New chapter! Okay I'm not too satisfied with this one but I have to admit everything before now has just been set-up for the rest of the story. At the end of this the story can really get going. Hope you like!



Chapter 4

 

‘She’ll be alright,’ said Rhys sighing deeply. ‘Pierced a lung so she’ll be out of it for a while and they’ll keeping her under for quite some time yet, but she’s going to be fine.’

 

‘Good, good,’ mumbled Ianto. He had been outside the house when he heard the shot but got there too late. Owen had been taken. After that they had rushed to the hospital and Ianto waited for news on Gwen as he desperately tried to get hold of Jack, with an ever-sinking feeling.

 

‘What the hell happened there Ianto? Where my son? Who was that woman?’ Rhys asked in a state of panic.

 

‘She was after Jack. He had gone after her, maybe knows where she is but I can’t get through to him.’

 

‘She took my son Ianto! Tell me why?’ Ianto had never seen Rhys look so near the brink before and, unable to answer him truthfully, Ianto just stood and stared. ‘I need to do something Ianto, I’m feeling utterly useless here- as always. You have to tell me what’s going on.’

 

Ianto thumped his mobile in his palm and looked briefly into the room where Gwen lay unconscious. For the first time in his life he couldn’t seem to come up with a convincing cover story- not to Rhys, not this very moment. So, even if he felt that it wasn’t his place, even if he knew that it would make things much worse for him, Ianto signaled to Rhys to sit down before saying, ‘Okay, I’ll tell you everything.’

 

***

 

4306 years later

 

‘So this is the famous “Captain Jack Harkness,”’ smiled Penelope at Jack’s frozen figure. ‘Can he hear me?’

 

‘Yes, he can hear and see everything. He’s just unable to react,’ she was told by a doctor clad in white overalls.

 

‘Good,’ she muttered before leaning in, close to Jack’s face. ‘Hello Jack, it’s nice to see you again. Oh don’t worry you won’t recognize me, not yet. We’re very glad to have you here; you’re going to give us the key to a very important project. You are key to mankind achieving its most glorious hour. It’s a good, good thing you are with us- although you may not agree right now. Oh,’ she said, leaning so close that blue eyes could stare directly into another set of blue eyes and her long hair brushed against his chest. ‘And we’re so happy to have your son with us. After all every good plan needs a back up system.’ She lent back and smiled a crooked smile, as if pleased with her work.

 

‘Okay,’ she said turning to the doctor. ‘He’s all yours now. All yours.’

 

***

 

Ianto tracked his car down to a dilapidated building where he could smell the metallic stink of electricity. He was going after a psychopathic cop and the only person who knew where he was, was Rhys Williams. Well good old cautious Ianto seemed to have disappeared without trace. He straightened his tie before taking out his gun and pointing it to the ground. He dived around the door at speed. The Hub was lying on the ground at the far end of the room. Ianto rushed over to her, holstering his gun.

 

‘Be careful,’ came a voice from behind him. ‘The floor's been electrocuted just over there.’ Ianto spun round on his heels and found Captain John chained to a radiator, trying to pry himself away from it.  ‘Hello again Eyecandy.’ Ianto’s wondered about getting his gun out again but John looked pretty helpless in that position, which made Ianto feel slightly smug.

 

‘What happened to her? Where’s Jack?’

 

‘She’s been electrocuted. I’m sure I can fix her if you let me go,’ John replied, shaking the handcuffs.

 

‘Why would I do that? Nothing good has ever come of you being free to do as you like.’

 

‘Hmm,’ moaned John suggestively. ‘You enjoying a bit of power-play, eyecandy? Cause you’re right, very good things have come from me being chained up.’

 

‘Just tell me where Jack is,’ Ianto said, hands on hips.

 

‘If you unchain me then maybe I’ll consider it.’

 

Ianto looked around him and found the keys lying on a dry part of the ground. He considered them for a moment before picking the keys up and walking  over to John. As the handcuffs fell from John’s sore wrists Ianto put his hand to his gun, just to be sure.

 

‘Ah thank god,’ John sighed, rubbing his sore wrists.

 

‘What happened?’ Ianto insisted again, unconcerned for John’s discomfort.

 

‘Help me with her,’ asked John pointing at the Hub. Ianto carefully removed the loose wiring while John dragged the “body” away from the puddle, trying to avoid the water, before picking up his wrist strap from the floor and scanning her.

 

‘Do I get any answers?’ Ianto was forced to keep asking by John’s nonchalant silence.

 

‘She’s fried. I can’t do anything for her here. This technology, well it doesn’t come from this time period. I’ll take her with me; they’ll have the right parts in the future. It’ll be easy.’

 

‘You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what’s happened here.’

 

‘Jack asked that I check you were okay and I’d fix this thing,’ John said, prodding the Hub with his foot. ‘You seem fine and I need to leave to fix it so…’

 

Ianto grabbed him by his coat and shoved him against the wall. ‘What happened?’ he demanded.

 

‘Seriously Eyecandy, you’re almost sounding manly there. Or did you just want to have me up against the wall.’

 

‘Why was she after Owen?’

 

‘You mean Jack’s kid? I’m guessing it’s not yours unless there’s something your not telling me.’

 

That was the moment Ianto hit him. A sharp punch square in the jaw, sending John onto the floor.

 

‘Tell me where they are.’

 

‘Okay, okay. Jeez you’re pissy. They’re gone okay. Arrested and taken into the future. Both of them. Don’t know what she wanted with the kid though,’ John explained.

 

Ianto took a moment to digest this news. He had been so angry with Jack not so long ago, but now? Hearing this… And then there was Owen, she had kidnapped a child and Gwen and Rhys- there lives had already been torn apart (from the look on Rhys face as he had left him Ianto doubted he could take another blow). So in an instance he made a decision, a decision he knew was stupid and foolhardy and he’d probably live to regret- but he couldn’t just leave things as they were.

 

‘Can you take me there?’ Ianto asked John.

 

‘What? You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve known agents who’ve gone to that century before. It never turns out well. They’re all a bunch of fucking psychopaths.’

 

‘I didn’t ask you if you would, I asked you if you could?’

 

‘I guess. There’s still some residue left over from whatever equipment she used to get herself here. I can use that to steer us in the right direction,’ John finally admitted. Truth be told he was always planning on pursuing Jack from the start- it was just that Ianto Jones was the last person in the world he wanted to share the glory with, but he doubted he could do it on his own. Besides he could already tell Eyecandy had done some growing up since he was last here.

 

‘Good. And you’ll be able to fix the Hub when we get there?’

 

‘Yep.’

 

‘That’s what we’ll do then,’ decided Ianto, his face determined.

 

As they attempted to drag the Hub onto her feet, ready to teleport away, another car drove up to the building and Rhys burst through the door.

 

‘Rhys, why on earth are you here?’

 

‘Did you think I was just going to sit there? Where is he? Where’s Owen?’ Ianto noticed Rhys eyes were red, he’d been crying.

 

‘I’m so sorry Rhys,’ was all Ianto could manage- partly because of the heavy android he was holding.

 

‘She’s got him. She’s taken my boy,’ Rhys realized instantly (Ianto noticed a small pause before he said “my boy”).

 

‘Sorry, who the hell is this?’ asked John, whose hand was already on his wrist-strap.

 

‘Who the hell are you mate?’ replied Rhys, clearly at the end of his tether.

 

‘He’s Gwen’s husband,’ Ianto told John. ‘He’s the man who… brought Owen up,’ he continued, unsure of how he should be phrasing himself.

 

‘The sprog’s Gwen’s? Hah, knew it,’ spluttered John smugly.

 

‘Shut up!’ both Ianto and Rhys told him in unison.

 

‘Look Rhys, this man,’ Ianto nodded towards John. ‘He can take us to where your son is. I’ll get him back to you.’

 

‘I’m coming with you as well.’

 

‘What? No Rhys, you can’t. We’re going thousands of years into the future- this is going to be really dangerous.’

 

‘I don’t care.’

 

‘Look, you’re not even the kids father,’ said John, inconsiderately. ‘As far as I can see this has got nothing to do with you.’

 

‘Be quiet John,’ Ianto ordered. ‘Rhys go home, deal with Gwen and look after Alun. I will bring Owen back.’

 

‘Alun’s with my mam, and Gwen, well she’s best at looking after herself isn’t she! Look Ianto, for years I’ve sat around at home and waited for Gwen to… do whatever it is she does. Well not this time, this time she’s not going to be the one to decide what happens. If anyone’s going to put this family back together- it’s going to be me.’

 

Ianto watched Rhys closely for a moment before John blurted out ‘Come on, I’ll have lost the signal soon and none of us will be going anywhere.’

 

‘Fine! Fine,’ Ianto agreed. ‘I’m making a foolhardy decision, I suppose I can’t stop you from doing the same. You’re coming to Rhys.’

 

Each of them reached forward and put a hand on John’s wrist, Ianto trying to balance the Hub by on one arm alone.

 

‘Either of you ever time traveled before?’ asked John. ‘No? Well then you’re in for one hell of a headache!’

 

For a moment there was a buzzing in Ianto’s ears then it was as if the universe had swallowed them up, only to spit them out again a few moments later.

 

‘Ah Christ,’ came Rhys voice as they landed with a thud (John walking out calmly while the dead weight of the Hub dropped to Ianto’s side).

 

‘Guys,’ said John, looking at his wrist-strap and scanning the surroundings. ‘Welcome to Cardiff in the year six thousand three hundred and seven.’

 

‘My God,’ was all Ianto could muster as he looked at the black landscape in front of him.