Fragments of a Shattered Life 19
Title: Fragments of a Shattered Life
Part: 19/28-ish
Rating: 18+
Warnings: Explicit violence, non-con
Genre: Angst
Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, Tosh, Owen
Summary: After POTW Jack's life takes a turn for the worse and he desperately needs help. A Doctor Who/Torchwood crossover. Note that this is a very dark fic.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N:
Previous Chapter here: ohinyan.livejournal.com/6135.html
Chapter 19: Rehabilitation
Ianto, Tosh and Owen continued to try to help Jack socially (between life and death Torchwood missions). They chatted to him around the Hub, they made sure they never gave him a direct order but always asked for things politely, as a request. Tosh and Ianto even stayed on some evenings to socialise with him, doing simple things like playing cards or listening to music. Jack wasn't quite so comfortable with Owen as he had trouble with Owen's sarcastic nature, though Owen was doing his best to rein this in.
Slowly and gradually Jack responded. He was beginning to think of the team as friends instead of masters, though he was always respectful. He had become very keen on reading books and kept Ianto busy keeping him supplied with new ones. He used the Torchwood gym to regain some fitness. The Pleasure Palace had made him keep fit but on the research station he had got barely any exercise at all. Only the fact that food was also in short supply had prevented him from getting fat.
He now sometimes volunteered information, instead of waiting to be questioned about everything. He was also willing to talk about himself to them, as long as the discussion was light and didn't stray into dangerous areas like how old he was, how long he'd been a prisoner, or what he been required to do while a prisoner.
Tosh had even managed to build a portable transmitter that Jack could carry with him so that he could leave the Hub. He was grateful for her effort but had still not agreed to venture outside. Being comfortable with three people was one thing but outside there were thousands of people and Jack was terrified of facing them. There was also the, not so minor point, that the only time he had been outside in decades was when he landed in the alley where the team had found him and he'd been incapable of noticing what was around him then. So not surprisingly Jack felt somewhat agoraphobic.
There had been an outside exercise area at the Pleasure Palace on Nirvana but since he'd been transferred to the Astratech research station he had not been outside.
Jack's fear of being touched had also faded with time. Initially any time one of the team had touched him he had cringed away or flinched. Now if he was touched in passing he accepted it as not meaning anything.
Months went by. The Torchwood team were now so comfortable with having Jack in the Hub that they went out on field missions leaving him alone back at the base and he was left there alone most nights. He was always waiting to help them when they returned from a mission with any jobs that needed doing. Helping secure Weevils, assisting Owen in treating any injuries the team had incurred or even ordering takeaway.
On one particular occasion, Ianto was hauling an alien artefact that had come through the rift into Bute Park back into the Hub, when Jack came to help him. When Ianto nearly dropped the artefact, Jack leaped forward and caught it.
“Careful Ianto, you don't want to activate this. It's a Virisian mining engine. If it starts up it will vaporise half the Hub.”
Ianto gaped, “How do you know that?” he asked.
“I've been to Virisia, I saw one in action,” Jack replied.
“Would you recognise other alien artefacts,” asked Ianto gleefully.
“Probably quite a few,” admitted Jack.
“Right,” Ianto said happily, “you may just have got yourself another job.”
From that time on Jack was officially assigned to the archives as a researcher and signed on to the Torchwood payroll as Jack Matthews. In order to do everything properly Ianto created a fake background for Jack and presented him with a full set of forged ID, including passport, driving licence and National Insurance Number.
One evening Ianto wanted Jack to celebrate his new job. He had Tosh and Owen on side and was trying to persuade Jack to go outside with them all for a walk by the bay. He would have tried for a trip to a restaurant but thought that might be too much for a first excursion.
Jack, who was feeling very positive after his promotion, surprisingly agreed.
And so at 8pm when the crowds in the Plass had largely disappeared but, with it being the height of summer, plenty of daylight left, the four of them walked up to the tourist office entrance. Jack was carrying the portable transmitter in the pocket of his jeans.
Tosh and Owen led the way but as Jack walked out of the door the huge expanse of openness hit him like a brick wall and he cringed back suddenly, lurching back into the tourist office gasping. He lurched straight into Ianto who had been just behind him. Ianto caught him in a hug, which Jack did not cringe from.
“It's OK Jack,” Ianto encouraged. “Just take it slowly, look outside for a while first before you step out.”
Jack did so, looking wonderingly at the outside world that he hadn't seen for over 30 years. It was beautiful. He could see the sea and the sky from his position hovering in the doorway. The only people visible were Tosh and Owen whom he trusted. Gathering his courage and holding onto Ianto he stepped out of the door.
They went for a short walk around the Bay area then back to the Plass to avoid overwhelming Jack.
“I've been here before,” he exclaimed in surprise. “I knew we were in Cardiff but not that we were right where I was last time I was here.”
After they had dropped him off at the Hub, Tosh, Ianto and Owen stopped off at a pub before heading home. Their talk soon turned to Jack.
“There's something that doesn't quite add up with Jack,” Owen was saying. “His PTSD is far too serious for someone who was a prisoner for just a few years. I know he says it was for most of his life, but that doesn't make sense either. He's told us stories about his life beforehand, when he visited Earth before, when he went to Virisia, and he recognises so many alien things that he must have got around a lot. He can't have been that young when he was locked up.”
“Maybe he's a lot older than he looks,” suggested Tosh. “Maybe humans from his planet and century live a lot longer.”
“I guess it's possible,” Owen replied, “but even so he must have had a hellishly bad time for the PTSD to be this bad. Has he ever told either of you why he was imprisoned or what happened to him while he was there?”
“He told me that he was convicted of a crime that he didn't commit,” answered Ianto. “But he's never said how he was treated.”
“I think we can guess, given what those bracelets were designed to do,” said Tosh with a shudder. “I wish I could find a way to get them off him. But at least they don't do physical damage. He's got no scars, so thank god whoever had him stuck with just using those.”
“All we can do is continue helping him reintegrate into society,” sighed Ianto. “We need to work on getting him outside more and into restaurants, supermarkets, and yes Owen, eventually pubs.”
Chapter 20 here: ohinyan.livejournal.com/6403.html
Part: 19/28-ish
Rating: 18+
Warnings: Explicit violence, non-con
Genre: Angst
Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, Tosh, Owen
Summary: After POTW Jack's life takes a turn for the worse and he desperately needs help. A Doctor Who/Torchwood crossover. Note that this is a very dark fic.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N:
Previous Chapter here: ohinyan.livejournal.com/6135.html
Chapter 19: Rehabilitation
Ianto, Tosh and Owen continued to try to help Jack socially (between life and death Torchwood missions). They chatted to him around the Hub, they made sure they never gave him a direct order but always asked for things politely, as a request. Tosh and Ianto even stayed on some evenings to socialise with him, doing simple things like playing cards or listening to music. Jack wasn't quite so comfortable with Owen as he had trouble with Owen's sarcastic nature, though Owen was doing his best to rein this in.
Slowly and gradually Jack responded. He was beginning to think of the team as friends instead of masters, though he was always respectful. He had become very keen on reading books and kept Ianto busy keeping him supplied with new ones. He used the Torchwood gym to regain some fitness. The Pleasure Palace had made him keep fit but on the research station he had got barely any exercise at all. Only the fact that food was also in short supply had prevented him from getting fat.
He now sometimes volunteered information, instead of waiting to be questioned about everything. He was also willing to talk about himself to them, as long as the discussion was light and didn't stray into dangerous areas like how old he was, how long he'd been a prisoner, or what he been required to do while a prisoner.
Tosh had even managed to build a portable transmitter that Jack could carry with him so that he could leave the Hub. He was grateful for her effort but had still not agreed to venture outside. Being comfortable with three people was one thing but outside there were thousands of people and Jack was terrified of facing them. There was also the, not so minor point, that the only time he had been outside in decades was when he landed in the alley where the team had found him and he'd been incapable of noticing what was around him then. So not surprisingly Jack felt somewhat agoraphobic.
There had been an outside exercise area at the Pleasure Palace on Nirvana but since he'd been transferred to the Astratech research station he had not been outside.
Jack's fear of being touched had also faded with time. Initially any time one of the team had touched him he had cringed away or flinched. Now if he was touched in passing he accepted it as not meaning anything.
Months went by. The Torchwood team were now so comfortable with having Jack in the Hub that they went out on field missions leaving him alone back at the base and he was left there alone most nights. He was always waiting to help them when they returned from a mission with any jobs that needed doing. Helping secure Weevils, assisting Owen in treating any injuries the team had incurred or even ordering takeaway.
On one particular occasion, Ianto was hauling an alien artefact that had come through the rift into Bute Park back into the Hub, when Jack came to help him. When Ianto nearly dropped the artefact, Jack leaped forward and caught it.
“Careful Ianto, you don't want to activate this. It's a Virisian mining engine. If it starts up it will vaporise half the Hub.”
Ianto gaped, “How do you know that?” he asked.
“I've been to Virisia, I saw one in action,” Jack replied.
“Would you recognise other alien artefacts,” asked Ianto gleefully.
“Probably quite a few,” admitted Jack.
“Right,” Ianto said happily, “you may just have got yourself another job.”
From that time on Jack was officially assigned to the archives as a researcher and signed on to the Torchwood payroll as Jack Matthews. In order to do everything properly Ianto created a fake background for Jack and presented him with a full set of forged ID, including passport, driving licence and National Insurance Number.
One evening Ianto wanted Jack to celebrate his new job. He had Tosh and Owen on side and was trying to persuade Jack to go outside with them all for a walk by the bay. He would have tried for a trip to a restaurant but thought that might be too much for a first excursion.
Jack, who was feeling very positive after his promotion, surprisingly agreed.
And so at 8pm when the crowds in the Plass had largely disappeared but, with it being the height of summer, plenty of daylight left, the four of them walked up to the tourist office entrance. Jack was carrying the portable transmitter in the pocket of his jeans.
Tosh and Owen led the way but as Jack walked out of the door the huge expanse of openness hit him like a brick wall and he cringed back suddenly, lurching back into the tourist office gasping. He lurched straight into Ianto who had been just behind him. Ianto caught him in a hug, which Jack did not cringe from.
“It's OK Jack,” Ianto encouraged. “Just take it slowly, look outside for a while first before you step out.”
Jack did so, looking wonderingly at the outside world that he hadn't seen for over 30 years. It was beautiful. He could see the sea and the sky from his position hovering in the doorway. The only people visible were Tosh and Owen whom he trusted. Gathering his courage and holding onto Ianto he stepped out of the door.
They went for a short walk around the Bay area then back to the Plass to avoid overwhelming Jack.
“I've been here before,” he exclaimed in surprise. “I knew we were in Cardiff but not that we were right where I was last time I was here.”
After they had dropped him off at the Hub, Tosh, Ianto and Owen stopped off at a pub before heading home. Their talk soon turned to Jack.
“There's something that doesn't quite add up with Jack,” Owen was saying. “His PTSD is far too serious for someone who was a prisoner for just a few years. I know he says it was for most of his life, but that doesn't make sense either. He's told us stories about his life beforehand, when he visited Earth before, when he went to Virisia, and he recognises so many alien things that he must have got around a lot. He can't have been that young when he was locked up.”
“Maybe he's a lot older than he looks,” suggested Tosh. “Maybe humans from his planet and century live a lot longer.”
“I guess it's possible,” Owen replied, “but even so he must have had a hellishly bad time for the PTSD to be this bad. Has he ever told either of you why he was imprisoned or what happened to him while he was there?”
“He told me that he was convicted of a crime that he didn't commit,” answered Ianto. “But he's never said how he was treated.”
“I think we can guess, given what those bracelets were designed to do,” said Tosh with a shudder. “I wish I could find a way to get them off him. But at least they don't do physical damage. He's got no scars, so thank god whoever had him stuck with just using those.”
“All we can do is continue helping him reintegrate into society,” sighed Ianto. “We need to work on getting him outside more and into restaurants, supermarkets, and yes Owen, eventually pubs.”
Chapter 20 here: ohinyan.livejournal.com/6403.html