Fic: The Sea After a Storm (86/?)
Title: The Sea After a Storm, Chapter 86
Rating: R
Warnings: None really, just more Zombie!Owen ;-)
Spoilers: Season Two thru A Day in the Death (2x08)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood, Doctor Who and all their wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. All ©'s to Andy Goddard for situations and dialogue borrowed from A Day in the Death. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: In which Owen attempts to save the day by finding the artefact which is threatening the city...
Notes: Hello! Clearly I need to change my posting day to Sunday. Let's call that a done deal - see you next Sunday! You can find all the previous chapters of The Sea After a Storm here. This is a sequel to Vizzini’s Rule and To The Pain. Thanks again and forever to my amazing beta and wonderful friend
thraceadams for all the help and support and beta work; any mistakes are mine!
The Sea After a Storm: Chapter Eighty-Six
Previously on The Sea After a Storm: Jack and Ianto continue to give each other the cold shoulder whilst the team investigates the strange energy pulses emanating from Parker's residence...
"I'm going in," Owen said firmly.
"What will you need?" Ianto asked.
Owen looked a bit taken aback that no one was going to argue with him. "Um... hadn't really thought that far," he admitted.
"Well, we better get on it," Tosh said crisply. "The energy spikes are growing in frequency and strength every moment." She gave the monitor a glance and then nodded at Gwen. "These are current?" she asked about the schematics of Parker's compound.
Gwen jerked and her mouth, which had been hanging slightly open as she struggled to keep up with the undercurrents in the room, snapped shut. "Um... yes, to the best of our knowledge." She passed the display remote to Tosh and took a seat at the table.
Tosh quickly scanned through the data, confirming a few minor items with Gwen and Jack as she familiarized herself with the layout. Owen dropped into the chair next to Ianto, giving him a rueful smile.
"Looks like your coffee machine is safe again," he muttered quietly.
Ianto bit back a grin. "As are our stomachs," he whispered.
Owen let out a soft bark of laughter. "And the enamel on our teeth. Christ, I make terrible coffee."
"You do, you really do." Ianto reached in his pocket and withdrew Owen's security badge. He slid it over to Owen who took it with a grateful smile. They both looked up when Tosh's voice rose suddenly.
"I understand why he has to be the one to breech the house, but why can't we back him up on the grounds?"
"It'll be easier for one man to sneak around the guards," Owen said. "Besides, it's not like anything can kill me."
"Kill you, no, but, Owen, you'll have to be careful," Martha cautioned.
"Yeah, yeah." Owen waved his hand dismissively. "So the plan is I go in, get past the guards, bring down the generator, get in the house, get the... whatever is causing the spikes and get it out, yeah?"
"In a nutshell," Jack said. "All comms will be open and we'll help where we can. Martha and I will be onsite with you, just outside the grounds, and Gwen and Tosh will be mission control."
"And Ianto," Gwen said, glancing over at him worriedly.
Ianto gave her a reassuring smile and a quick shake of his head. "However I can help," he said calmly, refusing to rise to Jack's bait.
Jack grunted. "This is going to be a cover-of-darkness op, so we'll meet back here after sunset, which is..."
"Ten past four, give or take a minute," Ianto filled in smoothly.
Jack gave him a curt nod. "Right. Make it five, then. Maybe we'll stumble into a shift change for supper."
Owen nodded. "Slip up to the generator while they're occupied. It'd be a nice change for something to go that smooth." He gave them a rueful grin. "I wouldn't count on it."
Gwen clicked off the monitor and gave everyone a determined nod. "All right, then, we have a plan. Owen will retrieve the item before the energy surges can... do whatever they're going to do."
"Blow up the city?" Owen suggested a little too brightly.
"Let's hope not," Jack said, pushing his chair back from the table and standing.
Ianto remained seated as Jack, Owen and Gwen left the room. "Speaking of the city blowing up, do you know if there's a plan for after Owen gets the item?" he asked Tosh softly.
Tosh shook her head. "Normally, I'd say you'd have more information than me, but I'm beginning to think that isn't the case. Ianto, what's going on between you and Jack?"
"Nothing," he said, spinning his notebook on the table, watching it go round and round instead of meeting Tosh's concerned gaze.
"Ianto..."
"No, I'm serious. It's nothing. It's been nothing for days, ever since the night Owen died. The only time he speaks to give me orders or put me in my place."
"What happened?"
Ianto shrugged. "I dared to question him."
"And?"
He shrugged again. "And that's it."
Tosh raised an eyebrow at him. "I find that hard to believe. I've seen you two since he got back this summer, one argument isn't enough to completely derail your relationship."
"He told me I'm only good for making the coffee, Tosh."
"And what did you say?"
"When?"
"When he said that horrible thing about the coffee," Tosh said, clearly getting frustrated.
Ianto felt his shoulders tighten and he spun his notebook harder. "Nothing. I left."
Tosh blew out an angry sigh. "Men. I swear."
"What was I supposed to say?"
"Something, anything!" Tosh stood up and pointed her finger at him. "I swear, Ianto, if you let him get away with this -"
"Let him?" Ianto stood too, his chair making an angry sound as it scooted back. "How the hell did this get to be my fault?"
"I'm sorry," Tosh said more calmly. "It's not... not unless you continue to do nothing. You can't just sit back and act like the injured party, you have to do something to fix it."
"How?" Ianto ran his hand through his hair and then put his hands on his hips.
"I would suggest something radical like talking to him," Tosh said with a touch of asperity.
Ianto shook his head. "He very obviously doesn't want to talk to me."
"So?"
"So? I... well..."
"Ianto, you're both in the relationship, not just Jack. If you love him, make him listen. You deserve to be heard." She held up her hand when Ianto began to speak again. "No. Talk to Jack not me. I'm sure once you get talking he'll apologise."
Ianto snorted. "Yeah, 'cause that's so Jack."
Tosh gave him a sympathetic smile. "Well, he should apologise. Everyone knows you're an important part of the team now and that coffee crack was completely out of line just like the rest of his behaviour today."
Ianto slipped his hands in his pockets and shrugged again.
With a roll of her eyes, Tosh came around the table and tugged on Ianto's elbow. "Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"Pub. We have the rest of the afternoon free and you clearly need a drink."
"Toshiko Sato!" Ianto gasped in mock astonishment. "Drinking before an assignment?"
It was Tosh's turn to snort derisively. "You heard Jack, we're stuck at mission control tonight. One beer won't matter and I definitely need a drink if I'm gonna keep dealing with you men," she muttered.
"'Men' plural, huh?" Ianto said, seizing the chance to turn the conversation away from himself as they reached the top of the stairs. "What has Owen done now? Or did you just mean me and Jack?"
Tosh shook her head. "At the Pub," she said quietly, nodding towards Martha and Gwen who were chatting together on the sofa.
Ianto nodded and glanced around, but there was no sign of Owen or Jack. He sighed and followed Tosh out of the Hub, wondering if either of them had a chance at happily ever after anymore.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A few hours later, Ianto found himself wondering the same thing when he stood by Tosh's side as Owen said his goodbyes to everyone... again. His infiltration of Henry Parker's compound had been successful: he'd gotten past all the guards, into the house, into Parker's room where the old man lay dying in his bed, his life being sustained by machines, and found the item radiating the energy spikes they'd been monitoring all day. But then everything went to hell. Parker died suddenly despite Owen's best attempts to resuscitate him and then the item, which Parker had named The Pulse, began to accelerate its energy production, the readings going beyond anything Torchwood was capable of tracking and Owen's earlier joke about blowing up the city was suddenly not very funny at all.
"It's okay," Owen said calmly over the comms. "I'm going to hold it."
"Owen, what are you doing?" Jack asked for everyone.
"See if I can absorb it."
Tosh began to panic. "Owen, the energy reading's off the scale. You won't survive!"
"It's okay. These things happen," Owen said quietly. "Martha. Martha."
"Owen?" Martha answered.
"If it destroys me, they're going to need a new doctor. You've got all the credentials, medical skills, a cracking arse. Jack? If you even attempt to bring me back again..." He let the threat taper off.
Ianto moved closer to Gwen and Tosh, his throat getting tight.
"Gwen, Ianto?" Owen continued.
Ianto closed his eyes against the tears that were threatening.
"It was fun... mostly. Thank you," Owen said softly. "Tosh?"
Ianto glanced over at Tosh who was biting her lip and shaking her head, unwilling or unable to answer. He stepped over to her and rested his hand on her shoulder.
"Tosh?" Owen asked again.
Ianto patted Tosh's shoulder gently and then manoeuvred Gwen away from her, to give her a modicum of privacy.
"Come on, answer me."
"Owen," Tosh said in a choked voice.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, the sincerity clear even over the tinny comms.
There was a long pause where it felt like everyone held their breath.
Tosh finally spoke. "I love you," she said simply.
The waves of energy on the monitor got brighter and brighter until the screen went completely white. Ianto and Gwen exchanged worried glances but didn't speak. Ianto quickly moved to another computer and hacked into the city's emergency services network, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary.
"Owen?" Tosh whispered.
There was no response.
"Owen."
This time the word was not a question.
It was a farewell.
TBC...
. This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/118360.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Rating: R
Warnings: None really, just more Zombie!Owen ;-)
Spoilers: Season Two thru A Day in the Death (2x08)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood, Doctor Who and all their wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. All ©'s to Andy Goddard for situations and dialogue borrowed from A Day in the Death. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: In which Owen attempts to save the day by finding the artefact which is threatening the city...
Notes: Hello! Clearly I need to change my posting day to Sunday. Let's call that a done deal - see you next Sunday! You can find all the previous chapters of The Sea After a Storm here. This is a sequel to Vizzini’s Rule and To The Pain. Thanks again and forever to my amazing beta and wonderful friend
thraceadams for all the help and support and beta work; any mistakes are mine!
The Sea After a Storm: Chapter Eighty-Six
Previously on The Sea After a Storm: Jack and Ianto continue to give each other the cold shoulder whilst the team investigates the strange energy pulses emanating from Parker's residence...
"I'm going in," Owen said firmly.
"What will you need?" Ianto asked.
Owen looked a bit taken aback that no one was going to argue with him. "Um... hadn't really thought that far," he admitted.
"Well, we better get on it," Tosh said crisply. "The energy spikes are growing in frequency and strength every moment." She gave the monitor a glance and then nodded at Gwen. "These are current?" she asked about the schematics of Parker's compound.
Gwen jerked and her mouth, which had been hanging slightly open as she struggled to keep up with the undercurrents in the room, snapped shut. "Um... yes, to the best of our knowledge." She passed the display remote to Tosh and took a seat at the table.
Tosh quickly scanned through the data, confirming a few minor items with Gwen and Jack as she familiarized herself with the layout. Owen dropped into the chair next to Ianto, giving him a rueful smile.
"Looks like your coffee machine is safe again," he muttered quietly.
Ianto bit back a grin. "As are our stomachs," he whispered.
Owen let out a soft bark of laughter. "And the enamel on our teeth. Christ, I make terrible coffee."
"You do, you really do." Ianto reached in his pocket and withdrew Owen's security badge. He slid it over to Owen who took it with a grateful smile. They both looked up when Tosh's voice rose suddenly.
"I understand why he has to be the one to breech the house, but why can't we back him up on the grounds?"
"It'll be easier for one man to sneak around the guards," Owen said. "Besides, it's not like anything can kill me."
"Kill you, no, but, Owen, you'll have to be careful," Martha cautioned.
"Yeah, yeah." Owen waved his hand dismissively. "So the plan is I go in, get past the guards, bring down the generator, get in the house, get the... whatever is causing the spikes and get it out, yeah?"
"In a nutshell," Jack said. "All comms will be open and we'll help where we can. Martha and I will be onsite with you, just outside the grounds, and Gwen and Tosh will be mission control."
"And Ianto," Gwen said, glancing over at him worriedly.
Ianto gave her a reassuring smile and a quick shake of his head. "However I can help," he said calmly, refusing to rise to Jack's bait.
Jack grunted. "This is going to be a cover-of-darkness op, so we'll meet back here after sunset, which is..."
"Ten past four, give or take a minute," Ianto filled in smoothly.
Jack gave him a curt nod. "Right. Make it five, then. Maybe we'll stumble into a shift change for supper."
Owen nodded. "Slip up to the generator while they're occupied. It'd be a nice change for something to go that smooth." He gave them a rueful grin. "I wouldn't count on it."
Gwen clicked off the monitor and gave everyone a determined nod. "All right, then, we have a plan. Owen will retrieve the item before the energy surges can... do whatever they're going to do."
"Blow up the city?" Owen suggested a little too brightly.
"Let's hope not," Jack said, pushing his chair back from the table and standing.
Ianto remained seated as Jack, Owen and Gwen left the room. "Speaking of the city blowing up, do you know if there's a plan for after Owen gets the item?" he asked Tosh softly.
Tosh shook her head. "Normally, I'd say you'd have more information than me, but I'm beginning to think that isn't the case. Ianto, what's going on between you and Jack?"
"Nothing," he said, spinning his notebook on the table, watching it go round and round instead of meeting Tosh's concerned gaze.
"Ianto..."
"No, I'm serious. It's nothing. It's been nothing for days, ever since the night Owen died. The only time he speaks to give me orders or put me in my place."
"What happened?"
Ianto shrugged. "I dared to question him."
"And?"
He shrugged again. "And that's it."
Tosh raised an eyebrow at him. "I find that hard to believe. I've seen you two since he got back this summer, one argument isn't enough to completely derail your relationship."
"He told me I'm only good for making the coffee, Tosh."
"And what did you say?"
"When?"
"When he said that horrible thing about the coffee," Tosh said, clearly getting frustrated.
Ianto felt his shoulders tighten and he spun his notebook harder. "Nothing. I left."
Tosh blew out an angry sigh. "Men. I swear."
"What was I supposed to say?"
"Something, anything!" Tosh stood up and pointed her finger at him. "I swear, Ianto, if you let him get away with this -"
"Let him?" Ianto stood too, his chair making an angry sound as it scooted back. "How the hell did this get to be my fault?"
"I'm sorry," Tosh said more calmly. "It's not... not unless you continue to do nothing. You can't just sit back and act like the injured party, you have to do something to fix it."
"How?" Ianto ran his hand through his hair and then put his hands on his hips.
"I would suggest something radical like talking to him," Tosh said with a touch of asperity.
Ianto shook his head. "He very obviously doesn't want to talk to me."
"So?"
"So? I... well..."
"Ianto, you're both in the relationship, not just Jack. If you love him, make him listen. You deserve to be heard." She held up her hand when Ianto began to speak again. "No. Talk to Jack not me. I'm sure once you get talking he'll apologise."
Ianto snorted. "Yeah, 'cause that's so Jack."
Tosh gave him a sympathetic smile. "Well, he should apologise. Everyone knows you're an important part of the team now and that coffee crack was completely out of line just like the rest of his behaviour today."
Ianto slipped his hands in his pockets and shrugged again.
With a roll of her eyes, Tosh came around the table and tugged on Ianto's elbow. "Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"Pub. We have the rest of the afternoon free and you clearly need a drink."
"Toshiko Sato!" Ianto gasped in mock astonishment. "Drinking before an assignment?"
It was Tosh's turn to snort derisively. "You heard Jack, we're stuck at mission control tonight. One beer won't matter and I definitely need a drink if I'm gonna keep dealing with you men," she muttered.
"'Men' plural, huh?" Ianto said, seizing the chance to turn the conversation away from himself as they reached the top of the stairs. "What has Owen done now? Or did you just mean me and Jack?"
Tosh shook her head. "At the Pub," she said quietly, nodding towards Martha and Gwen who were chatting together on the sofa.
Ianto nodded and glanced around, but there was no sign of Owen or Jack. He sighed and followed Tosh out of the Hub, wondering if either of them had a chance at happily ever after anymore.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A few hours later, Ianto found himself wondering the same thing when he stood by Tosh's side as Owen said his goodbyes to everyone... again. His infiltration of Henry Parker's compound had been successful: he'd gotten past all the guards, into the house, into Parker's room where the old man lay dying in his bed, his life being sustained by machines, and found the item radiating the energy spikes they'd been monitoring all day. But then everything went to hell. Parker died suddenly despite Owen's best attempts to resuscitate him and then the item, which Parker had named The Pulse, began to accelerate its energy production, the readings going beyond anything Torchwood was capable of tracking and Owen's earlier joke about blowing up the city was suddenly not very funny at all.
"It's okay," Owen said calmly over the comms. "I'm going to hold it."
"Owen, what are you doing?" Jack asked for everyone.
"See if I can absorb it."
Tosh began to panic. "Owen, the energy reading's off the scale. You won't survive!"
"It's okay. These things happen," Owen said quietly. "Martha. Martha."
"Owen?" Martha answered.
"If it destroys me, they're going to need a new doctor. You've got all the credentials, medical skills, a cracking arse. Jack? If you even attempt to bring me back again..." He let the threat taper off.
Ianto moved closer to Gwen and Tosh, his throat getting tight.
"Gwen, Ianto?" Owen continued.
Ianto closed his eyes against the tears that were threatening.
"It was fun... mostly. Thank you," Owen said softly. "Tosh?"
Ianto glanced over at Tosh who was biting her lip and shaking her head, unwilling or unable to answer. He stepped over to her and rested his hand on her shoulder.
"Tosh?" Owen asked again.
Ianto patted Tosh's shoulder gently and then manoeuvred Gwen away from her, to give her a modicum of privacy.
"Come on, answer me."
"Owen," Tosh said in a choked voice.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, the sincerity clear even over the tinny comms.
There was a long pause where it felt like everyone held their breath.
Tosh finally spoke. "I love you," she said simply.
The waves of energy on the monitor got brighter and brighter until the screen went completely white. Ianto and Gwen exchanged worried glances but didn't speak. Ianto quickly moved to another computer and hacked into the city's emergency services network, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary.
"Owen?" Tosh whispered.
There was no response.
"Owen."
This time the word was not a question.
It was a farewell.
TBC...
. This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/118360.html. Please comment there using OpenID.