Chapter Text
Ianto was running, cursing softly but also running, not breaking stride as he rounded a corner and headed for the bunker doors, only slowing to pick up a child who had stumbled in the rocky light purple dirt and as they slid in between the slowly closing doors he looked back, making sure he was the last person to enter.
The dark blue uniform he wore designated him as one of the higher-ranking officials in charge of this still infantile colony, his orders to seal the doors taken with nods of agreement.
Then all they could do was hunker down until it stopped.
The sound of the meteors hitting the planet like bombs going off.
.
.
Ianto was moving through the underground facility, those with him talking softly as he ignored most of it, his limp now obvious as he grimaced now and then, he knew he had put strain on the old injury running over the rocky terrain but did not have time to feel sorry for himself.
"Ah, gather around" the Brig said, moving to show a large screen and Ianto moved in with the other high ranking officials there, one of them stepping into his line of sight before looking at him and apologising as he moved out of the way.
"Shit" someone said softly.
"Yes, the entire lower quadrant is gone as seen in these shots before the camera was taken out, this meteor shower was supposed to only be outer atmo, I guess the geniuses did not allow for the heavier gravity on this rock." The Brig answered "we've lost almost half the colony infrastructure topside."
"Do we have numbers on souls?" a woman asked her eyes wide as she looked expectantly at the Brig.
"Still compiling Sargeant Cooper" someone else answered "Once we have a headcount and names listed, we will know who didn't make it. Then it will be the hope some survived topside."
"Doubt it" the man said who had been in Ianto's way moment before "We will maybe get a handful in the rubble."
"Agreed" a new voice joined in, soft smooth and a Boeshanian twang to it that had Ianto turning his head and leaning forward slightly to stare at him. Maybe it was that movement that made the man turn his own head to stare back and the two men looked at one another with open shock.
"Ianto?"
"Sir."
"Well now… look at that. I wondered where you went after your retirement. Huh. You came here to help colonise. Well. Lisa will like that I guess, more control over you. So, was it a boy or a girl?" the man asked then noticed the looks on the face of some of the others, the open horror. "What?"
"Lisa is dead, as is the boy she birthed me. I lost them both in the second year here" Ianto calmly replied, then added in a syrupy sweet tone "Sir."
"Well… fuck" the man spluttered, the one who had pulled him from Ianto's way snorted softly and the man swung at him now "You have something to add Harkness?"
"No…no. You seem to have it all under control John." Harkness giggle softly.
"This is Ianto Jones, I told you about him. He was the highest in the hand-to-hand basics" John said, pointing at Ianto like no one else was there.
"If possible, could you two ladies grab arse somewhere else over a cup of tea and some scones later?" the Brig asked softly and more giggling started.
"Right" Ianto decided he had heard enough, that man never a good omen and although he had not yet met Harkness he had heard his bellow around the base and disliked the rumours "Projected window?"
A pale woman with the whitest of hair answered "Sir, we estimate another four to five hours before the locks disengage, the computer does not have all the sensors intact anymore due to the damage topside so…"
"She is slower calculating safety levels" Ianto finished for her and then frowned "Teaching me how to suck eggs again Mary?"
She grinned widely, showing that he was not really intimidating her as much as playing with her "No sir. Of course not. You programmed her after all."
"Right. Finished?" the Brig asked everyone "So… the lower ward is gone. We will need to clear it for bodies and possible survivors, do a recount of souls and since this area over here was residential we will have dispossessed families until the rebuild can be done."
"Billeting" Cooper said continently, her grin wide to show that infuriating gap "I will get onto that Sir."
"Of course you will arse licker" another voice said and the Brig frowned in the direction of the caustic comment.
"Doctor Harper, casualty list?" he asked the commenter.
"A couple of them are stuffed, they should have left them out there but carried them down so we need to sort out a morgue or they will stink up the place" Doctor Harper said with his usual decorum "I have a preggers woman in the early stages of shock birth, too early and I don't know if it will make it because I don't have all the shit down here I need… all the requested shit.. you know… the list I send every month complaining about this place."
"Owen" Ianto said softly "And?"
"And… we have a mix of abrasions through to a broken leg… maybe twenty. If the hospital I OK and given that it is in the upper ward hopefully it is, we need to reestablish the power grid as soon as possible."
"We will need a working team for that, I will sort it" a large, well-built man nodded, Cooper throwing him a wide grin and he returned a smile of his own. Ianto noted this and made a mental check of his brain box. Ah. Right. Rhy Williams. Cooper's bond mate.
"Thank you, Rhys when we clear the doors you can move to that immediately, I am sure Gwen here will have names sorted by then now we have the addresses of those that need billeting, and we will need another party to check the area of salvage. And security. No looting" Ianto nodded, then glanced at the Brig as he realized he was giving an order.
The old man nodded, agreeing with Ianto.
"Well, my house is stuffed" Jack Harkness pointed "That mush pile there is mine. The kids will be beside themselves. Shit."
"Yeah, well… me and Tosh's house and clinic are toast too, but we can stay at the hospital I guess" Owen agreed. "I will be bloody busy for the foreseeable."
Ianto stood there silently, knowing of all those present he had the most space in his luxurious house his wife had insisted on with their substantial bank account. Now she was gone, their boy Lucas gone and the large eight bedroom house for her family who were supposed to emigrate out to this shitty rock now held just him.
"Well… my sister and her two kids will need to come in with me" he finally said "her house is toast and since her bond mate broke their bond, she was in emergency housing that will be needed."
"Three rooms they took?" Gwen swung to look at him "That will free up three rooms in the communal house."
They dispersed an Ianto went to find his feckless sister and her two kids. All the family he had left. He didn't really want them in his house. Rhiannon called it a crypt as the pictures of Lisa and their son were festooned all over the walls.
It was OK for her, she had her kids. He had paid for her and her family to come out with him, he had given her all he could and still, it was not enough.
Ianto had lost everything.
All the credits in the universe could not save his own family.