be questions I don’t want to answer. Turning away, I reach out and let Jack pull me upright.

After taking a moment to pocket the iPod and put the gun away, I brush off my suit and say. “I was just...” Letting my voice drift off, I look up at the ceiling then swallow the pain away and look Jack in the face.

“Lots of ghosts down here, you know?” I say in a voice that’s a little shakier than I’d hoped.

[cjharkness]

Ianto’s words brought a sad smile to Jack’s lips. “Yeah, I do.” Wrapping an arm around Ianto, Jack gave him a hug. There was a little resistance at first and Ianto’s gaze immediately dropped away, but after a quiet sigh he leaned into the hug. Jack kissed the top of Ianto’s head then let go when he felt Ianto straightening up.

There was a haunted look on Ianto’s face as he stared at the floor for a few seconds; then Jack watched him slip on the mask of Jones, Ianto Jones—son of a master tailor and unflappable Torchwood agent. Jack had always known Ianto wasn’t the son of a master tailor, and now most of the team did too after the incident with the 456; and though Ianto took most of the weirdness that was Torchwood in stride Jack has seen enough of the man under that mask to know that it too was a bit of a lie. But sometimes a person needed such lies to make it through the day. Hell, he should know— he’s been trying to live up to the name Captain Jack Harkness ever since he had borrowed it back when he had been running a scam during World War II. He would have been a hypocrite to call Ianto out on his lie.

Once Ianto had put a little distance between them, Jack crossed his arms to keep from reaching out to Ianto and decided to change the subject somewhat. “Got a text from the power company,” he said. “Quote, ‘We have the power…you need the power. So sad, too bad. Sucks to be you.’ Care to explain?”

[the_coffee_god]

Hell.

“They raised my rates. When I opened the bill I used the phone in the shop and well, words were exchanged.” I can just see Jack raising an eyebrow as I spin around and start marching back to the upper sections of the Hub as I admit, “They tracked the number while we were discussing things and they figured out where I was calling from.”

[cjharkness]

Jack blinked then laughed before jogging after Ianto. Falling into step, Jack said, “Yeah, they do tend to get a little pissed off when they realize Torchwood’s calling. At least this time we weren’t calling to tell them we were about to crash the gird again to save the world. I’ll give them a call and try and smooth things over. Try being the operative word there.”

[the_coffee_god]

“Thanks.” We walk the rest of the way in silence and even though the corridor’s wide enough for four people to walk side by side, Jack moves close enough to brush again me. I’m surprised at how well that minor touch helps me push those final bloody memories of Lisa I have to the back of my mind. The next time Jack’s hand comes close to mine; I catch it and entwine my fingers with his. I can see a grin appear on Jack’s face in my peripheral vision and he gives my hand a squeeze as he bumps against me. This, I know, is not a lie.

I smile back.