Fic: Vizzini's Rule (88/105)
Title: Vizzini's Rule, Chapter 88
Rating: R
Warnings: Just some more bad words
Spoilers: Season One thru Captain Jack Harkness (1x12)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around! All ©’s to Catherine Tregenna for dialogue and situations borrowed from Captain Jack Harkness - no infringement, only worship intended.
Summary: In which the fight for control of the rift comes to an end…
Notes: Alrighty! We’re almost to the end of the main action of CJH - thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has been commenting. Love you all! *blows kiss*
Previous Chapters
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Eighty-Eight
Previously on Vizzini’s Rule:
Gwen spoke again. “Tosh has written a message at the end. It says… ‘Tell my family I love them.’”
Ianto slumped forward, completely defeated. Tosh didn’t believe we could get them back, he thought. What if she’s right?
There was silence between the three team members for a long, painful moment while they each thought about Tosh and Jack.
“I don’t… I don’t know what to do next,” Gwen said helplessly into the comm.
“I do,” Owen snarled. “I’m opening the fucking rift.”
He took off at a run with Ianto on his heels. “Owen, stop!” Ianto yelled.
“Ianto? Owen? What’s going on?” Gwen asked over the comms, but the two men ignored her.
Ianto stood next to the Rift Manipulator with his arms crossed, watching Owen fiddling with the cables again. “It still won’t work. There’s a piece missing,” he pointed out.
“Bilis had it all along,” Owen said. He pulled the missing key out of his pocket with a smug smile. He locked it into place on the manipulator.
“We still don’t have all the equation,” Ianto said fighting to stay calm. If Owen opens the rift… he couldn’t bear to finish that thought. Part of him was aching for Jack and willing to do anything to get him back, him and Tosh, but the rational side of his mind knew that opening the rift would be catastrophic.
Owen was still working. “Well, maybe the machine can work it out,” he said and pulled the power lever.
“Owen!” Ianto ran forward but the machine began to fail again almost immediately.
Owen snarled in disgust and threw off his jacket as he ran for Jack’s office. When Ianto reached the door, Owen was rifling through the drawers of Jack’s desk.
“There must be something in the safe,” he said as he continued to search the desk. “The key fits, we just need better instructions.”
“You can’t open the safe! You’ve got no right,” Ianto said. And as I’m the only here with the combination, you’ve got no chance.
“I am second in command. I have got every fucking right!”
“There’s stuff in there we don’t know about. That’s the way Jack likes it!” Ianto growled.
“I’m not going to play with his toys, Ianto,” Owen sneered. He pulled out Jack’s journal and began to flip through the pages, almost daring Ianto to stop him.
Look all you want, Owen. Jack wouldn’t be stupid enough to write it down where just anyone -
“Rhea Silva, the god of war’s missus…”
Dammit Jack! Ianto thought.
“…and a nine-digit number.” Owen flipped the book closed with a look of satisfaction. “Not so clever, Jack.”
Ianto watched Owen open the safe, the two sides of his mind warring again. Stop Owen, protect Torchwood, protect the world… lose Jack. Jack… He stood there, immobilized by indecision.
Owen pulled box after box from the Secure Archives, until he finally found what he was looking for. “Blueprints for the Rift Machine,” he said. He looked up at Ianto with satisfaction written all over his face.
Suddenly, Ianto felt all the doubt disappear. He knew what Jack would want him to do, even if it meant abandoning him in 1941. Jack would save the world. It’s what he always did, no matter what the cost.
He ran for the manipulator with Owen hot on his heels. Ianto had his hand stretched out to remove the key when Owen slammed the metal edge of the file with the blueprints into his wrist. Crying out with pain, Ianto grabbed at the file with his other hand and managed to wrest it away from Owen. They struggled for the blueprints, the file changing hands several times before Owen was able to hang on to them.
Owen stepped back from Ianto. “There’s instructions in here. This isn’t a random act of madness,” he said.
“It’s a trap!” Ianto yelled. Owen ignored him and began pulling the drawings out of the file. “Bilis wanted you to find it.”
“Why?” Owen scoffed as he thumbed through the prints.
Ianto was ready to tear his hair out. “To provoke the rift! To incite total chaos and destruction!” He tried to calm himself down. “All the reports of the haunted dancehall were anonymous.” Owen ignored him and kept flipping through the blueprints. “What if it was him? Please listen to me!” he shouted.
“I’m tired of being in awe of the rift,” Owen said with a sneer. “I’m tired of living with Jack’s secrets. We don’t even know who he is!” Despite his bravado, Owen looked as if he were about to cry.
“He’s our leader,” Ianto replied firmly.
Owen turned his back to Ianto and seemed to get himself under control. When he turned around, the look on his face actually frightened Ianto. “Not any more.” He charged for the Rift Manipulator, yelling, “Get out of my way!” at Ianto.
Ianto did just the opposite. He tackled Owen, knocking the file out of his hands. They fell to the floor, struggling for control. Ianto had landed on his back with Owen on top of him. With no clear plan, Ianto just tried to keep Owen from getting back up. Owen thrashed around, finally landing a violent blow with his elbow to Ianto’s ribs. He took advantage of Ianto’s loosened grip and rolled off, reaching for the files as Ianto turned on his side and tried to get there first. Owen grabbed the file case and stood up. He looked down at Ianto and then dealt him a vicious kick that knocked the breath out of him. Owen ran for the manipulator while Ianto lay huddled on the floor, trying in vain to breathe.
Jack… he thought hazily. I’m sorry…
Once the breath had returned to his body, Ianto got up and walked unsteadily to his workstation. Owen was racing around the manipulator, rearranging the cables to the correct configuration. He wasn’t paying any attention to Ianto who carefully and quietly opened the drawer which held his Torchwood issue sidearm. He made sure his back was to the manipulator and cautiously inserted the clip. He took a deep breath, wincing at the pain in his ribs. Ianto thought of Jack again and knew he was doing the right thing.
Ianto clicked his comm until he was speaking one-on-one to Gwen and whispered, “Gwen? You there?”
He heard Gwen give a little gasp and then sniffle. When she spoke, it was apparent she’d been crying. “Ianto? What the fuck is going -”
“Gwen, listen. Owen is trying to open the rift. I’m going to try to stop him. Where are you right now?”
“Still in the basement,” she said wearily.
“Get out of there. If Owen succeeds I don’t know what will happen. Get out of the building right now.”
“Okay. Ianto… what are you going to do?”
“Everything I can. I’ll see you soon,” he said. I hope. With another breath, he slid the gun into his hand, clicking off the safety and letting his arm rest naturally at his side. He walked slowly over to the manipulator. He needn’t have been so cautious, Owen was far too absorbed in the machine to even notice Ianto until he spoke.
“Put the key down,” he ordered in a rough voice. When Owen looked at him, he raised the gun. “Or I’ll shoot.”
Owen paused and looked up at Ianto, disbelief written across his face.
“You have to let Diane go,” Ianto continued. “Like I did with Lisa.”
Owen curled his lip. “Don’t compare yourself to me. You’re just the tea boy,” he said scathingly.
“I’m much more than that. Jack needs me,” Ianto said with quiet confidence.
“In your dreams, Ianto,” Owen said, putting words to every fear, every doubt Ianto had ever had about Jack. He went on, his voice full of contempt. “In your sad wet dreams when you’re his part-time shag, maybe.”
Fury washed over Ianto. He had taken a step closer to Owen and cocked his gun before he knew what had happened. It took every ounce of his willpower not to shoot Owen right then. He took a deep breath and fought back tears of anger as he focused on what Owen was saying.
“….took my lover and my captain. So if I die trying to beat it, then it will all be in the line of duty!” Owen stared at Ianto for a long moment, wide-eyed and almost twitching with the desire to put the key in place.
Ianto stared him down, his gun unwavering. Owen finally moved, turning his back to Ianto to place the key on the Rift Manipulator.
Ianto fired.
Owen screamed as the bullet tore through his shoulder. He fell to the ground, but not until he had locked the key in place. He lay there panting, leaning against the machine as it began to engage. Smoke filled the hub as the manipulator reached maximum power.
“You don’t know what you’ve done!” Ianto shouted.
TBC in Chapter Eighty-Nine
Rating: R
Warnings: Just some more bad words
Spoilers: Season One thru Captain Jack Harkness (1x12)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around! All ©’s to Catherine Tregenna for dialogue and situations borrowed from Captain Jack Harkness - no infringement, only worship intended.
Summary: In which the fight for control of the rift comes to an end…
Notes: Alrighty! We’re almost to the end of the main action of CJH - thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has been commenting. Love you all! *blows kiss*
Previous Chapters
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Eighty-Eight
Previously on Vizzini’s Rule:
Gwen spoke again. “Tosh has written a message at the end. It says… ‘Tell my family I love them.’”
Ianto slumped forward, completely defeated. Tosh didn’t believe we could get them back, he thought. What if she’s right?
There was silence between the three team members for a long, painful moment while they each thought about Tosh and Jack.
“I don’t… I don’t know what to do next,” Gwen said helplessly into the comm.
“I do,” Owen snarled. “I’m opening the fucking rift.”
He took off at a run with Ianto on his heels. “Owen, stop!” Ianto yelled.
“Ianto? Owen? What’s going on?” Gwen asked over the comms, but the two men ignored her.
Ianto stood next to the Rift Manipulator with his arms crossed, watching Owen fiddling with the cables again. “It still won’t work. There’s a piece missing,” he pointed out.
“Bilis had it all along,” Owen said. He pulled the missing key out of his pocket with a smug smile. He locked it into place on the manipulator.
“We still don’t have all the equation,” Ianto said fighting to stay calm. If Owen opens the rift… he couldn’t bear to finish that thought. Part of him was aching for Jack and willing to do anything to get him back, him and Tosh, but the rational side of his mind knew that opening the rift would be catastrophic.
Owen was still working. “Well, maybe the machine can work it out,” he said and pulled the power lever.
“Owen!” Ianto ran forward but the machine began to fail again almost immediately.
Owen snarled in disgust and threw off his jacket as he ran for Jack’s office. When Ianto reached the door, Owen was rifling through the drawers of Jack’s desk.
“There must be something in the safe,” he said as he continued to search the desk. “The key fits, we just need better instructions.”
“You can’t open the safe! You’ve got no right,” Ianto said. And as I’m the only here with the combination, you’ve got no chance.
“I am second in command. I have got every fucking right!”
“There’s stuff in there we don’t know about. That’s the way Jack likes it!” Ianto growled.
“I’m not going to play with his toys, Ianto,” Owen sneered. He pulled out Jack’s journal and began to flip through the pages, almost daring Ianto to stop him.
Look all you want, Owen. Jack wouldn’t be stupid enough to write it down where just anyone -
“Rhea Silva, the god of war’s missus…”
Dammit Jack! Ianto thought.
“…and a nine-digit number.” Owen flipped the book closed with a look of satisfaction. “Not so clever, Jack.”
Ianto watched Owen open the safe, the two sides of his mind warring again. Stop Owen, protect Torchwood, protect the world… lose Jack. Jack… He stood there, immobilized by indecision.
Owen pulled box after box from the Secure Archives, until he finally found what he was looking for. “Blueprints for the Rift Machine,” he said. He looked up at Ianto with satisfaction written all over his face.
Suddenly, Ianto felt all the doubt disappear. He knew what Jack would want him to do, even if it meant abandoning him in 1941. Jack would save the world. It’s what he always did, no matter what the cost.
He ran for the manipulator with Owen hot on his heels. Ianto had his hand stretched out to remove the key when Owen slammed the metal edge of the file with the blueprints into his wrist. Crying out with pain, Ianto grabbed at the file with his other hand and managed to wrest it away from Owen. They struggled for the blueprints, the file changing hands several times before Owen was able to hang on to them.
Owen stepped back from Ianto. “There’s instructions in here. This isn’t a random act of madness,” he said.
“It’s a trap!” Ianto yelled. Owen ignored him and began pulling the drawings out of the file. “Bilis wanted you to find it.”
“Why?” Owen scoffed as he thumbed through the prints.
Ianto was ready to tear his hair out. “To provoke the rift! To incite total chaos and destruction!” He tried to calm himself down. “All the reports of the haunted dancehall were anonymous.” Owen ignored him and kept flipping through the blueprints. “What if it was him? Please listen to me!” he shouted.
“I’m tired of being in awe of the rift,” Owen said with a sneer. “I’m tired of living with Jack’s secrets. We don’t even know who he is!” Despite his bravado, Owen looked as if he were about to cry.
“He’s our leader,” Ianto replied firmly.
Owen turned his back to Ianto and seemed to get himself under control. When he turned around, the look on his face actually frightened Ianto. “Not any more.” He charged for the Rift Manipulator, yelling, “Get out of my way!” at Ianto.
Ianto did just the opposite. He tackled Owen, knocking the file out of his hands. They fell to the floor, struggling for control. Ianto had landed on his back with Owen on top of him. With no clear plan, Ianto just tried to keep Owen from getting back up. Owen thrashed around, finally landing a violent blow with his elbow to Ianto’s ribs. He took advantage of Ianto’s loosened grip and rolled off, reaching for the files as Ianto turned on his side and tried to get there first. Owen grabbed the file case and stood up. He looked down at Ianto and then dealt him a vicious kick that knocked the breath out of him. Owen ran for the manipulator while Ianto lay huddled on the floor, trying in vain to breathe.
Jack… he thought hazily. I’m sorry…
Once the breath had returned to his body, Ianto got up and walked unsteadily to his workstation. Owen was racing around the manipulator, rearranging the cables to the correct configuration. He wasn’t paying any attention to Ianto who carefully and quietly opened the drawer which held his Torchwood issue sidearm. He made sure his back was to the manipulator and cautiously inserted the clip. He took a deep breath, wincing at the pain in his ribs. Ianto thought of Jack again and knew he was doing the right thing.
Ianto clicked his comm until he was speaking one-on-one to Gwen and whispered, “Gwen? You there?”
He heard Gwen give a little gasp and then sniffle. When she spoke, it was apparent she’d been crying. “Ianto? What the fuck is going -”
“Gwen, listen. Owen is trying to open the rift. I’m going to try to stop him. Where are you right now?”
“Still in the basement,” she said wearily.
“Get out of there. If Owen succeeds I don’t know what will happen. Get out of the building right now.”
“Okay. Ianto… what are you going to do?”
“Everything I can. I’ll see you soon,” he said. I hope. With another breath, he slid the gun into his hand, clicking off the safety and letting his arm rest naturally at his side. He walked slowly over to the manipulator. He needn’t have been so cautious, Owen was far too absorbed in the machine to even notice Ianto until he spoke.
“Put the key down,” he ordered in a rough voice. When Owen looked at him, he raised the gun. “Or I’ll shoot.”
Owen paused and looked up at Ianto, disbelief written across his face.
“You have to let Diane go,” Ianto continued. “Like I did with Lisa.”
Owen curled his lip. “Don’t compare yourself to me. You’re just the tea boy,” he said scathingly.
“I’m much more than that. Jack needs me,” Ianto said with quiet confidence.
“In your dreams, Ianto,” Owen said, putting words to every fear, every doubt Ianto had ever had about Jack. He went on, his voice full of contempt. “In your sad wet dreams when you’re his part-time shag, maybe.”
Fury washed over Ianto. He had taken a step closer to Owen and cocked his gun before he knew what had happened. It took every ounce of his willpower not to shoot Owen right then. He took a deep breath and fought back tears of anger as he focused on what Owen was saying.
“….took my lover and my captain. So if I die trying to beat it, then it will all be in the line of duty!” Owen stared at Ianto for a long moment, wide-eyed and almost twitching with the desire to put the key in place.
Ianto stared him down, his gun unwavering. Owen finally moved, turning his back to Ianto to place the key on the Rift Manipulator.
Ianto fired.
Owen screamed as the bullet tore through his shoulder. He fell to the ground, but not until he had locked the key in place. He lay there panting, leaning against the machine as it began to engage. Smoke filled the hub as the manipulator reached maximum power.
“You don’t know what you’ve done!” Ianto shouted.
TBC in Chapter Eighty-Nine