Chapter Text
Gwen stepped into the tourist information office from the hidden door, a medium sized box in her arms. Ianto had asked for it earlier in the day so he could sort what was still relevant in there. She’d expected him to be in his usual spot but he wasn’t. She placed the box down behind the desk.
“Ianto?”
No reply. She did hear a slight snuffling from the back room though. Peeking around she saw him, knees to his chest in the corner.
“Ianto? Oh poppet, what’s wrong?” She rushed over and knelt next to him, resting a hand gently on his arm.
He didn’t look up, his shoulders shaking slightly. “Sorry… Sorry. I… I should… I…”
“You just tell me what happened, yea?”
“I closed my eyes for a second and... “ He looked up, puffy eyed and she realised he was holding his shirt with one hand, guarding his chest. “I thought… I thought I…”
She pulled him into a hug, resting her chin on the top of his head as he sobbed. It had been two weeks since he’d been kidnapped and to this point he’d been acting as if nothing had happened. At least to most of them. She’d seen Jack checking on him more often and making sure nothing in the hub rattled. He wasn’t holding up as well as he wanted everyone to think. She had to admit she’d had a few nightmares since but she knew it would be nothing compared to what Ianto was going through. He hadn’t spoken about it.
His sobs subsided a little as she hushed him softly, the panic attack easing into a low exhaustion. “Sorry.”
“No, no, don’t be sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”
“I just… I thought I didn’t remember that bit. So when it started I couldn’t… It’s like I was there.”
“But you’re not. You’re safe here, with us.”
“They wanted you all there. They said they were going to feed me to you.”
“Oh god… Listen, they didn’t though, did they. They’re gone… You shouldn’t be here in this state.”
“I’ve got nowhere else to go.”
“I know you’re moving but your flat looks like nothing ever happened.”
“Not alone. I can’t be alone… I just want to sleep… After Lisa I drank it all away… The beacons I… I can’t do that.”
“Ianto… Did you…?”
“I couldn’t bring myself to do it at home… I came here of all places. Jack walked in just as I kicked the chair away. He cut me down and didn’t let me leave until I was in a better mindset. Or at least until I wasn’t a danger to myself anymore… I hadn’t slept right in a week. I’ve been better since the medication but this…”
“You know I’m always here. I don’t care what time of day or night. If you need to talk or you need to be anywhere then call me and I’ll be right with you. Ok?”
He nodded softly before scoffing. “Owen was so angry when Jack told him. He said if I’d gone through with it he’d have found a way to bring me back just to punch my lights out.”
“That’s Owen for you.” She smiled. “I would have helped him too.”
“That was back when Owens double was still around so he probably would have jumped back in time to stop me and punch me there and then.”
“No, he would have gotten Elise to punch you.”
“She would have done it.”
“Then apologised… Why don’t we go out for lunch? You’ve been stuck in here for a while. Can’t be good for you.”
“She’s right.” Came a voice from the doorway. Jack smiled softly. “I wondered what was taking so long. Thought I’d check on you. Take a long lunch, both of you. I’ll call you if anything happens.”
“I’m ok now.” Ianto said unconvincingly as he pulled himself up and dusted himself off.
“That’s an order. You need some fresh air.”
Gwen patted the dust from her trousers. “And sunlight. You need vitamin D.” She heard Jack take in a breath to speak and pointed at him. “Don’t!”
He held his hands up in surrender, suppressing a laugh, just happy that it had brought a slight smile to Iantos lips.
Tosh tapped away, updating her records of what UNIT had collected as Elise sat behind her, braiding her hair. She was taking a break from drawing up schematics for a possible upgrade to the lift, among other ease of use upgrades around the hub. She’d been reading up on the earthquake that had destroyed most of the train tunnels and a huge chunk of everything else. This left certain areas abandoned or just too annoying to use.
“Once you’re done-” She began.
Tosh barely paused from her work. “Yes?”
“Fancy doing some hub exploration with me?”
“Hub exploration? I didn’t know there was anything left to explore.”
“Up there. There are a load of rooms both above and below Myfanwys nest. They’re just such a bitch to get to that I don’t think anyone uses them.”
“Weren’t they destroyed? I thought most of them collapsed.”
“Most but not all. There were full on appartments up there. Some of which had been reinforced to help hold this whole place up. Those couldn’t have collapsed because otherwise this whole place wouldn’t exist.”
“Are you planning on digging to get to them?”
“Of course not. This place was built like an ants nest. There are multiple tunnels everywhere. Here.” She tied a band around the end of the braid and brought up a hologram with her wrist comp. “I built this from all the records of any work ever done on this place. It wasn’t easy but-” The 3d model turned and part of it enlarged. “This bit here is still accessible. It’s just been blocked off by locking the door.”
Tosh smiled at the intricate 3d map. “You put this together?”
“Yea. I didn’t want to be clanging around so I started playing with the 3d modeling programme. It started with the archives and the sub basements, then I started getting into the history of the place and boom. This is the whole hub.”
“There are so many closed off areas. So all of these are inaccessible?”
“They’re either too unstable to be explored, filled with rubble, or closed off for good reason. These in green are the ones I’ve been wanting to look at. Here are the living areas. These two were kinds of labs from what I can tell and this one… Well, there aren’t any records of what it was used for.”
“How long did this take you?”
“A week, week and a half if you count getting used to the programme.”
Tosh pushed away her keyboard and turned her body to fully face Elise, leaning forward to lift her chin.
“What? I know it took me ages to learn all the short cuts and s-” She was cut off by a kiss.
“Is this a party? Can I be invited?” Jack beamed as he walked in.
Tosh blushed and giggled. “It’s a private party, sorry.”
“Shame. At least I didn’t miss anything.”
“You are the man we were waiting for though.”
“Oh now that’s what I like to hear.” He scooted around to lean on her desk. “How can I help?”
“Eli’s been looking into the layout of the hubs upper floors. Show him the model.”
“Huh?” Elise shook herself back to reality. “The map. Right, right, yea.” She reactivated the 3d model that had switched to standby when she let her arm drop.
Jack studied the model. “Impressive. But why?”
“I was thinking of seeing what’s been left up there.”
“And?”
“And?”
“You’ve got a plan.”
Elise sighed. “Ianto’s been having trouble finding somewhere and he can’t sleep down in your bunker forever so I was thinking that maybe, if the structure is as sound as I think it is, I could renovate an upper floor so he could stay here but have space.”
“Have you told him?”
“Not yet. I wanted to see if it was a viable option first.”
He paused and then walked into his office, digging around in one of the draws. Finally he pulled something out of the bottom draw and carried it back. “You’ll need this.” He held out an old brass key. “Just be careful up there.”
She took it, examining the solid old key, turning it over in her hand. “Thanks… If those areas are all locked off. I’m guessing forever was the plan. Why keep the key?”
“I have trouble letting go of keys I know still have locks. Gwen and Ianto are taking a long lunch if you want a break before you get started.”
“Want to come along?”
“I don’t think you’ll find anything I haven’t seen before.”
“As long as you’re sure. We could drag Owen along.”
“And what will his job be?”
“Necessary sarcasm.”
Gwen sat in the chair across from Ianto, sighing and dropping her bag by her feet. “Sorry I took so long. I ended up behind the most indecisive person in the world.”
“I don’t mind… I usually hate it when it’s this crowded but today it’s like I need a bit of noise.”
“It helps to remind yourself the rest of the world exists.”
“I think I’d be ok if I could get a few good nights of sleep.”
“I thought you’d moved onto Jacks sleeping schedule.”
“Not really. I think it must take less sleep the longer you’re alive. The same as healing.”
“We were worried about you on the way back… Owen wouldn’t leave your side and Tosh was holding your hand the whole way back.”
“Usually Elise would be the one doing that.”
“She would have but she couldn’t stop crying and she didn’t want that to be the first thing you saw when you woke up. Seriously, she didn’t stop until you had already healed up. We thought she was going to get dehydrated.”
He smiled. “I used to think you all just saw me as just the cleaner. Replaceable.”
“Maybe for a couple of days when I first started, but in my defence you made sure you stayed out of sight. And you were never just replaceable, even if you didn’t want to open up to anyone just yet.” She reached over the small table and took his hand. “Don’t know what we’d do without you.”
“Thanks.” He brushed his thumb over her knuckles. “This is the first time I’ve been more scared about living than dying. Just, the idea of having to come back and go through it all again. At least being scared of death, you only have to be scared for so long and then… Whatever happens happens.”
“We wouldn’t let that happen. Never will… Well, I won’t be around forever but Tosh, Jack and Owen will be. Let’s face it, those three alone could save you from anything.”
“Isn’t it unfair?”
“What?”
“You won’t be around too.”
“I’m one hundred percent ok with that.”
“Really?”
“No offence but I just can’t see myself still being the same as I am now when Anwen grows up. Plus, I don’t think I’d cope with just watching Rhys grow old and… Just be left behind. I want to get old and a bit senile with him. I want to be able to meet whoever she ends up falling in love with and not have to tell them I’m her older sister or something.”
“I’ve never really thought about it like that. What am I going to tell my sister? The kids… Saying I’m just lucky with genetics is only going to work for so long.”
“We’ve got plenty of time before we need to worry about anything like that.”
A waitress interrupted as she placed down their plates.
The stairway to the upper levels was dark and dusty, footprints from years prior preserved as if time had stood still. The hinges to the door had seized so it had taken a lot to get it open, so it sat ajar behind them. The handrail too was dusty, as if the whole place had been closed off without any kind of investigation.
“I hope the tea boy likes stairs.” Owen grumped, not impressed with how many flights of stairs he’d had to climb even to this point.
Elise rolled her eyes. “If the structure’s as stable as I think it is then I can build a new walkway and add a level to the lift. I’m planning to upgrade the lift anyway so why not?”
“Do you have a work force we don’t know about?”
“No, but if I put my all into it, it should only take a few months. Give or take time to clean the place and get the parts for the lift.”
Tosh tugged on Elises sleeve. “You’re going to burn yourself out.”
“I’ll be careful. Ah here we go. This should be the way into some of the living areas.” She pushed open an old wooden door to reveal an abandoned, victorian, corridor. The lights hung on the walls were in perfect condition but knowing how they were wired Elise chose to illuminate the area with her high powered lantern instead. The walls were covered in patterned wallpaper but the floor was still in its hardwood state. Each door had once been varnished but the coating had started to peel off with age and the low level moisture in the air. Elise pulled a small device from her pocket and pressed the tip into the wall, seemingly content with the number that flashed on the screen.
“Looks like the damp hasn’t gotten into the walls, so that’s a good sign.” She smiled, moving to open the first door on the right. A thin beam of light shone into the room from a window that had been covered with years of dust and the remnants of coal dust.
“I didn’t realise there were even windows up here.” Tosh marvelled. “Wouldn’t the lift be an issue? People seeing in?”
Elise took a handkerchief from her pocket and rubbed a little of the dust away. “They probably had thin curtains. Come and take a look at this view.”
She walked over and looked down at the hub below. It seemed so much further down than it actually was but the multitude of lights almost looked mystical from so far away. Owen hung back and picked up a leather bound book which had been discarded on a desk that had seen better days. The writing inside was impeccably neat and though there was no year written on any of the pages, each had a day and month. It was someones diary. He browsed through the pages looking for anything interesting. The last entry caught his eye.
Wednesday 2nd April.
My visions have become intolerable. Last night I could not settle to sleep so I descended down to the station masters office. He was nowhere to be found, but as I turned back I saw an awful apparition. It held the shape of a man but it could not have been. It was surely a wraith, its eyes black as pitch and form not quite able to solidify. It stood with a woman, though she was dressed as a man, and they spoke. I could not hear what was said before the wraith began a tirade. Quiet at first but culminating in a wail that shook me to my very soul. For that moment I realised the wraith was not a wraith at all but a man. He fell to his knees, weeping like a babe pulled from its mother. The woman held him in his grief. I found that I too was weeping for this vision as it faded. I regained my composure and turned to return to my chamber when another vision began. The bodies of both men and women strewn across the floor. They were surely dead. The one who had ended their lives stood over them. He too was weeping but in self pity instead of the fear of the wraith. The man in blue entered the room. I have seen him many times. No matter the look of those around him he always looks the same. He stood in disbelief, his heart breaking, as he tried to ask why the other man had done this. For a moment he spoke before placing his weapon to his head. The air filled with a plume of red and once more I was left alone. It has been a long time since I last had this many visions in one day and a fear it is a sign of things to come. I returned to my chambers and sat to write this. As I sit I see the wraiths companion. She is curled in the corner of the room. Her eyes as black as pitch. She stares into me and I fear she may not be the being my vision presented. I hear her sobs from the shadows. She asks me to help her but my fear keeps me in place.
Her sobs have become screams. I cannot sleep. I cannot take this any longer. The moment I am done here I will flee to my mothers home.
I pray she does not follow me.
He closed the book, deciding he’d take it back to get a better look at its contents. The two women were busy taking measurements so they didn’t notice how distracted he’d been.
“Well this one’s viable for modification. On to the next I suppose. There is that one room that I can’t work out what it’s for. We can get to it from the outer corridor.” Elise smiled.
Tosh shrugged and looked to Owen.
He wafted some dust from his face. “A room in the hub that’s been locked away for ages that we have no idea what it was used for. What could go wrong?”
“It’s probably just storage.” Toshiko made her way to the outer corridor and through towards the unidentified room.
Gwen yawned, the large meal having made her sleepy. “Feeling better?”
“A bit. Thanks.” Ianto smiled softly. “I needed to talk about it I suppose.”
“Sometimes that’s all it takes.” She stretched, her shoulders aching lightly. For a moment she swore she could feel eyes on her. Looking around she didn’t see anyone.
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought someone was watching us.”
He turned but didn’t see anything.
“I must be imagining it.” She jumped slightly as her phone bleeped. “Looks like duty calls. It’s just an address.”
“Why didn’t Jack just call us like usual?”
“No idea.”
“Did he say anything else at all?”
“Not a thing.” She took her earpiece from her pocket. “What’s going on?”
Tosh was the first to reply. “The message? I have no idea. I just got the same one. It says it’s from Jack but it doesn’t seem right. We’re going to go and ask him. Are you nearby?”
“Not too far. We’ll meet you in the hub.”
Jack wasn’t completely sure what just happened. He’d decided as everyone else was taking a long lunch he’d catch up with some of the minutia he’d been avoiding. Anyway, even he needed fresh air once in a while. He knew the Cardiff streets like the back of his hand, and rightly so with how long he’d spent there. So he could just let his mind wander as he walked. He hadn’t been running around so much since the weevils had been given the idea that staying in one place was the only option. In past years he would have travelled while it was so quiet. Maybe he’d ask Ianto if he wanted to go with him. The idea made him smile. It was at that moment a strong chemical smell filled his head, replaced by cotton wool as he lost consciousness.
“It looks like Jack left after we went to explore upstairs. I can only follow him so far though. There are no cameras on his route. That address is on it though.” Said Tosh, a growing unease rising in her.
Ianto gripped the back of her chair. “Have you tried to contact him?”
“That was the first thing I did. No reply to texts, emails, won’t answer calls. I tracked his phone and he is at that address.”
“This is definitely a trap. Jack always signs his text messages, even in emergencies.”
“Agreed. Whoever’s doing this must know by now that their plan to lure us there hasn’t worked.”
Iantos phone rang displaying Jacks name. He set it on loudspeaker. “Hello?”
A digitised voice pierced the air. “If you want your captain returned in one piece, then all of you will attend the address given by three PM. Unarmed. Any resistance will be met with unfortunate consequences for your leader. If you do not attend by three PM we will begin sending your leader back limb by limb.” The call ended abruptly.
After a short silence Gwen began. “We haven’t got a choice.”
“We can’t just walk in there unarmed.” Owen crossed his arms, trying to think of anything they could do.
“I agree, but as long as we appear unarmed we can work from there.” She pointed to Elise who pulled up her sleeve and entered the code to open the access panel.
“How much can you fit in there?”
Elise shook her head. “It’s not about how much. It’s about what to bring. I have the digital lockpick in my hand. A couple of the sonic shields could be important.”
“One of the blades. They can cut through walls, even if we don’t use them to fight.”
“A digital interference generator could help stop whoever this is keeping track of us.” Tosh added.
“Weevil bands. Smoke grenades would be too big. We should leave everything we don’t critically need behind.” Gwen tossed her phone onto her desk with her keys. “Whoever they are can’t take what we don’t bring them.”
Wendy Alice Wells smiled as the group entered the previously derelict building. She pressed one button to lock the doors and a second to release the sedative gas into the room. Her brother may have died swiftly but the ones who killed him wouldn’t. No, she wanted them to suffer for not only his death but also their part in disgracing his name. She’d taken a long time contacting as many of those still loyal to her brother to pull her revenge plan off. She delighted in watching them be dragged into the back of a van by her co-conspirators. She was done playing UNITs games. It was time to play a game of her own.