Treachery part 20/?

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TITLE:  Ace Up the Sleeve (Part 20 of the Treachery Series)
RATING:  PG-13
WARNING:   None
CHARACTERS:  John (Ianto), Tosh, Owen, Jack, Gwen,
DISCLAIMER:  Not mine; Aunty B's and RTD's
WORDS: ~ 1330
SUMMARY: The teams plans its defense, Jack begins to realize what he's done.

Treachery (Part 1) here:  http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/49816.html 
All chapters are linked.

 

It was quiet in the Hub now.  No chance of anyone going home but after almost twenty-four hours without a break, Jack ordered everyone to bunk down for four hours.

 

Tosh had already dozed off twice at her computer so she headed over to the ratty sofa with little fuss. Owen had claimed that he felt fine, but after grumbling for a bit he found a quiet spot in the conference room and put his head down on the table. Gwen curled up in an overstuffed chair in no better condition than the couch and was snoring within five minutes.

 

Jack stood vigil in the medical bay watching over Ianto. As he studied the sleeping man his mind drifted back to when Ianto first joined the Hub. He remembered his attraction to him and how they flirted back and forth never really getting anywhere. And then there was the betrayal, Jack’s discovery and Ianto’s defiance and finally the anger that burst forth from Jack like a volcano long held in check and overdue for an eruption.

 

“He betrayed me, he betrayed the team,” he remembered rationalizing.  A little more thought and he’d recalled what Owen had said. “He’s probably in shock; he might not even know what he’s saying.”

 

It seemed so long ago. Did he really think that UNIT wouldn’t hurt Ianto? Truth was he couldn’t remember.  It in the end did it matter? Because no matter how he tried to justify his actions, he knew that he was ultimately responsible for what happened to Ianto. There were other choices. He could have retconned Ianto, or kept him on or he really didn’t know, but something else. Anything but this.

 

John’s eyes opened. He blinked to clear his vision and saw a man with blue eyes staring at him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a little niggling thought of ‘beware’ was itching at his brain. But the man was a stranger and he no sense of fear or anger or any other emotion.

 

“How are you feeling, Ianto.”  John’s eyes narrowed in confusion. Was this man speaking to him?  If he wasn’t, who else could he be speaking to?

 

Jack saw his confusion. “John, your name is John right.” John gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head.

 

“Do you know me John, do you remember me?”

 

He looked familiar but was this a dream? He had dreamt of a place like this before, metal and dripping water and concrete. And a man, a man with blue eyes and a coat. But that wasn’t real, so he must not be awake.

 

“Who are you,” he croaked out.

 

Jack helped him to sit up and gave him a sip of water. “My name is Captain Jack Harkness.”

 

John startled at the name. He knew he had an important assignment concerning this man. Before he could stop himself he spoke. “I’m supposed to kill you, I think.”

 

Jack snorted. “Well, I think we can take that off your to-do list. Are you sure you don’t know me from earlier in your life?” Ianto shook his head ‘no.’ The dream, after all, didn’t count.

 

John was genuinely puzzled by Jack’s question. “How would I know you? I don’t think we went to school together, did we?”

 

Jack snorted. “No, nothing like that, but we used to work together.”

 

John studied him carefully.  “I’ve held a lot of odd jobs in my life.  I’m sorry I don’t remember you at all.

 

If Ianto had railed at him or tried to kill him, Jack could have dealt with it. But Ianto’s total lack of emotion and recognition at seeing Jack shook him to the core. Jack’s guilt sat heavy on his heart. There was no way to apologize or put things right. No way to clear the air or ask for forgiveness.  This terrified Jack. Not being able to settle this with Ianto meant that Jack was going to have to live with the guilt for the rest of his life. And in Jack’s case that meant eternity.

 

Jack reached out and put his hands on John’s shoulders. “Please Ianto, you have to know me, we need to talk.”

 

The desperation in Jack’s voice frightened John jarring him back to his own version of reality. He pushed back Jack as best he could. “Get away from me, where’s Carlos?” “Damn you, where is my Carlos?”

 

“Just take it easy. I’m not going to hurt you, but I need to talk to you.”

 

John tried to sit up and cried out as hot pain ran through his head.

 

Owen was woken by a signal from a remote monitor of Ianto's vitals he had set up in the conference room before he went to sleep. As he stepped out into the main area of the Hub, he heard the commotion and ran down into the medical bay.

 

“Oi, get away from him Harkness, haven’t you done enough damage already.”

 

“Owen, I have to…”

 

“Get out of this medical bay, Jack. Now,” Owen ordered. When Jack refused to budge, Owen grabbed him and attempted to drag him out of the area.

 

Gwen was awake by now and ran down to help. “Jack, come on Jack. Let’s go upstairs to your office, ok. We’ll sit down and talk, you and me.”

 

Somehow Gwen’s words penetrated Jack’s focus on Ianto and he reluctantly acquiesced. John nervously watched him leave. Owen tried to get Ianto to lie down but he was resistant and Owen didn’t want to upset him further. He propped a few pillows behind Ianto’s back and helped him sit up on the small bed they had moved into the medical bay.

 

“There you go, easy now. Sorry he barged in here,” Owen said.

 

“Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on? Am I a prisoner? Where’s Carlos?”

 

Owen didn’t know what, if anything he should stay. He didn’t want to leave Ianto in a confused and anxious state, but he wasn’t sure telling him things that he would be unable to process was going to be helpful.

 

“Let me get a colleague to join us and maybe we can explain.”

 

Tosh joined them after being commed by Owen. She was still sleepy, and though she had thought about what she might say to Ianto if they were ever reunited, she found herself struggling to communicate.

 

“What I’m going to tell you is true. You may not remember it or believe it, but it’s the truth. A lot of it doesn’t speak well for us, or for you really.” She took a deep breath and continued. “You already know that we are an organization called Torchwood.  What you don’t know is that some years ago, you were part of this organization. You had a different name; your real name is Ianto.  My name is Tosh and I was your friend…”

 

***

 

Jack groaned after watching Gwen leave his office. He’d messed up so badly. He had tried to be a better person, one the Doctor would be proud of, but he had failed miserably. He was pretty sure that the Doctor would have terminated Lisa, although by less violent means, but he never would have harmed someone like Ianto. He wallowed in a ‘how am I going to make this right’ stupor for a bit and then realized he couldn’t afford to waste any more time on self pity. If he didn’t get the team through the next forty-eight hours, he’d have a lot more to make right than just Ianto.

 

Damn it! He was still Jack Harkness, former Time Agent, and intergalactic criminal. He hadn’t been deemed the best conman in ten solar systems for nothing.  And while he might be a bit out of practice, he still had a few aces up his sleeve.

 

Jack closed his eyes and prayed for strength to every deity he had come across in his long life. If his plan didn’t work, within the next two days, Torchwood would cease to exist. Time to make some calls. He hesitated and then picked up the phone.

 

“Good morning Brigadier, I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

Chapter 21 here:  http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/102220.html