Fic: "Leave You" (Jack/Ianto) - 7/10
Title: Leave You
Author: Jedi Princess Clarrisani
Chapter: 7 of 10
Rating: R (M15+)
Pairing(s): Jack/Ianto
Series: Breathe Trilogy (Part One)
Summary: After losing his two best friends during an alien attack, Ianto quits Torchwood only to end up in a train wreck
Disclaimer: Still don't own. I'm not allowed to play in that sandbox.
Warnings: Very, very, angsty. And I mean that. Also, some spoilers for the season two episode "Fragments" for Owen's story.
A/N: Written for TWWC (Torchwood Australia Writing Challenge) #9. Song used for challenge is Mika's "Relax (Take it Easy)". This fic is AU to S2 as it was written during when S2 was airing.
---------
From Part Six
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"Oh my god."
Owen had pulled the SUV up at the top of the rise, the sun setting behind them as they gazed at the swirling darkness in front of them. It was exactly as Ianto had described, a large part of the countryside disappearing into an inky blackness that consumed everything and prevented them from seeing anything within it cloudy depths.
Jack swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in his throat. "Tosh? Anything on how to defeat these things?"
"I'm afraid not." She looked up. "Ianto was right. There is nothing on our records."
"I swear that man spends far too much time reading the archives," Owen muttered.
"It's like something out of a nightmare, a horror film." Gwen said softly, leaning forward and staring wide eyed at the swirling nothingness. "It's like it does something to me as I'm looking at it. Projecting feelings." She frowned slightly. "It's as if I'm scared."
"It's as if I'm terrified," Owen agreed.
Jack shook his head. "Don't let it get to you. It's a psychological effect of their shield to prevent people from trying to approach it and find out what's happening."
"Yeah," Owen said, a slight shakiness to his voice as he shot Jack a quick look before pointing forward. "I still don't want to go in there."
Gwen frowned. "Wouldn't it be affecting Ianto?"
"Not necessarily," Jack said. "He's inside the field. His main worry is to stay alive. Any fear he feels would be real."
"The shielding doesn't block our equipment at all," Tosh said, fingers flying over the keyboard. "I've been able to take geographical readings of the area within the cloud and I've found the imprint of what must be the barn. It's the only manmade structure within the parameter aside from the train and some fences."
Jack looked back at her. "Where?"
She rattled off the exact coordinators, Owen hitting the accelerator and surging the SUV forward. He didn't even bother to stop and open a gate as he veered off the main road into a field. They all winced as the SUV plunged into the cloud, the lasts of the day becoming almost pitch black night. Owen instinctively turned on the headlights, the twin beams of light splitting the darkness as the Range Rover bounced over the uneven ground at speed.
"Tosh, the Zarybok have got to be projecting the field from somewhere," Jack said, looking back as he braced himself, one hand on the dash. "See if you can locate the source."
"I'm already on it."
"Jack," Gwen glanced out at the darkness for a moment and setting herself. "You and Tosh try and find the shield. Owen and I will look for Ianto."
As expected, Jack didn't like the plan. He spun, blue-grey eyes reflecting his disproval and faint anger. "Excuse me? And who made you boss?"
"She's right, Jack." Owen kept his eyes on the road, wincing slightly as he felt Jack's hard gaze land on him. "The Zarybok are probably guarding their shield. If anyone can shut it down, you and Tosh can. Gwen and I would be useless."
Jack stared at him, then looked at Tosh. "Let me guess: you agree with them."
Tosh chewed her lower lip and nodded. "Afraid so."
Jack glared at each of them in turn before dropping properly back into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest and reminding them slightly of a spoilt child denied his favourite toy for bad behaviour. In a way, it was partly true. "We still don't know how to harm these things, so stay alert."
The other three exchanged quick looks, but never said a thing.
***
They did have eyes. They were empty pits of darkness, or at least he assumed those were the eyes. They were the logical place for eyes to be. Then again, considering how long he'd been working for Torchwood he should know that logic and Torchwood never really went together.
He and the others stood in a ring of flame they had created using the straw and diesel for the owner's vehicles they had found in the barn. Anya stood just behind him, Ianto having finally convinced her to stay in the centre of their circle. Each of the others, including himself, held a makeshift torch in their hands, the flame hot against him as he gazed out into the darkness.
Around them several Zarybok lay dead, their bodies still smouldering from where they had managed to catch them with their flames. It turned out that the wraithlike Zarybok where highly flammable. Combined with their obvious fear of light, Ianto knew they had finally found a way to fight the creatures. Now he just hoped they didn't run out of fuel.
"How many do you think there are?" Jodie asked, scanning their surroundings. Save for the light thrown from the flames, they were now surrounded by complete and utter blackness, so thick it was like a solid, impregnable wall.
"Don't know," Ianto admitted. "If we could somehow disable whatever it is causing the darkness we'd be able to see."
A rustling caught their attention, and glancing to the side they spotted the shadows shift. The Zarybok seemed content in hiding in the darkness, only entering the light when they saw an opening. Ianto glanced down, swearing softly to himself.
"Colin, there's a break in the circle."
Colin looked down, eyes widening as he realised that the flames had died down in the place just to his left. He scrambled back to grab more fuel, Anya screaming as the Zarybok swept in from nowhere. Grant was there in an instant, sweeping with his torch and setting the front runners alight. They shrieked, the group wincing at the high pitched sound that split through their heads.
"Oh god..." Jodie groaned, dropping to her knees. "I can't... I can't..."
"Stay strong," Ianto said, glancing back at her. "You can do it."
"We can't." Grant shook his head. "Not alone, we can't."
Ianto felt the wave of helplessness sweep over him. He frowned, recognising the telepathic field at once. Obviously the Zarybok had come across resistance in the past and were fully prepared. He felt a bead of sweat roll down his face, the pain in his body growing. He scanned the shadows, seeking out the source and spotting a group of Zarybok standing near the barn.
Initially he thought the group were blocking their retreat, but remembered how easily the Zarybok had moved through the train taking the lives of the survivors. No, they were doing something else. He narrowed his eyes, trying to force himself to focus and realising that they were holding something.
The wave of fear and helplessness hit him hard as it tripled; Anya, Jodie, Colin and Grant crumpling, the three children collapsing in sobs, Grant staggering before falling to his knees, gasping. The torch fell from his hands as he wrapped his arms around himself, rocking and reciting something under his breath.
Ianto called on every bit of psychic training he had, fighting to suppress the feeling as his strength wavered. He saw the Zarybok moving in again through the break, and in four long strides he stepped over Colin's now unconscious form and swept with his flame, the screams almost breaking what little resolve he had left as the Zarybok burned, effectively closing the gap with their bodies.
He staggered back as the field magnified again, and gritting his teeth he screamed. The pain was searing now, every inch of him hurting. He had lost, he knew that. And no matter how much he screamed, no one would hear him. He was lost. He was alone. It was over.
His fingers tightened their grip on his torch as he widened his stance, staring down the Zarybok in front of him, the creature flirting with the shadows. He hadn't survived Canary Warf, hadn't survived Lisa, Abbadon, the end of the world many times over, to be killed out here alone. He wouldn't go down without a fight.
"Come on!" He yelled. "What are you waiting for!" He spread his arms in an invitation. "Come and get me!"
The pressure on his mind increased again, but he forced it back, setting himself as the Zarybok seeming to set themselves, rallying closer and closer to where he was. For the first time he could see them clearly, their dark eyes glittering like onyx gems, so tiny yet endlessly dark like the fabricated dark around them. They were partially humanoid in form, with long limbs lost beneath what he could only link to a robe like fabric so light it floated, but he could still see the workings of technology strapped to their bodies.
The Zarybok seemed to smile, its black teeth reflecting the fires glow. It leaned forward, raising one arm, long fingers pointing toward him in a way he could only interoperate as a threat. Four fingers, he noted. Only four. No fingernails, but a fine light absorbing fur covering the skin. Not to mention a very interesting object on the end of one finger.
As he stared at it the air seemed to ripple, a burst of dark cloud erupting from it and slipping through what was left of the break in the fire. The tendril wrapped itself around him, and instantly he felt as if his insides were trying to be torn from him. He screamed, barely managing to maintain his grip on the torch as his legs finally gave way, sending him to his knees.
He used everything he had to bring the flame up, blocking the path of the tendrils and instantly feeling relief that allowed him to regain his breath. He knew now why there had been so many screams. They tortured their victims into submission, and once they could no longer fight they took their life force without a struggle. It was so structured and strangely passive that Ianto would have been impressed had he not been fighting for his life.
He glanced back at the prone forms around them, slightly surprised to find Jodie still watching him, her body raked with sobs. Her eyes seemed to plead at him not to give up, for him to save her. It was his job, after all. He couldn't let her down.
He turned back, finding the Zarybok still watching him. He struggled back to his feet, setting his jaw in defiance and sweeping his torch at a Zarybok that tried to slip in while he was down. The leader seemed slightly impressed before raising its hand again. Ianto mentally set himself, but he knew.
He was about to die.
***
TBC...
To Part Eight
Author: Jedi Princess Clarrisani
Chapter: 7 of 10
Rating: R (M15+)
Pairing(s): Jack/Ianto
Series: Breathe Trilogy (Part One)
Summary: After losing his two best friends during an alien attack, Ianto quits Torchwood only to end up in a train wreck
Disclaimer: Still don't own. I'm not allowed to play in that sandbox.
Warnings: Very, very, angsty. And I mean that. Also, some spoilers for the season two episode "Fragments" for Owen's story.
A/N: Written for TWWC (Torchwood Australia Writing Challenge) #9. Song used for challenge is Mika's "Relax (Take it Easy)". This fic is AU to S2 as it was written during when S2 was airing.
---------
From Part Six
---------
"Oh my god."
Owen had pulled the SUV up at the top of the rise, the sun setting behind them as they gazed at the swirling darkness in front of them. It was exactly as Ianto had described, a large part of the countryside disappearing into an inky blackness that consumed everything and prevented them from seeing anything within it cloudy depths.
Jack swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in his throat. "Tosh? Anything on how to defeat these things?"
"I'm afraid not." She looked up. "Ianto was right. There is nothing on our records."
"I swear that man spends far too much time reading the archives," Owen muttered.
"It's like something out of a nightmare, a horror film." Gwen said softly, leaning forward and staring wide eyed at the swirling nothingness. "It's like it does something to me as I'm looking at it. Projecting feelings." She frowned slightly. "It's as if I'm scared."
"It's as if I'm terrified," Owen agreed.
Jack shook his head. "Don't let it get to you. It's a psychological effect of their shield to prevent people from trying to approach it and find out what's happening."
"Yeah," Owen said, a slight shakiness to his voice as he shot Jack a quick look before pointing forward. "I still don't want to go in there."
Gwen frowned. "Wouldn't it be affecting Ianto?"
"Not necessarily," Jack said. "He's inside the field. His main worry is to stay alive. Any fear he feels would be real."
"The shielding doesn't block our equipment at all," Tosh said, fingers flying over the keyboard. "I've been able to take geographical readings of the area within the cloud and I've found the imprint of what must be the barn. It's the only manmade structure within the parameter aside from the train and some fences."
Jack looked back at her. "Where?"
She rattled off the exact coordinators, Owen hitting the accelerator and surging the SUV forward. He didn't even bother to stop and open a gate as he veered off the main road into a field. They all winced as the SUV plunged into the cloud, the lasts of the day becoming almost pitch black night. Owen instinctively turned on the headlights, the twin beams of light splitting the darkness as the Range Rover bounced over the uneven ground at speed.
"Tosh, the Zarybok have got to be projecting the field from somewhere," Jack said, looking back as he braced himself, one hand on the dash. "See if you can locate the source."
"I'm already on it."
"Jack," Gwen glanced out at the darkness for a moment and setting herself. "You and Tosh try and find the shield. Owen and I will look for Ianto."
As expected, Jack didn't like the plan. He spun, blue-grey eyes reflecting his disproval and faint anger. "Excuse me? And who made you boss?"
"She's right, Jack." Owen kept his eyes on the road, wincing slightly as he felt Jack's hard gaze land on him. "The Zarybok are probably guarding their shield. If anyone can shut it down, you and Tosh can. Gwen and I would be useless."
Jack stared at him, then looked at Tosh. "Let me guess: you agree with them."
Tosh chewed her lower lip and nodded. "Afraid so."
Jack glared at each of them in turn before dropping properly back into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest and reminding them slightly of a spoilt child denied his favourite toy for bad behaviour. In a way, it was partly true. "We still don't know how to harm these things, so stay alert."
The other three exchanged quick looks, but never said a thing.
***
They did have eyes. They were empty pits of darkness, or at least he assumed those were the eyes. They were the logical place for eyes to be. Then again, considering how long he'd been working for Torchwood he should know that logic and Torchwood never really went together.
He and the others stood in a ring of flame they had created using the straw and diesel for the owner's vehicles they had found in the barn. Anya stood just behind him, Ianto having finally convinced her to stay in the centre of their circle. Each of the others, including himself, held a makeshift torch in their hands, the flame hot against him as he gazed out into the darkness.
Around them several Zarybok lay dead, their bodies still smouldering from where they had managed to catch them with their flames. It turned out that the wraithlike Zarybok where highly flammable. Combined with their obvious fear of light, Ianto knew they had finally found a way to fight the creatures. Now he just hoped they didn't run out of fuel.
"How many do you think there are?" Jodie asked, scanning their surroundings. Save for the light thrown from the flames, they were now surrounded by complete and utter blackness, so thick it was like a solid, impregnable wall.
"Don't know," Ianto admitted. "If we could somehow disable whatever it is causing the darkness we'd be able to see."
A rustling caught their attention, and glancing to the side they spotted the shadows shift. The Zarybok seemed content in hiding in the darkness, only entering the light when they saw an opening. Ianto glanced down, swearing softly to himself.
"Colin, there's a break in the circle."
Colin looked down, eyes widening as he realised that the flames had died down in the place just to his left. He scrambled back to grab more fuel, Anya screaming as the Zarybok swept in from nowhere. Grant was there in an instant, sweeping with his torch and setting the front runners alight. They shrieked, the group wincing at the high pitched sound that split through their heads.
"Oh god..." Jodie groaned, dropping to her knees. "I can't... I can't..."
"Stay strong," Ianto said, glancing back at her. "You can do it."
"We can't." Grant shook his head. "Not alone, we can't."
Ianto felt the wave of helplessness sweep over him. He frowned, recognising the telepathic field at once. Obviously the Zarybok had come across resistance in the past and were fully prepared. He felt a bead of sweat roll down his face, the pain in his body growing. He scanned the shadows, seeking out the source and spotting a group of Zarybok standing near the barn.
Initially he thought the group were blocking their retreat, but remembered how easily the Zarybok had moved through the train taking the lives of the survivors. No, they were doing something else. He narrowed his eyes, trying to force himself to focus and realising that they were holding something.
The wave of fear and helplessness hit him hard as it tripled; Anya, Jodie, Colin and Grant crumpling, the three children collapsing in sobs, Grant staggering before falling to his knees, gasping. The torch fell from his hands as he wrapped his arms around himself, rocking and reciting something under his breath.
Ianto called on every bit of psychic training he had, fighting to suppress the feeling as his strength wavered. He saw the Zarybok moving in again through the break, and in four long strides he stepped over Colin's now unconscious form and swept with his flame, the screams almost breaking what little resolve he had left as the Zarybok burned, effectively closing the gap with their bodies.
He staggered back as the field magnified again, and gritting his teeth he screamed. The pain was searing now, every inch of him hurting. He had lost, he knew that. And no matter how much he screamed, no one would hear him. He was lost. He was alone. It was over.
His fingers tightened their grip on his torch as he widened his stance, staring down the Zarybok in front of him, the creature flirting with the shadows. He hadn't survived Canary Warf, hadn't survived Lisa, Abbadon, the end of the world many times over, to be killed out here alone. He wouldn't go down without a fight.
"Come on!" He yelled. "What are you waiting for!" He spread his arms in an invitation. "Come and get me!"
The pressure on his mind increased again, but he forced it back, setting himself as the Zarybok seeming to set themselves, rallying closer and closer to where he was. For the first time he could see them clearly, their dark eyes glittering like onyx gems, so tiny yet endlessly dark like the fabricated dark around them. They were partially humanoid in form, with long limbs lost beneath what he could only link to a robe like fabric so light it floated, but he could still see the workings of technology strapped to their bodies.
The Zarybok seemed to smile, its black teeth reflecting the fires glow. It leaned forward, raising one arm, long fingers pointing toward him in a way he could only interoperate as a threat. Four fingers, he noted. Only four. No fingernails, but a fine light absorbing fur covering the skin. Not to mention a very interesting object on the end of one finger.
As he stared at it the air seemed to ripple, a burst of dark cloud erupting from it and slipping through what was left of the break in the fire. The tendril wrapped itself around him, and instantly he felt as if his insides were trying to be torn from him. He screamed, barely managing to maintain his grip on the torch as his legs finally gave way, sending him to his knees.
He used everything he had to bring the flame up, blocking the path of the tendrils and instantly feeling relief that allowed him to regain his breath. He knew now why there had been so many screams. They tortured their victims into submission, and once they could no longer fight they took their life force without a struggle. It was so structured and strangely passive that Ianto would have been impressed had he not been fighting for his life.
He glanced back at the prone forms around them, slightly surprised to find Jodie still watching him, her body raked with sobs. Her eyes seemed to plead at him not to give up, for him to save her. It was his job, after all. He couldn't let her down.
He turned back, finding the Zarybok still watching him. He struggled back to his feet, setting his jaw in defiance and sweeping his torch at a Zarybok that tried to slip in while he was down. The leader seemed slightly impressed before raising its hand again. Ianto mentally set himself, but he knew.
He was about to die.
***
TBC...
To Part Eight