Omega Virus, for fadedsouls (Torchwood, NC-17) - Part 2 of 2
Title: Omega Virus
Author: Gryvon
Recipient: fadedsouls
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: End of Season 2.
Warnings: Contains much gayness and sex.
Summary: A zombie plague breaks out in Cardiff, and it's up to Torchwood to stop it with the Doctor's help.
Part 1
The roads were mostly vacant near Cardiff. Once in a while they'd pass another car on the road, but they didn't stop to examine whether the people inside were moving. Some zoomed past them, survivors on their way to a safer place. Jack turned the radio to a news channel for a few moments before switching back to music, just enough for them to catch the pertinent bits.
"...government advises all uninfected to seek shelter at the nearest military facility. All entrants will be screened, infected killed on sight. I repeat, the government advises all uninfected citizens to seek shelter at the nearest military facility. In Cardiff, there is..."
"Well," Jack said after a moment's pause, "at least the government seems to have a handle on containment."
"Which means we have maybe a day before something goes horribly wrong."
Jack grinned over at Ianto. "Feeling optimistic today?"
Ianto's returning grin was a touch wicked. It only served to reinforce how desperately he wanted Ianto. As much as he played it cool, the constant interruptions were starting to get to him. As soon as this was over, he was tying Ianto to the bed for a full weekend of fun.
"How good are you at driving while distracted?" Ianto asked after a second's paused.
He thought about it for a second, wondering where Ianto was going with this. "Rather good."
"Wonderful," Ianto proclaimed.
Ianto leaned across the center aisle between them before Jack could really object. Deft hands unzipped Jack's pants and pulled him out of his pants. Cool air hit his burgeoning erection, though that was only for a brief moment before Ianto swallowed him down. Warm, wet suction surrounded him and he groaned. Jack's fingers tightened on the steering wheel and the car jumped forward.
This was exactly what he needed.
"Don't ever stop," he moaned.
Ianto's tongue played against him as he bobbed his head. Jack lowered the radio volume to let the sound of Ianto's mouth echo through the car. Practice had made Ianto a bit of an expert at sucking Jack's cock, though even when they'd first been starting their relationship, Ianto had made up for lack of finesse with enthusiasm. At this point, Ianto knew exactly which buttons to push to make Jack twitch.
He kept his eyes mostly on the road, occasionally glancing down to appreciate the view of Ianto swallowing him down. The car only swerved a little and Jack was suddenly much more grateful for the vacant roads. He could have gotten off on the sounds alone. Ianto could be amazingly lewd and lurid when Jack got him wound up.
It didn't take long for Jack to come, not with their two half-starts from earlier today and all the tension he'd been carrying with him throughout the day. Ianto swallowed it all down and kept bobbing until every last drop had been licked up. There was a loud pop when Ianto pulled away, looking smug and incredibly hot as he licked swollen lips.
The car swerved as Jack pulled over to the side of the road. Ianto made a little sound of surprise as they bumped along the gravel at the side of the road and skidded to a quick stop. Before Ianto could say anything, Jack grabbed him by the hair and pulled him into a hungry kiss. There were few things that tasted as good as his come in Ianto's mouth. Ianto moaned into the kiss, undoing his seatbelt so he could slide closer to Jack. Jack pushed him back into the seat and dropped his hand to fondle Ianto through his pants. The other man arched into his touch, whimpering a little into the kiss.
He undid Ianto's pants in seconds and slipped his hand inside to coil around Ianto's erection. Desperate noises escaped from Ianto's lips every time Jack pulled back just a little to catch his breath before covering Ianto's mouth once more. Ianto twitched against the seat and clutched at Jack. He was practically shaking with need, making Jack regret slightly that they hadn't taken at least a few minutes to finish up properly earlier. Still, he couldn't complain much when it left Ianto this desperate and needy.
Warm seed spilled into Jack's hand. He was careful to keep it from getting onto Ianto's clothes. Jack pulled away to watch Ianto as he came. He loved the way Ianto looked when he was undone, mouth gaping open, eyes unfocused, hands unsteady. It was almost more erotic than the act itself. When Ianto looked like that, it made Jack want to push him, to keep going, keep teasing until he was mad with pleasure, constantly hovering on the edge of completion. That was a thought for later exploration, once they were done with zombies.
Jack went to wipe his hand off with tissues but Ianto stopped him. He pulled Jack's hand to his mouth and laved at it with his tongue, cleaning his palm before sucking each digit inside his mouth.
"When this is over," Jack promised aloud, "I'm keeping you in bed for at least a day."
"I look forward to it, sir," Ianto said with a wide smile.
Something thumped heavily against Ianto's window and they both jumped, turning to stare at the slack-jawed figure pressed against the window. Two more thumps sounded at the rear of the car. The figure next to Ianto's window ran its hand down the glass before bringing it up to smack the window. The sound of cracking glass filled the car as a spider web of cracks splintered out from where the fist had made contact.
"Jack, go. Now." Fear was thick in Ianto's voice.
The car punched forward into the road. In the rearview mirror, he could see more zombies emerging from the woods and heading towards the road. He waited until Ianto had tucked himself back into his pants and buckled back in before punching the acceleration. They needed to find Martha, now.
*****
There was still no answer on Martha's phone so they headed directly to her flat. Jack studied the street as they parked, but there was no movement from either end. He put the car in park and together, he and Ianto hopped out. They met Martha at the door. She was obviously in a hurry to get somewhere because she nearly ran into Jack as she rushed out the door. They both started and Martha started to lift a sword.
"Wait!"
Martha paused, her weapon still in mid-air. Recognition blossomed across her face and the sword was quickly sheathed before she threw her arms around Jack.
"Jack! Ianto! What in the world are you doing here?"
"Has Unit been following the plague?" Jack asked instead of an answer.
She gave him a pointed look. "Yeah, of course."
"You should answer your phone more often. Do you have any idea what caused this, or how to cure it?"
Ianto waited by the gate, his gaze attentively fixed on the road around them. He was watching for anything suspicious on the roadway. Jack was slightly relieved that someone was keeping watch.
Martha gave him a rueful smile. "Sorry. Forgot my mobile at home." She waved the device at him before slipping it back in her pocket. "We've got some doctors on it, I've looked at it, but this is some really deep stuff, advanced genetics."
Jack glanced back at Ianto. "So, you're stumped."
"Yeah, pretty much."
"We think it started in Cardiff. Ianto's been working on a timeline. Well, Gwen is now. The first victims were all in Cardiff."
She shifted on her feet and cocked a smile. "Why is it that all the big stuff seems to happen to Cardiff? Well, most of it, recently. Is this Rift related? Some sort of alien virus?"
Jack shook his head. "The Rift monitors haven't registered a peep. It's been quiet. Normal."
"We'll send UNIT down to help, see if we can help track it back to the source."
Jack flashed his most convincing, winning smile on her. "I was hoping for a bit bigger of a favor. We'd like you to call the Doctor."
She paused. "But if it isn't alien...."
"He's still one of the smartest men on and off the planet. I'm hoping there's something he's seen in his travels, maybe from Earth's future, something that could help us."
Martha pulled out her phone and pressed a button. "I'll try my best, but he doesn't always- Hello?" She quickly stepped a pace away from them, turning her back to Jack. "There's something wrong and Jack was wondering- Yes, Jack. He's here with Ianto. Ianto Jones. No, we aren't related. He's Torchwood. Yes, the one..." She glanced over at Ianto quickly and dropped her voice to a near-whisper. "...the one Jack's snogging. Wait, Doctor..."
She pulled the phone away from her ear and glared at it. Less than a second later, Jack felt that familiar stirring in his blood as the sound of the TARDIS working its way into existence here, now, echoed through the air. Ianto started visibly and stared at the blurry outline of the police box as it formed in Martha's front lawn. He pointed.
"Is that supposed to be happening?" Ianto asked Jack.
He couldn't stop grinning. "It is. Ianto, you're about to meet the Doctor."
Ianto raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He looked out onto the street once more and then jumped back.
"Jack, we've got incoming."
Martha and Jack cursed in union. Jack pulled the sword from the sheathe on his back and pulled Ianto by the sleeve over to where he and Martha stood. Together, they inched closer to the spot where the TARDIS was emerging, careful not to get too close. The first head appeared as the blue panels of the box started to solidify.
"Come on, Doctor," Martha whispered urgently.
The zombie, a man who appeared to have been somewhere in middle age, still dressed in a rather nice looking suit, groaned lowly at them and rattled the gate. Each shove pushed at the metal with more and more force until the hinges pulled free from the stone wall. A second head appeared.
"Come on, come on."
The TARDIS finally solidified. Without preamble, Jack yanked open the door and shoved Ianto inside, right into the Doctor. They both stumbled slightly. The Doctor looked confused.
"Get inside," Jack ordered.
The first zombie was nearing them so Jack stepped forward and chopped off its head with a swing of his blade. The second was only paces behind it. Jack moved forward to kill that one as well before turning and running towards the open door.
"Problems?" The Doctor asked as Jack ran past him.
Jack slammed the door shut and locked it. "Zombies."
The Doctor's face lit up with excitement. "You're joshing me."
"I can assure you, they are quite real," Ianto said. He was very carefully not gaping around at the insides of the spaceship, though Jack could tell he wanted to. Everyone wanted to. He wondered if he'd missed the usual comment.
"Marvelous."
"We need to get out of here, fast." Jack moved to the controls and started programming in a spot in the Hub. "Ready to meet the family?" Jack asked with a wide grin.
"Sounds lovely."
Jack started the TARDIS and suddenly they where whirring away from the hoard of zombies. The outer monitors showed them circling the police box but it was obvious they had no clue what to do with it.
"So," the Doctor said slowly, "Martha, looking lovely as always." She flashed him a wide grin back. The Doctor turned to Ianto and gave him a once over. "And you must be Ianto Jones. I've heard a lot about you."
Ianto took the comment in stride. "All pleasant, I hope."
"Quite, though perhaps a bit embarrassing considering Jack's stories."
Ianto shot Jack a pointed look. "Is that so?"
"I'm innocent, I swear," Jack lied, sounding nothing of the sort.
The Doctor cut off any reply Ianto would have made. "What do you think of my spaceship?" He was practically bouncing on his feet, waiting for Ianto to remark how big the inside was comparatively.
Ianto stared around the TARDIS, his expression carefully blank. Jack caught a hint of mischief in his eyes and he turned back to answer the Doctor. "It's so..." The Doctor smiled eagerly. "...messy."
"What?" The Doctor's indignant squawk had both Jack and Martha cracking up.
Jack wandered over to drop his arm loosely around Ianto's waist and kiss him lightly on the cheek. "Well played."
"You coached him!" The Doctor accused.
A wicked grin stretched across Ianto's face, matching the one on Jack's own. "Why would I ever do a thing like that?"
"It is a bit messy in here," Ianto added. "I suppose all that time flitting from place to place leaves little room for cleaning. Have you ever considered hiring a maid?"
It took a minute for the indignant look on the Doctor's face to wear off. He glanced once again between Jack and Ianto before grinning. "I can see why Jack likes you so much. Well played, indeed. I don't suppose you're offering?"
Ianto cast a mock-sharp look at Jack. "Maybe if Jack decides to run off for weeks on end without telling anyone, I could be persuaded."
"I'll keep that in mind."
The alarms beeped, signaling impending landing.
"I hope the rest of your team isn't this impertinent," the Doctor said with a wink.
"Usually, yes."
"Lovely."
"You'll like them," Martha added with a grin.
Through the outside monitors, Jack watched as surprise and confusion registered across Gwen's face. Rhys was gawking like a wide-eyed tourist, PC Andy not faring much better. Gwen drew her gun but kept it pointed low, just in case. Andy followed suite seconds later, obviously watching to Gwen for the lead.
"This them?" The Doctor asked, glancing back at Jack with a raised eyebrow. "I thought one of them was supposed to be Asian?"
A wash of grief flooded through Jack momentarily, mirrored on Ianto's face. He swallowed around the lump in his throat. Martha gave him a sympathetic look and started to speak but he waved her off. Apparently Martha hadn't passed on that piece of news.
"They were killed. Tosh... Toshiko, and Owen. My brother, Gray... he..." killed them. "...was responsible."
"Oh. I'm sorry." The Doctor's expression saddened and he stared down at the ship's floor. In seconds, his expression shifted and he looked at Jack curiously. "You have a brother?"
"Had." Jack corrected. Technically Gray was still alive, frozen away in cold storage, but he couldn't quite bring himself to think of him as Jack's brother. No, his brother had died when the aliens had captured him. All that was left was a monster.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and crossed the room in quick strides. Gwen's voice greeted him as he opened the door.
"Jack! What in the blazes are you doing in a Police Box?"
He forced melancholy off of his face and replaced it with his usual carefree grin. "It's a spaceship, and quite a marvelous one at that. Oh, and it can travel in time."
She gaped at him and stepped forward, closer to it. "You're kidding. It can't be."
Ianto stepped out, followed by Martha and the Doctor.
"Nice to see you again, Gwen," Martha greeted.
"Always a pleasure, Martha." Gwen stared curiously at the Doctor. "And this would be?"
Jack gestured grandly towards the Doctor. "Gwen, it's my great pleasure to introduce you to the Doctor."
Her forehead wrinkled in a frown. "Doctor of what?"
"Just the Doctor," the Doctor answered with a broad smile as he shook her head. "Title, not a profession." He glanced at Rhys and Andrew, who were standing off to the side looking a bit lost. "And these gentlemen are...?"
"Oh!" Gwen pointed. "That's my husband Rhys, and my partner from back when I used to be with the police, PC Andrews. Thought it'd be best to keep them down here, safe."
"A constable! How quaint!" The Doctor beamed at the pair of men before turning towards the bank of computers. "So, zombies you said?"
"Over here," Ianto called from beside one of the computers. He loaded up all the information they'd been able to gather from the blood sample. "It's a virus, or at least we think it is. Seems to be spread by biting, though I believe blood-to-blood contact would work just the same."
"At first we thought it was just some nutters," Andy spoke up. "We had 'em rounded up at the police station because they were going round attacking people. But, they bit some of the officers and then they went looney, and before we knew it the entire station was overrun. It's mad up there."
The Doctor took over the keyboard from Ianto and started paging through the information on the virus, Martha watching from over his shoulder. From the corner of his eye, Jack watched as Gwen approached the TARDIS with a fascinated expression.
"How far's it spread?"
"Worldwide," Martha said.
Ianto tapped away at another computer, pulling up an automated report he must have left running. "At worst calculation, sixty percent of the world's population has been affected. I've been getting reports from all over the globe. They're doing much the same as we are and packing everyone into military installations. Anyone outside has a chance of survival, but it's slim."
A thought came to Jack's mind and he looked over at Ianto. "Your sister?"
"They went to St. Athan. Got out before the worst of it."
"Good."
"How fast is it spreading?" The Doctor cut in.
"About one percent per hour," Ianto answered after tapping at his keyboard once more to pull up the figures.
Gwen was circling the TARDIS, her fingers brushing over the blue-painted wood.
Martha pointed at the image of the virus on screen. "This is some really advanced stuff. I've never seen the like of it. I can't tell if it's a mutation of an existing virus or something completely new."
"I think new," the Doctor said as he peered in closer. "History's never had something like this pop up before." He tapped at the keyboard to rotate the image. "Do we know where it started?"
"Here in Cardiff," Jack said. "We can trace the first attacks back to here."
Gwen stuck her head inside the open door of the TARDIS and then quickly pulled it back out. Jack, Martha, and the Doctor all grinned at each other briefly and mouthed the words along with Gwen. "It's bigger on the inside."
"I think I know where they originated."
They all turned to face Ianto. Pictures started appearing on the large monitor, twelve faces, a mix of age, gender, and race, followed by the website for a pharmaceutical company.
"MKT Tech. A pharmaceutical company located between Cardiff and Bristol. Yesterday morning they brought in this lot for a drug trial. Seven of the patients were reported missing by sundown, three of them were arrested for inciting violence."
"They created zombies," the Doctor said with awe in his voice. "What will you humans think of next?"
"Unfortunately, that's as far as I've gotten," Ianto said with a frown. "Their security is more than our automatic programs can crack, and I'm no Toshiko."
"Let me try." The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the machine. In seconds, a login box appeared. Letters scrolled through the text fields for a few seconds before the box blinked away, leaving them with a window into the company's network. The computer continued to act on its owns, opening and closing files faster than the eye could read.
"Blast." The Doctor smacked his fist against the desk in frustration, causing Ianto and Rhys to both jump slightly. "If it's on their computers, it's not web-accessible. They must be keeping their notes locally."
Jack smiled and checked his holster and sheathe. "Looks like it's time for a field trip."
*****
The TARDIS landed them square in the center of the MKT facility. Papers rattled as the doors whooshed open, but that was the only thing they heard as they stepped out into vacant halls.
"Oh, this is Ground Zero, alright," the Doctor muttered to himself. He stared at the intersection carefully before running off in one direction. "This way."
Jack, Ianto, and Martha followed him.
"What are we looking for?" Ianto asked.
"Survivors," the Doctor called back.
"Not likely," Jack pointed out. "We're looking for medical documents. They'd keep them in a special testing facility, everything together. Probably set apart from the other labs for privacy."
The Doctor skidded to a halt at a T intersection. Multiple arrows pointed to several labs to the left, but only one lab to the right. "This way!" He dashed to the right.
Blood spattered the walls of the corridor, growing more profuse the closer they got.
"I think we're heading the right way," Ianto commented softly. Jack squeezed his arm in reassurance.
The Doctor was ahead of them all. He pounded through the double doors at the end of the hall and then doubled over gagging. They caught a whiff of the smell seconds later and similarly gagged.
"Good lords, what is that smell?" Martha asked.
"Bodies." That was all the Doctor would say. He started back, closing the doors behind him.
There was a metal door to the side of the big double doors and the Doctor paused at it. His sonic screwdriver made quick work of the electric lock, revealing an orderly office on the other side of the door.
Jack started towards the double doors, curious what had made the Doctor turn.
"Don't," a stern voice warned him. The Doctor's eyes had a hint of pleading as he stared at Jack. "It's the clinic. No files, just bodies."
He stared at the closed doors. "Where it all started..." After a second's pause, he turned and followed Ianto into the office.
"Split up," the Doctor ordered. "Look through everything."
The Doctor stepped over to the first computer, Martha to the second, which left Jack and Ianto with a wall of filing cabinets. Ianto cursed as he pulled the first one open.
"Of course they don't even have a bloody system."
Jack shot him a grin. "I think you've spoiled me for unorganized files."
Ianto grinned back. "Now if only you could learn to file things properly on your own."
"I don't need to. That's what I have you for. Well, that and other things." He leered at Ianto suggestively.
"Oi, you two." The Doctor shot him a half-glare. "No flirting."
Jack grinned back and let his hand brush down Ianto's back to linger on his ass, loving the way the move made Ianto shiver. "Oh, we're well past flirting."
"Save it for later," Ianto warned, before the Doctor could.
"I like him," the Doctor said with a grin.
They worked quietly for several minutes. Ianto and Jack formed a pile of possibilities on the floor between them. It was strange how quiet the place was. Normally, when he was breaking into a place like this, he had to worry about being stealthy and not alerting the guards. But the guards would be long gone from here, as was everyone else. They were either dead or undead, and either way they wouldn't be worried about guarding files.
"Got it!" The Doctor crowed suddenly. " X1B12 Omega. That's what we're looking for."
Ianto froze. "I saw that." He dropped to his knees and started rifling through the files, pulling out the very bottom one. "Of course! They organized chronologically."
"Hand it here."
Ianto handed a stack of papers about two inches thick over to the Doctor, who thumbed through them quickly before nodding in satisfaction. "This is what we need. I've got an idea, but we're going to need a test subject to try it out."
"We just so happen to have one, locked in one of the cells at the Hub."
"Always one step ahead," the Doctor grinned at him. "No time to waste. Let's go!"
*****
"Okay, I think we've got it." With Martha's help, the Doctor pulled a vial of glowing red liquid from the beaker currently bubbling away at one of the lab stations.
"This way."
Jack led them down to the cell they currently had the zombie chained up in. The few Weevils in the nearby cells all moaned and huddled away from the creature. It stared at them as the plastic door slid open and hissed low in its throat.
"Someone's going to have to keep it still," the Doctor instructed.
Jack grabbed the zombie by its hair, glad for the extra layer of protection of thick gloves between his skin and the zombie. He really didn't want to find out what his immortality would do versus a zombie virus. The zombie snarled at him and tried to thrash but Jack held it still while the Doctor gently inserted the syringe in its throat, careful to keep his hands away from the eagerly gnashing teeth. When the Doctor was done they both stepped back and waited.
It took a moment for anything to happen. One moment the creature was trying to bite at them, then suddenly it froze, arched its back and howled. Tremors overtook its body and it pulled against its restraints for a few seconds before suddenly falling still.
"Let's get it back to the lab, where we can analyze it," Jack said.
He and Ianto each reached for one of the wrist restraints. Suddenly, without warning, it lunged. Time slowed for Jack, like he was watching a stop-motion film. He saw the zombie lunge for Ianto, saw its teeth latch onto his skin and bit down, hard enough to break skin. Distantly, he heard Ianto scream. The Doctor caught him as he fell and pulled him back, out of the creature's reach. Ianto left a thin trail of blood in his wake as he was dragged from the room.
"It didn't work." The Doctor cursed loudly.
"Try it again," Jack ordered as he crossed the cell in two quick strides and pounded on the button to close up the cell. "You must have missed something. Make a new batch and try it again."
Martha was cradling Ianto's head in her lap. He looked drawn, pale. "How long's he got?" She asked worriedly.
Jack was not going to allow this to happen, not on his watch.
"Anywhere from ten minutes to half an hour. Incubation seems to depend on the severity of the wound."
The Doctor glanced pointedly at Ianto's arm. It looked like it might be broken in two places. "That's pretty severe."
"Then we don't have much time."
He bent down and cradled Ianto in his arms before standing, lifting Ianto into a carrying position. Ianto whimpered as his arm was jostled but didn't seem to wake from the haze he'd fallen into. Jack moved quickly towards the medical bay, worrying about speed over comfort and wincing along with Ianto every time he jostled Ianto too much.
"Think, Doctor. What did you miss?"
The Doctor stared at the chemicals laid out on the tray. He was muttering to himself, but it wasn't in English and too low for Jack to distinguish what alien language he might be speaking. Seconds turned into minutes. Jack brushed Ianto's hair away from his face as he tried not to yell. They needed to do something, fast.
"Got it!"
Three more compounds went into the bubbling beaker. It exploded slightly, sending smoke up in a puff of air and then shifted into a light blue.
Ianto moaned, his breath turning shallow, weaker. Martha had fastened a heart monitor to him and its beeps were growing more and more distant. Beep. Beep. Pause. Beep. Longer pause. Beep. They were losing him.
The Doctor extracted some of the medicine from the beaker and stepped over, pressing the needle into Ianto's neck just as the heart monitor flat-lined.
"No," Jack said. "No, no, no."
They waited, breath caught in their throat to see if Ianto was going to rise to join the ranks of the undead. A full minute passed and then suddenly the heart monitor beeped loudly, causing them all to jump. It beeped again, and again, climbing back to a steady rhythm. Ianto gasped for breath but didn't wake. Jack pressed a hand to Ianto's face. He felt warm, alive.
"You did it," Jack said.
The Doctor scribbled a note on a piece of paper and handed it to Martha. "Get this broadcast as far as you can. Let people know there's a cure, and then we'll start making as much of it as we can."
As he ran his hands through Ianto's hair, Jack could only think of one thing to say. "Thank you, Doctor."
*****
Ianto Jones woke with a pounding headache. He sat up slowly. His arm hurt too, he realized, and he couldn't move it. He glanced down at the cast that covered his right arm and couldn't quite remember how he'd hurt himself.
Something strange niggled at the back of his mind, something important. He was home, in his own bed. That was wrong somehow.
Realization hit him suddenly and he jumped to his feet, or tried to at least. It didn't work so well, so all he really ended up doing was flailing a bit in his sheets and making his arm smart more. He needed to get out of here, get back to the Hub before the zombies found him. What was he even doing here? Where was Jack?
As if summoned by his thoughts, Jack appeared in the doorway. He quickly crossed over to Ianto and forced him back to bed. "Calm down. Stay still. You're hurt."
"Jack, what are we doing here? What about the zombies?"
"They've been contained."
From the tone of Jack's voice and the glint in his eyes, Ianto wasn't quite sure if he wanted to know what that meant.
"So it's over?"
Jack nodded. "We... well, the Doctor found a cure. You were the test subject, proof that it works. We managed to distribute it to all the major populations centers, and then the military took out the ones too far gone to save."
Ianto stared at Jack. Had he slept through the entire thing? "How long have I been out?"
Jack shrugged. "A couple days. We had you in the Hub until Cardiff was cleared. Just moved you here last night." He paused for a moment. "Your sister and her family are safe by the way. They're with the others returning today."
"So all the zombies are gone?"
"A few stragglers here and there, but the Doctor and I are working on a detection system for them, a way we can hunt down the last of them."
Ianto considered that. It seemed so simple once they'd brought the Doctor in.
"What now?"
Jack smiled at him and kissed Ianto on the forehead. "Now, you and I take some much needed days off, which I fully intend to spend in bed, with you."
Practicality and need warred inside of Ianto. "Jack... my arm..."
Jack cut him off with a kiss. "We'll work around it."
Ianto smiled. That was perhaps the best idea he'd heard all week.
Author: Gryvon
Recipient: fadedsouls
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: End of Season 2.
Warnings: Contains much gayness and sex.
Summary: A zombie plague breaks out in Cardiff, and it's up to Torchwood to stop it with the Doctor's help.
Part 1
The roads were mostly vacant near Cardiff. Once in a while they'd pass another car on the road, but they didn't stop to examine whether the people inside were moving. Some zoomed past them, survivors on their way to a safer place. Jack turned the radio to a news channel for a few moments before switching back to music, just enough for them to catch the pertinent bits.
"...government advises all uninfected to seek shelter at the nearest military facility. All entrants will be screened, infected killed on sight. I repeat, the government advises all uninfected citizens to seek shelter at the nearest military facility. In Cardiff, there is..."
"Well," Jack said after a moment's pause, "at least the government seems to have a handle on containment."
"Which means we have maybe a day before something goes horribly wrong."
Jack grinned over at Ianto. "Feeling optimistic today?"
Ianto's returning grin was a touch wicked. It only served to reinforce how desperately he wanted Ianto. As much as he played it cool, the constant interruptions were starting to get to him. As soon as this was over, he was tying Ianto to the bed for a full weekend of fun.
"How good are you at driving while distracted?" Ianto asked after a second's paused.
He thought about it for a second, wondering where Ianto was going with this. "Rather good."
"Wonderful," Ianto proclaimed.
Ianto leaned across the center aisle between them before Jack could really object. Deft hands unzipped Jack's pants and pulled him out of his pants. Cool air hit his burgeoning erection, though that was only for a brief moment before Ianto swallowed him down. Warm, wet suction surrounded him and he groaned. Jack's fingers tightened on the steering wheel and the car jumped forward.
This was exactly what he needed.
"Don't ever stop," he moaned.
Ianto's tongue played against him as he bobbed his head. Jack lowered the radio volume to let the sound of Ianto's mouth echo through the car. Practice had made Ianto a bit of an expert at sucking Jack's cock, though even when they'd first been starting their relationship, Ianto had made up for lack of finesse with enthusiasm. At this point, Ianto knew exactly which buttons to push to make Jack twitch.
He kept his eyes mostly on the road, occasionally glancing down to appreciate the view of Ianto swallowing him down. The car only swerved a little and Jack was suddenly much more grateful for the vacant roads. He could have gotten off on the sounds alone. Ianto could be amazingly lewd and lurid when Jack got him wound up.
It didn't take long for Jack to come, not with their two half-starts from earlier today and all the tension he'd been carrying with him throughout the day. Ianto swallowed it all down and kept bobbing until every last drop had been licked up. There was a loud pop when Ianto pulled away, looking smug and incredibly hot as he licked swollen lips.
The car swerved as Jack pulled over to the side of the road. Ianto made a little sound of surprise as they bumped along the gravel at the side of the road and skidded to a quick stop. Before Ianto could say anything, Jack grabbed him by the hair and pulled him into a hungry kiss. There were few things that tasted as good as his come in Ianto's mouth. Ianto moaned into the kiss, undoing his seatbelt so he could slide closer to Jack. Jack pushed him back into the seat and dropped his hand to fondle Ianto through his pants. The other man arched into his touch, whimpering a little into the kiss.
He undid Ianto's pants in seconds and slipped his hand inside to coil around Ianto's erection. Desperate noises escaped from Ianto's lips every time Jack pulled back just a little to catch his breath before covering Ianto's mouth once more. Ianto twitched against the seat and clutched at Jack. He was practically shaking with need, making Jack regret slightly that they hadn't taken at least a few minutes to finish up properly earlier. Still, he couldn't complain much when it left Ianto this desperate and needy.
Warm seed spilled into Jack's hand. He was careful to keep it from getting onto Ianto's clothes. Jack pulled away to watch Ianto as he came. He loved the way Ianto looked when he was undone, mouth gaping open, eyes unfocused, hands unsteady. It was almost more erotic than the act itself. When Ianto looked like that, it made Jack want to push him, to keep going, keep teasing until he was mad with pleasure, constantly hovering on the edge of completion. That was a thought for later exploration, once they were done with zombies.
Jack went to wipe his hand off with tissues but Ianto stopped him. He pulled Jack's hand to his mouth and laved at it with his tongue, cleaning his palm before sucking each digit inside his mouth.
"When this is over," Jack promised aloud, "I'm keeping you in bed for at least a day."
"I look forward to it, sir," Ianto said with a wide smile.
Something thumped heavily against Ianto's window and they both jumped, turning to stare at the slack-jawed figure pressed against the window. Two more thumps sounded at the rear of the car. The figure next to Ianto's window ran its hand down the glass before bringing it up to smack the window. The sound of cracking glass filled the car as a spider web of cracks splintered out from where the fist had made contact.
"Jack, go. Now." Fear was thick in Ianto's voice.
The car punched forward into the road. In the rearview mirror, he could see more zombies emerging from the woods and heading towards the road. He waited until Ianto had tucked himself back into his pants and buckled back in before punching the acceleration. They needed to find Martha, now.
*****
There was still no answer on Martha's phone so they headed directly to her flat. Jack studied the street as they parked, but there was no movement from either end. He put the car in park and together, he and Ianto hopped out. They met Martha at the door. She was obviously in a hurry to get somewhere because she nearly ran into Jack as she rushed out the door. They both started and Martha started to lift a sword.
"Wait!"
Martha paused, her weapon still in mid-air. Recognition blossomed across her face and the sword was quickly sheathed before she threw her arms around Jack.
"Jack! Ianto! What in the world are you doing here?"
"Has Unit been following the plague?" Jack asked instead of an answer.
She gave him a pointed look. "Yeah, of course."
"You should answer your phone more often. Do you have any idea what caused this, or how to cure it?"
Ianto waited by the gate, his gaze attentively fixed on the road around them. He was watching for anything suspicious on the roadway. Jack was slightly relieved that someone was keeping watch.
Martha gave him a rueful smile. "Sorry. Forgot my mobile at home." She waved the device at him before slipping it back in her pocket. "We've got some doctors on it, I've looked at it, but this is some really deep stuff, advanced genetics."
Jack glanced back at Ianto. "So, you're stumped."
"Yeah, pretty much."
"We think it started in Cardiff. Ianto's been working on a timeline. Well, Gwen is now. The first victims were all in Cardiff."
She shifted on her feet and cocked a smile. "Why is it that all the big stuff seems to happen to Cardiff? Well, most of it, recently. Is this Rift related? Some sort of alien virus?"
Jack shook his head. "The Rift monitors haven't registered a peep. It's been quiet. Normal."
"We'll send UNIT down to help, see if we can help track it back to the source."
Jack flashed his most convincing, winning smile on her. "I was hoping for a bit bigger of a favor. We'd like you to call the Doctor."
She paused. "But if it isn't alien...."
"He's still one of the smartest men on and off the planet. I'm hoping there's something he's seen in his travels, maybe from Earth's future, something that could help us."
Martha pulled out her phone and pressed a button. "I'll try my best, but he doesn't always- Hello?" She quickly stepped a pace away from them, turning her back to Jack. "There's something wrong and Jack was wondering- Yes, Jack. He's here with Ianto. Ianto Jones. No, we aren't related. He's Torchwood. Yes, the one..." She glanced over at Ianto quickly and dropped her voice to a near-whisper. "...the one Jack's snogging. Wait, Doctor..."
She pulled the phone away from her ear and glared at it. Less than a second later, Jack felt that familiar stirring in his blood as the sound of the TARDIS working its way into existence here, now, echoed through the air. Ianto started visibly and stared at the blurry outline of the police box as it formed in Martha's front lawn. He pointed.
"Is that supposed to be happening?" Ianto asked Jack.
He couldn't stop grinning. "It is. Ianto, you're about to meet the Doctor."
Ianto raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He looked out onto the street once more and then jumped back.
"Jack, we've got incoming."
Martha and Jack cursed in union. Jack pulled the sword from the sheathe on his back and pulled Ianto by the sleeve over to where he and Martha stood. Together, they inched closer to the spot where the TARDIS was emerging, careful not to get too close. The first head appeared as the blue panels of the box started to solidify.
"Come on, Doctor," Martha whispered urgently.
The zombie, a man who appeared to have been somewhere in middle age, still dressed in a rather nice looking suit, groaned lowly at them and rattled the gate. Each shove pushed at the metal with more and more force until the hinges pulled free from the stone wall. A second head appeared.
"Come on, come on."
The TARDIS finally solidified. Without preamble, Jack yanked open the door and shoved Ianto inside, right into the Doctor. They both stumbled slightly. The Doctor looked confused.
"Get inside," Jack ordered.
The first zombie was nearing them so Jack stepped forward and chopped off its head with a swing of his blade. The second was only paces behind it. Jack moved forward to kill that one as well before turning and running towards the open door.
"Problems?" The Doctor asked as Jack ran past him.
Jack slammed the door shut and locked it. "Zombies."
The Doctor's face lit up with excitement. "You're joshing me."
"I can assure you, they are quite real," Ianto said. He was very carefully not gaping around at the insides of the spaceship, though Jack could tell he wanted to. Everyone wanted to. He wondered if he'd missed the usual comment.
"Marvelous."
"We need to get out of here, fast." Jack moved to the controls and started programming in a spot in the Hub. "Ready to meet the family?" Jack asked with a wide grin.
"Sounds lovely."
Jack started the TARDIS and suddenly they where whirring away from the hoard of zombies. The outer monitors showed them circling the police box but it was obvious they had no clue what to do with it.
"So," the Doctor said slowly, "Martha, looking lovely as always." She flashed him a wide grin back. The Doctor turned to Ianto and gave him a once over. "And you must be Ianto Jones. I've heard a lot about you."
Ianto took the comment in stride. "All pleasant, I hope."
"Quite, though perhaps a bit embarrassing considering Jack's stories."
Ianto shot Jack a pointed look. "Is that so?"
"I'm innocent, I swear," Jack lied, sounding nothing of the sort.
The Doctor cut off any reply Ianto would have made. "What do you think of my spaceship?" He was practically bouncing on his feet, waiting for Ianto to remark how big the inside was comparatively.
Ianto stared around the TARDIS, his expression carefully blank. Jack caught a hint of mischief in his eyes and he turned back to answer the Doctor. "It's so..." The Doctor smiled eagerly. "...messy."
"What?" The Doctor's indignant squawk had both Jack and Martha cracking up.
Jack wandered over to drop his arm loosely around Ianto's waist and kiss him lightly on the cheek. "Well played."
"You coached him!" The Doctor accused.
A wicked grin stretched across Ianto's face, matching the one on Jack's own. "Why would I ever do a thing like that?"
"It is a bit messy in here," Ianto added. "I suppose all that time flitting from place to place leaves little room for cleaning. Have you ever considered hiring a maid?"
It took a minute for the indignant look on the Doctor's face to wear off. He glanced once again between Jack and Ianto before grinning. "I can see why Jack likes you so much. Well played, indeed. I don't suppose you're offering?"
Ianto cast a mock-sharp look at Jack. "Maybe if Jack decides to run off for weeks on end without telling anyone, I could be persuaded."
"I'll keep that in mind."
The alarms beeped, signaling impending landing.
"I hope the rest of your team isn't this impertinent," the Doctor said with a wink.
"Usually, yes."
"Lovely."
"You'll like them," Martha added with a grin.
Through the outside monitors, Jack watched as surprise and confusion registered across Gwen's face. Rhys was gawking like a wide-eyed tourist, PC Andy not faring much better. Gwen drew her gun but kept it pointed low, just in case. Andy followed suite seconds later, obviously watching to Gwen for the lead.
"This them?" The Doctor asked, glancing back at Jack with a raised eyebrow. "I thought one of them was supposed to be Asian?"
A wash of grief flooded through Jack momentarily, mirrored on Ianto's face. He swallowed around the lump in his throat. Martha gave him a sympathetic look and started to speak but he waved her off. Apparently Martha hadn't passed on that piece of news.
"They were killed. Tosh... Toshiko, and Owen. My brother, Gray... he..." killed them. "...was responsible."
"Oh. I'm sorry." The Doctor's expression saddened and he stared down at the ship's floor. In seconds, his expression shifted and he looked at Jack curiously. "You have a brother?"
"Had." Jack corrected. Technically Gray was still alive, frozen away in cold storage, but he couldn't quite bring himself to think of him as Jack's brother. No, his brother had died when the aliens had captured him. All that was left was a monster.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and crossed the room in quick strides. Gwen's voice greeted him as he opened the door.
"Jack! What in the blazes are you doing in a Police Box?"
He forced melancholy off of his face and replaced it with his usual carefree grin. "It's a spaceship, and quite a marvelous one at that. Oh, and it can travel in time."
She gaped at him and stepped forward, closer to it. "You're kidding. It can't be."
Ianto stepped out, followed by Martha and the Doctor.
"Nice to see you again, Gwen," Martha greeted.
"Always a pleasure, Martha." Gwen stared curiously at the Doctor. "And this would be?"
Jack gestured grandly towards the Doctor. "Gwen, it's my great pleasure to introduce you to the Doctor."
Her forehead wrinkled in a frown. "Doctor of what?"
"Just the Doctor," the Doctor answered with a broad smile as he shook her head. "Title, not a profession." He glanced at Rhys and Andrew, who were standing off to the side looking a bit lost. "And these gentlemen are...?"
"Oh!" Gwen pointed. "That's my husband Rhys, and my partner from back when I used to be with the police, PC Andrews. Thought it'd be best to keep them down here, safe."
"A constable! How quaint!" The Doctor beamed at the pair of men before turning towards the bank of computers. "So, zombies you said?"
"Over here," Ianto called from beside one of the computers. He loaded up all the information they'd been able to gather from the blood sample. "It's a virus, or at least we think it is. Seems to be spread by biting, though I believe blood-to-blood contact would work just the same."
"At first we thought it was just some nutters," Andy spoke up. "We had 'em rounded up at the police station because they were going round attacking people. But, they bit some of the officers and then they went looney, and before we knew it the entire station was overrun. It's mad up there."
The Doctor took over the keyboard from Ianto and started paging through the information on the virus, Martha watching from over his shoulder. From the corner of his eye, Jack watched as Gwen approached the TARDIS with a fascinated expression.
"How far's it spread?"
"Worldwide," Martha said.
Ianto tapped away at another computer, pulling up an automated report he must have left running. "At worst calculation, sixty percent of the world's population has been affected. I've been getting reports from all over the globe. They're doing much the same as we are and packing everyone into military installations. Anyone outside has a chance of survival, but it's slim."
A thought came to Jack's mind and he looked over at Ianto. "Your sister?"
"They went to St. Athan. Got out before the worst of it."
"Good."
"How fast is it spreading?" The Doctor cut in.
"About one percent per hour," Ianto answered after tapping at his keyboard once more to pull up the figures.
Gwen was circling the TARDIS, her fingers brushing over the blue-painted wood.
Martha pointed at the image of the virus on screen. "This is some really advanced stuff. I've never seen the like of it. I can't tell if it's a mutation of an existing virus or something completely new."
"I think new," the Doctor said as he peered in closer. "History's never had something like this pop up before." He tapped at the keyboard to rotate the image. "Do we know where it started?"
"Here in Cardiff," Jack said. "We can trace the first attacks back to here."
Gwen stuck her head inside the open door of the TARDIS and then quickly pulled it back out. Jack, Martha, and the Doctor all grinned at each other briefly and mouthed the words along with Gwen. "It's bigger on the inside."
"I think I know where they originated."
They all turned to face Ianto. Pictures started appearing on the large monitor, twelve faces, a mix of age, gender, and race, followed by the website for a pharmaceutical company.
"MKT Tech. A pharmaceutical company located between Cardiff and Bristol. Yesterday morning they brought in this lot for a drug trial. Seven of the patients were reported missing by sundown, three of them were arrested for inciting violence."
"They created zombies," the Doctor said with awe in his voice. "What will you humans think of next?"
"Unfortunately, that's as far as I've gotten," Ianto said with a frown. "Their security is more than our automatic programs can crack, and I'm no Toshiko."
"Let me try." The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the machine. In seconds, a login box appeared. Letters scrolled through the text fields for a few seconds before the box blinked away, leaving them with a window into the company's network. The computer continued to act on its owns, opening and closing files faster than the eye could read.
"Blast." The Doctor smacked his fist against the desk in frustration, causing Ianto and Rhys to both jump slightly. "If it's on their computers, it's not web-accessible. They must be keeping their notes locally."
Jack smiled and checked his holster and sheathe. "Looks like it's time for a field trip."
*****
The TARDIS landed them square in the center of the MKT facility. Papers rattled as the doors whooshed open, but that was the only thing they heard as they stepped out into vacant halls.
"Oh, this is Ground Zero, alright," the Doctor muttered to himself. He stared at the intersection carefully before running off in one direction. "This way."
Jack, Ianto, and Martha followed him.
"What are we looking for?" Ianto asked.
"Survivors," the Doctor called back.
"Not likely," Jack pointed out. "We're looking for medical documents. They'd keep them in a special testing facility, everything together. Probably set apart from the other labs for privacy."
The Doctor skidded to a halt at a T intersection. Multiple arrows pointed to several labs to the left, but only one lab to the right. "This way!" He dashed to the right.
Blood spattered the walls of the corridor, growing more profuse the closer they got.
"I think we're heading the right way," Ianto commented softly. Jack squeezed his arm in reassurance.
The Doctor was ahead of them all. He pounded through the double doors at the end of the hall and then doubled over gagging. They caught a whiff of the smell seconds later and similarly gagged.
"Good lords, what is that smell?" Martha asked.
"Bodies." That was all the Doctor would say. He started back, closing the doors behind him.
There was a metal door to the side of the big double doors and the Doctor paused at it. His sonic screwdriver made quick work of the electric lock, revealing an orderly office on the other side of the door.
Jack started towards the double doors, curious what had made the Doctor turn.
"Don't," a stern voice warned him. The Doctor's eyes had a hint of pleading as he stared at Jack. "It's the clinic. No files, just bodies."
He stared at the closed doors. "Where it all started..." After a second's pause, he turned and followed Ianto into the office.
"Split up," the Doctor ordered. "Look through everything."
The Doctor stepped over to the first computer, Martha to the second, which left Jack and Ianto with a wall of filing cabinets. Ianto cursed as he pulled the first one open.
"Of course they don't even have a bloody system."
Jack shot him a grin. "I think you've spoiled me for unorganized files."
Ianto grinned back. "Now if only you could learn to file things properly on your own."
"I don't need to. That's what I have you for. Well, that and other things." He leered at Ianto suggestively.
"Oi, you two." The Doctor shot him a half-glare. "No flirting."
Jack grinned back and let his hand brush down Ianto's back to linger on his ass, loving the way the move made Ianto shiver. "Oh, we're well past flirting."
"Save it for later," Ianto warned, before the Doctor could.
"I like him," the Doctor said with a grin.
They worked quietly for several minutes. Ianto and Jack formed a pile of possibilities on the floor between them. It was strange how quiet the place was. Normally, when he was breaking into a place like this, he had to worry about being stealthy and not alerting the guards. But the guards would be long gone from here, as was everyone else. They were either dead or undead, and either way they wouldn't be worried about guarding files.
"Got it!" The Doctor crowed suddenly. " X1B12 Omega. That's what we're looking for."
Ianto froze. "I saw that." He dropped to his knees and started rifling through the files, pulling out the very bottom one. "Of course! They organized chronologically."
"Hand it here."
Ianto handed a stack of papers about two inches thick over to the Doctor, who thumbed through them quickly before nodding in satisfaction. "This is what we need. I've got an idea, but we're going to need a test subject to try it out."
"We just so happen to have one, locked in one of the cells at the Hub."
"Always one step ahead," the Doctor grinned at him. "No time to waste. Let's go!"
*****
"Okay, I think we've got it." With Martha's help, the Doctor pulled a vial of glowing red liquid from the beaker currently bubbling away at one of the lab stations.
"This way."
Jack led them down to the cell they currently had the zombie chained up in. The few Weevils in the nearby cells all moaned and huddled away from the creature. It stared at them as the plastic door slid open and hissed low in its throat.
"Someone's going to have to keep it still," the Doctor instructed.
Jack grabbed the zombie by its hair, glad for the extra layer of protection of thick gloves between his skin and the zombie. He really didn't want to find out what his immortality would do versus a zombie virus. The zombie snarled at him and tried to thrash but Jack held it still while the Doctor gently inserted the syringe in its throat, careful to keep his hands away from the eagerly gnashing teeth. When the Doctor was done they both stepped back and waited.
It took a moment for anything to happen. One moment the creature was trying to bite at them, then suddenly it froze, arched its back and howled. Tremors overtook its body and it pulled against its restraints for a few seconds before suddenly falling still.
"Let's get it back to the lab, where we can analyze it," Jack said.
He and Ianto each reached for one of the wrist restraints. Suddenly, without warning, it lunged. Time slowed for Jack, like he was watching a stop-motion film. He saw the zombie lunge for Ianto, saw its teeth latch onto his skin and bit down, hard enough to break skin. Distantly, he heard Ianto scream. The Doctor caught him as he fell and pulled him back, out of the creature's reach. Ianto left a thin trail of blood in his wake as he was dragged from the room.
"It didn't work." The Doctor cursed loudly.
"Try it again," Jack ordered as he crossed the cell in two quick strides and pounded on the button to close up the cell. "You must have missed something. Make a new batch and try it again."
Martha was cradling Ianto's head in her lap. He looked drawn, pale. "How long's he got?" She asked worriedly.
Jack was not going to allow this to happen, not on his watch.
"Anywhere from ten minutes to half an hour. Incubation seems to depend on the severity of the wound."
The Doctor glanced pointedly at Ianto's arm. It looked like it might be broken in two places. "That's pretty severe."
"Then we don't have much time."
He bent down and cradled Ianto in his arms before standing, lifting Ianto into a carrying position. Ianto whimpered as his arm was jostled but didn't seem to wake from the haze he'd fallen into. Jack moved quickly towards the medical bay, worrying about speed over comfort and wincing along with Ianto every time he jostled Ianto too much.
"Think, Doctor. What did you miss?"
The Doctor stared at the chemicals laid out on the tray. He was muttering to himself, but it wasn't in English and too low for Jack to distinguish what alien language he might be speaking. Seconds turned into minutes. Jack brushed Ianto's hair away from his face as he tried not to yell. They needed to do something, fast.
"Got it!"
Three more compounds went into the bubbling beaker. It exploded slightly, sending smoke up in a puff of air and then shifted into a light blue.
Ianto moaned, his breath turning shallow, weaker. Martha had fastened a heart monitor to him and its beeps were growing more and more distant. Beep. Beep. Pause. Beep. Longer pause. Beep. They were losing him.
The Doctor extracted some of the medicine from the beaker and stepped over, pressing the needle into Ianto's neck just as the heart monitor flat-lined.
"No," Jack said. "No, no, no."
They waited, breath caught in their throat to see if Ianto was going to rise to join the ranks of the undead. A full minute passed and then suddenly the heart monitor beeped loudly, causing them all to jump. It beeped again, and again, climbing back to a steady rhythm. Ianto gasped for breath but didn't wake. Jack pressed a hand to Ianto's face. He felt warm, alive.
"You did it," Jack said.
The Doctor scribbled a note on a piece of paper and handed it to Martha. "Get this broadcast as far as you can. Let people know there's a cure, and then we'll start making as much of it as we can."
As he ran his hands through Ianto's hair, Jack could only think of one thing to say. "Thank you, Doctor."
*****
Ianto Jones woke with a pounding headache. He sat up slowly. His arm hurt too, he realized, and he couldn't move it. He glanced down at the cast that covered his right arm and couldn't quite remember how he'd hurt himself.
Something strange niggled at the back of his mind, something important. He was home, in his own bed. That was wrong somehow.
Realization hit him suddenly and he jumped to his feet, or tried to at least. It didn't work so well, so all he really ended up doing was flailing a bit in his sheets and making his arm smart more. He needed to get out of here, get back to the Hub before the zombies found him. What was he even doing here? Where was Jack?
As if summoned by his thoughts, Jack appeared in the doorway. He quickly crossed over to Ianto and forced him back to bed. "Calm down. Stay still. You're hurt."
"Jack, what are we doing here? What about the zombies?"
"They've been contained."
From the tone of Jack's voice and the glint in his eyes, Ianto wasn't quite sure if he wanted to know what that meant.
"So it's over?"
Jack nodded. "We... well, the Doctor found a cure. You were the test subject, proof that it works. We managed to distribute it to all the major populations centers, and then the military took out the ones too far gone to save."
Ianto stared at Jack. Had he slept through the entire thing? "How long have I been out?"
Jack shrugged. "A couple days. We had you in the Hub until Cardiff was cleared. Just moved you here last night." He paused for a moment. "Your sister and her family are safe by the way. They're with the others returning today."
"So all the zombies are gone?"
"A few stragglers here and there, but the Doctor and I are working on a detection system for them, a way we can hunt down the last of them."
Ianto considered that. It seemed so simple once they'd brought the Doctor in.
"What now?"
Jack smiled at him and kissed Ianto on the forehead. "Now, you and I take some much needed days off, which I fully intend to spend in bed, with you."
Practicality and need warred inside of Ianto. "Jack... my arm..."
Jack cut him off with a kiss. "We'll work around it."
Ianto smiled. That was perhaps the best idea he'd heard all week.