Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They were many, one was no different than the rest. Crossing worlds and times they were one and the same. Every individual aspect of them was wiped away in a fine sweep that left them the same as the one on either side. They were all safe together existing in an unending stream of consciousness. What one of them knew, the others would know also. And now, now one more was joining them.

They cried out in delight as their newest member joined them. The one cried out in fear and pain but that was to be expected. The ones were always afraid at the beginning as their memories were accessed and brought into the many.

This one was particularly scared. But scared wasn't the right word for it, angry. Angry was the emotion that the one was feeling. It was a base emotion one the many had erased from their memory and would continue to do so. This one would join them no matter what.

The one continued to fight against them for many days. It lasted so long against their combined powers to slowly crack the one open and take the memories for the many. And of there were so many memories there filled with so much knowledge and so much depth. It was the greatest feast in the universe.

The ones was so fixed with being an individual that it fought for hours and hours and days. Months and years passed slowly but the one continued to resist. It continued to fight against them screaming with pain and rage as it struggled against the many. It fought and fought screaming for one thing.

It screamed for an individual. Why would it scream for an individual who was flawed? Who was fractured and angry and hurt the one? There was no goodness there and so it must be deleted. But the other information was usable and would be given to the many.

The one fought harder against their wish to delete the other one. All they wanted was to make the one perfect like the many. There was nothing good about the individual. This individual was still too like an individual now but there was nothing to be done.

They left the one with the memories of the other one to keep it docile. And with those memories the one settled down.

It was so similar to the originals of the many. The ones who still hung on to being individual even when being many was still better. They clung to their originality and were passed on throughout the many so as not to cause too much damage. It was where the original idea came from, to have all of the many scattered about so their memories could mix and become one. These crazy ones were allowed to access the collection of information.

All if the many could listen to the information. But only each cluster could tell individual memories of a thing. There were no emotions attached to the memories because emotions had no purpose in information. There was simply...the many.

In the far reaches of the universe stood a planet. Not many knew about it because the planet was not looked for often. It was said to have one feature that drew many people to it. The entire planet was covered in crystals. Great seas if crystals were standing on the surface of the planet sparkling under the light of the suns. There were great clusters of crystals that were grouped by color. Each one stood in its own place in the world. The spectrum stood proudly on the surface of the world.

That wasn't why people came to this worlds though. No, they came for what was inside of the crystals. Each crystal housed a soul inside of it. The souls would were collected and brought to the crystals where they would be given new life as part of the spectrum, one of many for their knowledge to be used and brought forth. The entire planet was a giant library of thousands of millions of memories from different species from different planets scattered throughout the spectrum.

And sometimes people missed the ones who joined the spectrum. They wou,d try to get the ones back, try to reclaim the ones they loved from the many. A few managed, most failed. But there was always hope. It was said if one could find the crystal containing the soul you most wanted back from the spectrum you won. But it was hard to find one single crystal in a sea of crystals.

It was there that one Ianto Jones awoke, mind screaming with pure hatred against the masses pressing against him. He was only one of many.

Chapter Text

In a bar in the far reaches of the universe, a man sat hunched over his drink eyes closed in agony. Few beings in the bar paid much attention to the man so wrapped up in their perfect little worlds. Going about their days as if everything in the universe was perfect. But not everything was perfect.

The man reached into one of the pockets in his long flowing coat and pulled out a small item. He clutched it in his hand so tightly his knuckles turned white, almost as if it was his last tie to life itself. It was a simple device especially compared to the technology that existed in the bar. The device was started with the click of a button before it began to record time. Then another click and time would stop. Useless really in the grand stream if things.

Just a simple stop watch but to Jack Harkness it was his entire world.

The last rememnats of a long lost love it was his most precious posession. When he had died Jack had been forced to box up all of his things. And when Jack had found the stop watch on a desk Jack had just curled up in the bed and curled up into a ball. Jack had stayed there surrounded by his smell. It was almost like he was still there, still alive and was going to come back soon to Jack.

When Jack had left he took the stop watch with him. It was the only reminder he had of him. It was against regulations but he was past caring. He was gone and Jack had been unable to say his name for the last fifty years which meant he had been unable to move on from the day at all.

Jack had lost track of how long he had been in this particular bar. He'd started drinking a while ago and just never stopped. It was the anniversary of his birthday and Jack couldn't handle it. Not now, maybe not ever. He'd found himself looking in a shop for a present before remembering.

He was dead and had been for a long time. And was never coming back. Jack just had to learn to accept it.

"Like hell I will," Jack grumbled, taking a long swig of his drink even as his fingers played with the delicate etchings on the front, "Next thing you know people will be...be telling me to get over it!"

He may have been a little drunk. And by a little, Jack meant a lot.

So of course when someone slid into the seat next to him all he could do was turn and glare. Jack recognized that man, even if the face was new he would always recognize him. But oh, he really wanted to punch him in the face right now. More than anything.

"Jack!" The man cried cheerfully and Jack wanted to choke him with his own bowtie, "How have you been since I since I saw you last? Still moping about whatever had you leave earth?"

A gentle smile in the early mornings when the sun was just peaking over the horizon. A warm body Jack would hold close, whispering in the dead of night how he would keep him safe in matter what, nothing would harm him. A bright laugh drifting on a sumer breeze and chilly hands clasped in his in the dead of winter. Pale blue lips as he kissed him goodbye gently brushing dark hair from his forehead. Those bright blue eyes closed forever.

"Still moping as you call it," Jack growled downing the rest of his drink, "Can't move on. Not...not from this one. Woke up one morning and realized poof! Was gone. Damn aliens."

The Doctor frowned at him and why did he look so young? And why was he wearing a bowtie?

"I will have you know bowties are cool," the Doctor said indignantly and Jack scowled at him, "Don't be jealous Jack. Not everyone can look as smashing as me."

"You...you are a sod," Jack announced grandly waving his hand around. He was careful to keep a firm hold on the stop watch though. If he lost that Jack didn't think he could forgive himself,"Comingnin here..."

"It is open to the public."

"Judging me with your stupid judging eyes...."

"You have downed at least a quart of hard alin liquor. I am quite right to judge."

"And then bitching about moping! Well guess what! I can mope if I want to and I want to so I will mope for a long while you bastard!"

"You are very drunk Jack," the Doctor said with a sigh and suddenly Jack found himself being pulled off of his barstool and dragged from the bar, "And you are coming with me! I know just what will cure you of your ills! There's this lovely Trizlioan over in the corner who would just die to meet you..."

"Don't want to meet them," Jack grumbled even as the Doctor dragged him down the street to a rather familiar blue box, "Not...not today. Today is special."

"What's today?" The Doctor asked softly while sliding Jack into a chair on the TARDIS. He knew his friends were around somewhere and would be out to join them shortly.

"His birthday! I need to do something special for him Doctor, to show I still care," Jack stared up at him with wide eyes. There was a strange broken innocence in them one on,y had when truly drunk and it was present in Jack. The Doctor had to wonder who Jack had lost, "He asked for one thing, for me not to forget him. And I haven't so he can be happy about that! But I need to do something g special for him even if he's gone. Well, not gone gone cause I know he should be here but actually gone cause he died. You know?"

The Doctor just sat there silently with a hand on Jack's shoulder. He watched as Jack just stared blankly down at the watch in his hand, a broken look on his young face as he gently traced the markings on it. The Doctor had never seen Jack so broken up about losing someone. The look if pure devastation on Jack's face was surprising. The Doctor had never seen him care so much for one person before. Sure, Jack cared about people he lost. But not like this. Never so completely broken over one single person before.

"Jack..." But before he could get any further his two companions came crashing into the room. Good old Amy and Rory who both just paused when they saw Jack before shrugging and walking into the room. Rory pulled up a chair and sat next to Jack putting a companionable hand on his shoulder as Amy came up to stand by the Doctor.

"So who's this?" Amy asked brightly with a small smile at Jack who didn't seem to notice.

"And why does he look like shit?" Rory flinched as Amy punched his shoulder but it got the desired affect. Jack let out a snort of laughter at that and for the first time the Doctor saw a hint of a real smile crossing his face.

With a beaming grin the Doctor jumped to his feet. "Good questions the both of you! This is my old friend Jack!" Turning back to the three he let his smile dim a little bit, "Amd as for your question Rory, well. Today is the brithday of someone Jack lost a while ago."

Amy let out a noise of distress while Rory just nodded sagely. Oh how brilliant these two companions were. And of course there was poor Jack who had gone back to staring weakly at the stop watch.

"And because it is a birthday we must celebrate it!" The Doctor announced grandly offering a comforting smile to a stunned Jack who was finally looking up for his stop watch. But the Doctor was beginning to suspect it wasn't actually Jack's stop watch, "Because even if Jack's friend is long gone, he still deserves to be remembered. And I guess you haven't really celebrated his life since his passing have you Jack?"

A look of pure aging crossed Jack's face as he clutched the stop watch to his chest. Rory pulled him in for a manly hug while Amy fussed over the "poor dear" but the Doctor had a plan. A plan to make Jack smile for real again.

"Where will we be going for that Doctor," Amy asked softly her eyes never leaving Jack. She was already worried about him, the poor man looked destroyed right then.

"Well, we have to wait till Jack sobers up but I have just the place," The Doctor said brightly bouncing in place making sure to ignore how Jack was grumbling about not being that drunk, "Beautiful planet on the edge of the universe. Completely covered in seas of crystals. Never seen anything like it. A good place to celebrate a life...or mourn someone's death."

He turned away, pretending to ingore the strangled sob Jack gave at that part.

"One says you can even hear the crystals speaking to each other sometimes. The wonderful planet Londinium."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Amy asked brightly.

Chapter Text

He woke up in a white room, which sounds cliche but is actually true. The walls were white, the the floor was white, the windows were with. Even the chair he was sitting in was white. He was stuck in a tshirt and jean, no shoes no jacket. And on his wrist sat a silver chain with a blue crystal withred streaks running through. No lights shone or any lamps but everything was covered with a harsh white glow. Including the figure sitting in another white chair across from him.

She...he...it was beautiful in its monstrosity. A thousand faces that shifted together, young, old, in between. Hair every length and color that shifted with each blink of the eyes. Skin shifted colors in a way that made him sick to his stomach but the clothes stayed the same the entire time. A white top held on with pure white crystals around the neck. White trousers and bare feet that shifted with the hands and the eyes. It was like looking at a picture of every species of bug on Earth in a minute flat.

It smiled at him with bright teeth that were also changing in front of him.

"Welcome Ianto Jones."

Oh god. It's voice was as horribly beautiful as the rest of it. Like a million voices were speaking at once and he could feel it pressing against the corners of his mind a pressure that was slowly squeezing his brain to smithereens.

"You have been chosen to join us by our Makers."

Chosen? What the bloody hell were they talking about. He had never been chosen for anything. And who the hell were their Makers? The only aliens Iantonhad met recently had been the 456 and they....they had killed him.

"You should be privileged to be granted enterance into the many. The one is an increadible individual but the many are better in every shape and form. We give life to the memories of the one, taking it and adding it to the beauty of nature. Making it information accessible to all who need it."

He was dead. How the hell had that happened? He had been the in building with Jack and they had been going to stop the 456. Then the gas had come and he was on the ground, in Jack's arms gasping for breath as his lungs gave out. Pressing himself as close to Jack as possible while whispering his love, begging Jack never to forget him. And Jack had promised, promised to remember him forever.

"You will become one of the many, no longer a one. It will make you better, make you superior. No more emotions, no more pain. You can spend as much time as you like in your memories reliving the memories for as long as you need. Eventually you will become part of the spectrum when you are ready and become a higher form of life."

God he left Jack. How the hell was he supposed to live with....wait. What did they say?

"You want to take my memories?" Ianto demanded, voice like ice as he glared at it, "Take what makes me truly me and it put in a collection? Take the emotions tied to them and destroy them?"

"Emotions are not needed."

"Like hell they're not!" He didn't remember getting out of the chair but now he was standing in the middle room with his hands balled into fists, "Emotions are what made my memories matter! They're what makes me human! You can't take them away from me, you can't destroy me like that!"

"You will not be destroyed, you will simply no longer be one and instead become many."

"What about the people I love and care about! What about my memories of my family?" His voice cracked but Ianto refused to stop, "What about them?"

"Your father hurt you badly as did your sister and mother. It would be a kindness to remove those feelings of pain. Liss destroyed you one, we can take that from you. Make you whole?"

"No. You want to take what makes me me. My pain is what made me a person," Ianto took a shuddering breath unaware if the tears spilling down his cheeks, "You want to take my feeling about Jack away."

"He left you, hurt you, broke you..."

"And I love him!" Ianto yelled his whole body shaking from the pain. The thought of losing his love for Jack was unbearable, "And I refuse to let you take that away! He was the best thing that ever happened to me and you want me to lose that! I won't lose that, I won't lose him to you!"

"You're answer is...no?"

"That's right." Ianto took a deep shuddering breath and brushed a tear from his face.

"Because of him. Captain Jack Harknass. Why?"

"Because I love him," the whisper echoed in the white room, "And I can't lose that. I can't lose him. Not again."

The being smiled, nodding it's head as it rose from the chair. "They all say that but eventually join us. We will return when you change your mind."

"When I change...." Ianto's eyes narrowed as rage filled him. He couldn't hear anything over the rush in his ears or see past the red haze, "Go fuck yourself."

And then it was gone.

Ianto sat in that blank room for hours before the next person showed up. This one was different than the one before. It was obviously a woman, tall and willowy as she moved slowly through the room to him. She had just appeared suddenly before him, standing in the middle of the room with a slight smile on her face.

She was gorgeous there was no doubt about that thought. Her skin was light green with little silver dots running across the smooth expanse of skin in waves to curl around her curves. Cat slit eyes stared at him violet eyes, her shimmering forest green hair pulled into a braid that fell over her should as she stalked across the room to slide into the chair across from Ianto. A silver halter top cut off at her midrif and a long flowing silver skirt was slit up the leg to show her calf. Deep green crystals shown on her outfit and sparkled in her hair as she smiled happily at him.

"Hello Ianto Jones," her soft breathy voice was gentle a great contrast from the painful million voices pressing into his head hours ago, "It's been a while. How are you?"

Ianto narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms while leaning back in the chair, "You part of this spectrum?"

"Yes."

"Right," leaning forward Ianto fixed her with a steely glare, "I will say it again, and again the next time you people come back here. Go. Fuck. Yourself."

She smiled brightly throwing back her head and laughing. "Oh, oh I like you," she said between giggles, "Never met anyone so determined. Do you know how long you've been sitting there all alone in this room?"

"Don't care, still not joining you lot," Ianto drawled as he settled himself for another mental confrontation.

"I don't want you to join us, I want you to stay just the way you are," she said gently leaning forward to stare into his eyes, "You did something no one else has ever done before. You resisted the spectrum. All anyone ever hears is they can live in their memories and them they are part of it. But not you, you said no. No one says no."

"They wanted my memories of him," Ianto snarled, "They wanted me not to feel anything for Jack!"

"The spectrum is convinced it's better not to feel anything than to be hurt by the feeling," the woman explained sadly, "We weren't always the many you know. Once we were all one but it hurt. It hurt and we were scared and we became the many. We though it was better."

She let out a dark laugh, "But we were wrong. We need emotions, and you made me remember that Ianto Jones. So I am going to help you stay one instead of many."

Ianto just stared at her with hard eyes, "Why?"

"I was one of the first you know," she said with a sad laugh, "They took us for our homes and brought us here. Put us in the spectrum. To the observer it looks like a mass of crystals that cover the surface. But the truth is each one of us is a crystal on the planet surface. We can go through each other memories to visit. Think of the possibilities of millions of thousand of worlds at your fingertips."

"Those are millions of thousands of people!" Ianto snarled, "You want me to go jumping about their minds, living their lives!"

"It's no longer their lives. They became part of the spectrum, it's now just sort of there," she smiled weakly, "They didn't say no Ianto Jones. And...and you saying no made me remember saying no myself so now we'll fight back. Stay one out of the many."

"So you want to help me? Just like that?"

"It's actually been about two months but yeah," she leaned forward offering him with a grin, "What do you say we get out of here?"

Then a door appeared. Just like that, a simple wooden door with a knob appeared behind her. Getting to his feet Ianto walked forward, eyes wide on the door. The jangle of her necklace got his attention and he suddenly noticed on another silver chain was a green crystal with silver spots inside. He would have to ask her about the crystals later though.

"What's your name?" He asked instead.

"Siani Mhotte," Siani offered him another darling smile, offering her green hand to him, "You ready to run? Ready to see a million universes in the span of a single breath?"

"Why not?" Ianto shrugged while reaching out to take her hand,"We're already dead."

And then they jumped through the door into a new adventure. Hopefully this one wouldn't end in death.

Chapter Text

"It's amazing," Amy whispered staring up at the crystals above her in awe. They were truly as amazing to look at. Towering in the sky sparkling with the bright lights of the two suns. Rainbows filled the air as the light streamed through the massive glittering crystals.

Around them stood great green crystals. Each one was unique and different in a special way. Some had red streaks in them, others with blue or yellow or black. Spots and lines and swirls and bursts of color. All beautiful and different. The smallest crystals came to their knees while one massive green crystal with silver spots stood ahead of them. It was as tall as a third story building, a beautiful glorious thing.

"It's alright," Rory muttered, "Lot's of rainbows, kind of obnoxious."

Amy and the Doctor let out indignant squawks at that while Jack just snorted with laughter. "Where did you find them?" Jack asked with a smile.

"None of your buisness," the Doctor said crossly fixing Jack with a playful glare. It was the first time in three weeks that Jack had smiled around them. He was walking slowly through the crystals with a soft smile on his face.

"He would have loved this," Jack whispered, hand caressing the giant spotted crystal with reverence, "I...I promised to show him the stars you know? Wanted to show him everything wonderful in the universe but then he died."

There was a long moment of silence as everyone stared at the broken man for a long minute. Amy looked on the verge of tears while the Doctor just looked uncomfortable. He was still adjusting to a broken Jack, still trying to understand how such a strong man could be so utterly broken. He had never seen Jack like this, not even when the Master had been torturing him.

"Sounds like an awesome guy," Rory said softly walking forward to rest a hand against Jack's slumped shoulder, "You never did tell us about him. What was he like, what's with the pocket watch?"

"Stop watch," Jack corrected softly, "It was his. That's how it all started, he gave me ten minutes and a whole list about what you can use a stop watch for. I didn't see it coming cause I got his girlfriend eaten by a pterodactyl."

"That's different," the Doctor said with a head tilt as Amy moved back with a surprised shout.

"You did what to his girlfriend?" She demanded, hands going to her hips, "Did you ever apologize for that little slip up?"

There was a rather long and awkward pause as the three stared at Jack who was staring far away from them with a pained smile on his face. It was quite clear he had never apologized for that.

"You did that and he still shagged you?" The Doctor demanded snorting at Jack's shrug, "Must have had the patience of a saint."

"He did." Jack let out a bitter laugh, "He put up with everything I did. All the bad and all the good. The number of times he watched me flirt with another....I hurt him so much and I never got to say sorry..."

"I'm sure he knew," the Doctor said gently, "A blind man can see how much you loved him."

Jack offered him a weak smile, "Thanks Doctor. I....I needed that."

There was a long pause as everyone mourned the memory of the young dead man. Jack mourned a lost love, someone wonderful who he wanted to spend years with. The Doctor mourned for his friend hated how the loss of one person ruined him so badly. Rory and Amy just mourned that an unneccesary death had killed someone good and wonderful.

There was a low hum that surrounded them. It was soft, slowly gaining so young and bright.

Then a low hum began to sound. It started out soft before slowly gaining in volume. Each crystal vibrated as they all hummed in the air. Jack took a step back from the largest one to join the three companions standing in front of the TARDIS. They all were rather on edge as they stared around the planet with suspicion on their faces. Except for the Doctor who looked delighted.

"Oh wonderful! Absolutely brilliant!" The Doctor cried happily spinning in a circle with delight.

"What's so brilliant Doctor?" Amy demanded.

"Heard rumors of it but have never seen it myself," the Doctor said brightly, "The crystals are singing to us."

"Wonderful," Jack muttered softly, "You would have loved this."

And then a great voice began to sound. It came from each and every crystal around them, whispering softly but meshing together to form a great yell.

"WELCOME DOCTOR. WE KNOW MUCH OF YOU, HAVE LEARNED A GREAT DEAL ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE. YOU'RE INFORMATION IS NOW PART OF THE SPECTRUM."

"That's new," Rory muttered, "Talking crystals. Don't see that everyday."

The Doctor grinned bouncing in his toes staring around him with childish delight. A bright smile was gifted along with the sparkling eyes that stared around the crystal planet brightly.

"So beautiful, so wonderful," The Doctor whispered happily, "How did you hear about me?"

"ONE OF THE MANY KNOWS YOU. WE KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE DOCTOR FROM THAT ONE. SO MUCH HURT AND ANGER. BUT REFUSES TO GIVE IT AWAY."

The Doctor nodded along his smile starting to strain, "Isn't that just like them? Always angry over something. Must be universal. You lot mind us staying here? We're celebrating a birthday for a friend who died."

"DEATH DOES NOT COME TO THE MANY. WE ARE NO LONGER ONES TO PREVENT THAT. BIRTHDAYS ARE A COMMON EARTH CELEBRATION, USUSALLY WITH BALLONS AND CAKE AND STREAMERS."

"Too bad we didn't bring any of those things," Rory snarled to them promoting another smack from Amy. He just grinned while she sighed in defeat. Boys, honestly.

"WE WILL ALLOW YOU THIS CELEBRATION DOCTOR. ALL LIFE DESERVES TO BE CELEBRATED, ESPECIALLY THE ONES TAKEN TOO EARLY."

And then the humming stopped and there was dead silence. The Doctor was still grinning even as the silence of a thousand voice hung heavy in the air.

"That was fantastic! Knew they sang but not that were alive," He casually slung an arm over Jack's shoulder, leading the small procession back to the TARDIS, "So, I was thinking we set up a picnic over there for the birthday...."

They all froze as a loud gasp rent through the air. Turning back to the massive crystal they all gaped at the sight before them.

"My god," Amy whispered watching a green skinned woman claw her way out of the crystal before collapsing on the ground. The Doctor let go of Jack and took a step forward, eyes narrowed as he studied her.

The woman managed to push herself to her feet, violet eyes narrowing in on Jack. Raising a shaking finger she scowled ferociously at the man. "You!" She hissed stumbling forward to grab Jack's soldier, the immortal reaching out to support her as she started to sag, "Have a lot of explaining to do! Do you know how long we've been waitin..."

"Did she just faint?" Rory demanded, watching Jack try to juggle the limp body in his arms.

"Looks like it," the Doctor muttered turning to stare at the crystal with hard eyes. A person, a living breathing person, had just crawled out of one of those. None of the stories ever mentioned people being involved, just that the crystals sang. And they also talked. There was more to this planet than met the eye.

"Must be a Tuesday, bad things always happen on Tuesdays," the Doctor mused to himself, "Guess the birthday party is cancelled for a while. Shame that."

Chapter Text

They were currently sitting on a dock in a far off planet. A gorgeous planet with lavender skies and black oceans, the twin pink suns shining happily in the sky. Their main enjoyment was watching the ships sail across the inky ocean their bright golden solar sails. A truly enchanting and beautiful planet.

"Rather wonderful isn't it?" Siani asked gently, dipping her green toes into the ocean.

Ianto just shrugged, "Alright for being the memory of some poor dead sod."

"Ianto," Siani said with a strained smile, "Stop ruining this for me."

"Just putting it in perspective," he deadpaned.

"Well stop it," Siani grumbled her eyes annoyed. With a groan she stumbled to her feet, pulling Ianto up after her. Ianto just grinned while reaching out to take her hand then they jumped into the ocean. The moment they hit the water they were pulled into a new world, a new memory.

This planet is a desert with great spires standing in the distance. Seven suns landed on them, baking them as they stood out in the elements. Or it would have been baking them if they were alive. Ianto was still wearing his jeans and t shirt while Siani wore a light pale blue dress that brought out her spots. They were quite comfortable actually instead of being roasted alive.

"So," Ianto was always so matter of fact that Siani had to smile, "Where are we this time?"

She punched him in the shoulder, "Like you don't know."

"Well...I do but it feels weird, like I shouldn't know so much," he scowled darkly at the sand, a troubled expression crossing his pretty face as they started to walk to the glittering city in front of them, "Not natural for me to know so much."

"It's cause your dead," Siani said with a slight scowl on her face, "Thought I told you this already. When you are alive a lot of your power just goes to being alive. Breathing, heart beat, talking, all those things like that. So when you die, you lose that and all those parts of your mind that had been on the physical become mental."

"And then you can understand the spectrum when they talk to you," Ianto muttered as they passed through the great arches into the city before them, "So...am I part of the spectrum?"

"Yes. And no," Siani shrugged as they walked through the deserted streets, "You were in the white room, that means you are part of it. They only managed to get your meteorites though, not take your emotions so it means you are technically a part of the spectrum."

"That's why we've been moving through peoples memories then. To keep them from taking my emotions along with my memories," Ianto finished for her as their footsteps clicked along the cobblestones. "Why is this planet deserted? Every other planet has had people walking around it."

"You know why."

"I want you to say it."

"Fine. Punk," Siani grumbled while reaching over to punch him in the shoulder, "Because its my planet from my memories."

"And there are no people..."

"Because we admit we are dead...."

"So our planets are dead..."

"But the others haven't yet...."

"So they are still trapped in their pasts," Ianto finished with a shy smile, "And we're still trapped as part of the spectrum even if we're not fully connected. It's the humming in the back if my mind isn't it?"

"Damn straight," Siani offered him a grin as they settled down against a doorframe to stare up at the brilliant sky that shone overhead, "We will always be a part of it but somehow we kept ourselves removed."

But when they call we will answer," Ianto finished with a heavy sigh.

It is impossible to explain the sudden change from physical to mental. Every single day a person exists in the physical. Even the thoughtless actions of the body happen. Breathing, heart beat, minute muscle stretches all happen every instant of every day. To take that away and simply be mental was a huge shift. Especially when the world became a mental instead of a physical one.

Ever heard the phrase belief makes reality? Well that was how the spectrum worked. So many of them believed they were alive, clung to that thought until they were absorbed into the spectrum. Few ever accepted they were dead and they were dangerous. Because the ones who didn't were still mentally confined to physical ideas while those who did weren't.

Ianto and Siani were the only two to able to remember being dead and it made them so very good and keeping ahead of the spectrum. They ran through memories, manipulating the images to keep them safe and one step ahead of the spectrum. They were a truly deadly psychic pair now. Siani was the sword, blasting through the walls of the spectrum around them to keep moving ahead. Ianto was their sheild keeping them safe and manipulating the land around them to keep moving.

They never hurt anyone of the spectrum, no they were quite fond of the spectrum. But just because it was understandable didn't mean they cared. They never hurt anyone but they directed and pushed the giant eye of the spectrum away from them and continued running. With thousands of millions of memories for each millions of thousands of people they had a large database to pull from. They continued to run as far and as fast as they could.

Like hell they would give up.

Siani frowned as she felt something pulling at her. It felt like it was from her stomach, but not really because she didn't have a stomach. She didn't have a body, she was dead and had been for a long time. And she could see from Ianto's disturbed expression that he was feeling the same thing as her.

"You feel it also?" Siani asked softly, her eyes wide.

"Yes," Ianto squeezed his eyes shut and Siani could feel that he just wanted this pull to stop, wanted this tug and pull to go away and leave him alone, "The spectrum..."

"THE SPECTRUM CALLS FOR ALL OF ITS CHILDREN TO RETURN," both said at the exact same time in the exact same tone, eyes blank as they rose to their feet, "GUETS HAVE COME TO OUR PLANET. ALL CRYSTALS SHALL BE FILLED UNTIL THEY LEAVE. THE MANY OF THE SPECTRUM WILL SPREAD ITS LIGHT AGAIN."

There was no denying the pull of the spectrum when they demanded your attention. One person stood no chance against their combined psychic might when they flexed their mental muscles. One second. Siani and Ianto were sitting together, the next they were being pulled to their crystals in the spectrum.

The closest physical description of that moment is this. Imagine being a person, sitting at home going about your life. Then a hum starts in the back of your mind like a song you can't forget and continue to hum that gets louder and louder and louder until there is nothing but the hum that becomes words that you must follow no matter what. Then, then your body dissolves into sand that is the color of the crystals around your neck that flows away from wherever you were and suddenly you exist again floating in darkness. Above and below and around you float other ghostly copies of individuals like you who stare through the gate of the crystal to see the visitors.

That was what Siani just went through as she floated in the blackness of the spectrum watching the new people on the planet. She knew she didn't actually look like this, knew she was just a thought no a real person. But Ianto's mind had given her form again and she refused to lose it.

She watches as the strangers talk to the guests because that was what they are. They are guests. She frowned as she felt the tickle in her mind of a new memory. Blue with red streaks it comes, from the blue quadrant so far away. The Doctor who caused so much hurtpainheartachewhy? and his ever changing companions. And there was another man and the spectrum wondered who he was. This one in the blue coat, what use did he have?

And so the many reached into the memories of their angry one to sift through to find this one. It took a while but they found him. Warm strong arms, wrapping around to keep one safe. Hard kisses stolen at night with soft touches behind closed doors. How did his touch feel so good, why did the one only feel alive in his arms? Crippling pain when he disapeared, heartache because it was the Doctor always the Doctor. Then he was back and it was better for so long then the one was dying slowly. Choking for breath.

"I love you...don't forget me..."

With what amounted to mental wiplash Siani pulled out of the spectrum and slammed back into being one instead of many. That was Ianto's man, the one her friend mourned for and missed every day of their sort of afterlife. He was the one who could get Ianto out of the spectrum, show him the bright new world.

But he was in the wrong quadrant of the planet. Ianto was in the blue quadrant and Siani was in the green one. He was going to miss Ianto then the bright stubborn angry human would be stuck like her for all eternity.

Like hell that would happen.

With a determined scowl Siani pressed her fingers against the crystal surface and shoved. Not a real shove, but a mental one. Countless millennias of being just a thought had given her a lot of strength and Siani was a sword. She was made to rip through and destroy mental barriers and that was what she did. She believed she could step through this doorway up just like she and Ianto stepped through countless others before. She believed she would walk out into the physical world in her new body.

And like all mental aspects, enough belief makes it reality.

Which was why Siani tumbled through the crystal into unending agony. Every nerve ending in her body was burning, the light to bright, the noises to loud. Every step she took was like walking across broken glass but she was going to do it!

Somehow she managed to grab him, the man in the blue coat, Jack Harknass, Jack in the early mornings when no one was at Torchwood. It hurt and she wanted to die but she did it.

"You!" Siani hissed leaning against him even if it hurt even more. She had to get it out before she forgot. Ianto was counting on her, "Have a lot of explaining to do! Do you know how long we've been waitn..."

And then the darkness claimed her once again as she fell into blissful unconciousness in Harknass's strong arms. She had to tell him about Iatno. She had to tell him about... She had to tell him... She had to tell... She had to.. She had... She...

Who was she? She couldn't remember anymore as the inky blackness claimed her. For some reason she though of an ocean with a sad young man looking over it. But why was he... Why?

Across the planet sat a small blue crystal with red streaks. Nothing special about it. No one knew it would sell for a ridiculously high price on the black market, or at least none of the spectrum did. So it was with horror that a man appeared and took the crystal before disappearing once again.

But this man was lacking a crucial bit of information. This crystal was alive.

And it was pissed.

Chapter Text

"Is it normal to have gorgeous green women faint at the sight of you?" Rory asked dryly as Jack carried the unconscious woman into the TARDIS, "Cuase that was a special brand of strange."

Jack let out a quick bark of laughter while laying her down on a bed the TARDIS had prepared for her. "Used to be," he admited, "Not so much now."

"Too busy drinking?" Amy teased.

"Something like that," Jack muttered before stepping back to let the Doctor rush over and start waving the sonic screwdriver around, "What's the deal with her Doc?"

"This is impossible," the Doctor whispered taking a step away from her with wide terrified eyes.

"What's wrong?" Amy demanded starting forward. Jack reached out and dragged her back, his eyes narrowed on the sleeping woman.

"The readings say she is a Shinon from the planet Zagath," the Doctor explained slowly, "But that's not possible. There's no one on Zagath let alone an entire species."

"How can there be no one there?" Rory demanded.

"The entire planet is deserted," Jack explained softly, "We learned about it in school. It's a giant desert but that's not the strange part. That part is the series of cities built around the planet."

"But they're all deserted," the Doctor muttered, "Not even skeletons remain. Like someone just made a planet and forgot about it. Rather strange when you think about it. But the sonic screwdriver picked up her thoughts and she keeps repeating that she's from Zagath and what species. But no name yet. Just that. Curious that, like she's trying to remember something."

The Doctor leaned back in and placed the sonic screwdriver against her cheek. "Add to that her cells are only minutes old," the Doctor mumbled, "It's like she didn't exist until she came out of the crystal. Well, not physically anyway."

They all stared at her in stunned silence. It was impossible for her to be only minutes old. Her skin and hair glittered in the light, along with her black body suit pipped with silver stripes. A large green circular crystal sat on her hip, tied to it with silver flowing cloth that matched the green crystal around her neck. She looked so real, looked just like any other alien. There was no way she had just become in a matter of seconds.

"Unless....no, that can't happen," the Doctor gasped in delight, jumping up and down happily, "Oh she is brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

Amy rolled her eyes. Trust him not to tell them anything. "What is so special about her?" She demanded expaserated with the whole situation.

"She is only hours old! Which should be impossible but not really," the Doctor shoved the sonic screwdriver in her mouth, "Because she is from Zagath, which is indeed a dead planet! Because she died and then something put her in the crystals where she has been existing since the end of her life. Until now, now she got out. Not sure shy but we do know one thing...."

The Doctor spun and pressed the screwdriver to Jack's sternum. Jack of course curled his lip in disgust wondering why alien slobber was on him now.

"She wanted you for something Jack," the Doctor announced brightly, "She wanted to give you a message before her nerves went into overdrive and she passed out. But she needed to tell you something and she recognized you."

"What did you do to her?" Amy demanded rounding on Jack.

"Never seen her before in my life," Jack growled, "I have no idea how she knows me!"

"Simple, she never met you," the Doctor announced with wide childish eyes, "But someone else, one of the other crystals, has met you. And me because they responded to my name. So we just need to make a list of everyone we both have met and narrow it down to who is dead! The Ponds are off the list at least!"

"I still don't know how the hell she would know who I was even if someone else knew me in there," Jack growled glaring down at the sleeping woman.

"It's cause they're like the Borg," Rorry cried suddenly eyes bright with discovery. A scowl crossed his face when he was met with three blank states, "The Borg? Star Trek? Seriously, none of you have ever watched Star Trek? Right we're doing a marathon when we head back to Earth."

The Doctor let out an annoyed huff, "What does Star Trek have to do with this?"

"The Borg come to different races, different planets then assimilate the people," Rory explained quickly, "They're a hive mind, what one knows all the others know. I think this spectrum is like that. So when one person knew Jack, all of them knew Jack including her."

A loud gasp ripped through the air as the woman sat up straight up in bed staring straight ahead. Her eyes were wide and fearful as she gazed around the TARDIS with confusion evident in her face. A scowl crossed her pretty face as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and pressed her hand to her head.

"What happened..." She whispered as she looked around her with wide eyes, "This isn't Ilaash, this isn't even my planet! Who the hell are you people?"

"I am the Doctor," he announced brightly swinging onto the bed and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "Never mind them right now. Tell me what you remember about where you were."

The woman shut her eyes, face drawn and a paler green. "I was out in the street. We all were out there. It was the celebration for the end of the civil war and the Hadir was addressing us," she let out a bitter laugh, "How stupid we were. We had just finished a civil war to get rid of the last Hadir and then we got a new one. He was worse than the last. He had us all standing there in the middle of the afternoon when these beings appeared and started to talk to us."

Taking a shuddering breath she continued in a haunted whisper, "They said they wanted us to become the new spectrum. That the original one was destroyed and we were the new spectrum. Then they released a gas into the air...we couldn't breathe!"

She let out a sob, silver tears running down her fae. "They killed us all," she whispered brokenly, "They killed my wife, my children then there was nothing. Nothing but blackness followed by agonizing pain. We choked to death in the streets, every single one of us. Suddenly everything I fought for was in reach, we were all equals in every way that mattered."

She let out a harsh bark of laughter, "Funny that we needed death for that."

"Amazing. The stories of your planet portray your race as one of the wisest in the universe," the Doctor murmured, "Sad to see they were wrong."

"If there's one thing death has shown me its we are all the same," she shrugged, "All of the races, all of the people we're all the same on the inside. No matter what time or what place, people never change."

"You said someone did this to you," Amy asked her, "Who?"

The woman looked up at them with pained eyes. "The 456 did this to me," she whispered, her eyes haunted.

Jack froze, eyes widening in horror. It felt like the world had been pulled out from under him, his last support in the world completely gone. Reaching out blindly Jack stumbled away from the woman gasping for breath. It was like someone had taken a knife to his gut and twisted.

The 456. He had thought he was free from them. Thought he never had to deal with them ever again. They had already taken everything from him, leaving him a broken shell of a man. Like a drowning man clings to wood, Jack clung to the stopwatch in his hand remembering soft blue eyes and a quirked eyebrow as Jack leaned in for a quick kiss. A deep voice that was the most a,axing sound in the universe when he would whisper Jack's name in the dead of night as they cuddled together in one of their beds.

"Jack? You alright?" Amy asked taking a step towards the trembling man as he clung to the TARDIS like it was the only thing that could keep him standing, "Looking mighty pale there."

"The 456," he whispered ignoring the burning in his eyes.

Rory frowned, "What about them?"

"They killed him," Jack said softly, "They killed Ianto."

The all turned when the woman let out a delighted shriek at that. Her green face was lit up in delight as she beamed at them. "Ianto! That's what I was forgetting. Knew it was something," she announced proudly, "He's a good man, part of the spectrum now. We're friends...sort of in the way there is no one else to talk to there. He's mentioned you before Jack Harkness."

"Who the hell are you?" Jack demanded. How did she know Ianto and what did that have to do with her being here.

"Siani Mhotte," she said grad lay with a courtly bow, "At your service."

On another planet several light years away a rather smug man appeared in a flash of golden light. Clutched in his hand was a large velvet bag that contained a single crystal from the planet Londinium that a rather wealthy creature had paid for him to steal. It was a real beauty, a rich blue like the skies of Earth with deep red streaks that appeared purple in the right light.

With a smug smile and a whistle he began to walk through the crowded market place swinging the bag in his hands.

"Can you please not swing me? It's making me queasy."

No. It was impossible. That voice belonged to a dead man, someone lost long ago. He couldn't be here.

Turning the theif came face to face with a rather annoyed young human male with unamused blue eyes glaring at him. Those piercing eyes widened in recognition as he took the theif in.

"John?"

"Eye candy?"

John Hart and Ianto Jones regarded each other for a long moment before sighing.

"Well shit," they grumbled at the same time glaring at each other. They were way to sober for this.

Chapter Text

"So let me get this straight. Some guy comes up to you and asks you to pick up a crystal from some unnamed planet?" Ianto demanded as he settled in the booth at the steady bar they were hiding out in, "And you never asked them why?"

"Sounds about right," John admitted turning to leer at the waitress as she leaned over to set his glass on the table. Despite looking like the love child of a sloth and a lemur she was fairly attractive. If you were really sloshed of course, "Thanks sweetheart. How about a little desert after I finish my drinks?"

"Wow," Ianto just watched the sloth lemur thing walk away, "You really will sleep with anything won't you."

"Damn straight. Now what the hell happened to you Eye Candy?" John leaned back and took a long swill from the bottle, "Last I heard you died."

"Do you have an idea how much of a let down death is?" Ianto grumbled glaring at John, "I got infected with and alien virus that shut down my body which is increadible uncomfortable. Do you kow how annoying it is to stop breathing and feel your body shut down? Then wake up in some room and get told your joining this giant collective of dead people? It was the single worst experience of my life. And afterlife. So far of course. This might top that though."

John let out a bark of laughter much to Ianto's displeasure. "You haven't changed a bit Eye Candy. Still understating the strangest things in the universe. Is there anything that will phase you?"

"Nope. It's irrelevant. I died," leaning forward Ianto stared straight into his eyes, "What I want to know is why the hell are you stealing crystals off of strange planets that could kill you? You probably didn't even know if there was an atmosphere before you showed up."

"Money honestly," John said with a shrug taking another swig out of the bottle, "This guy named Trume hired me. Heard about my reputation."

"For being a giant prat?" Ianto asked with a wicked smirk.

"For being sex on legs who doesn't ask questions about what he's stealing," John let out a tired sigh, "The guy said he wanted a crystal from that planet. Said it was a weapon he wanted to use."

Well shit. If anyone ever figured out to use the spectrum the entire universe could be destroyed in the blink of an eye. Psychic power came from belief and having an entire planet who believed in one thing was a terrifying thought. If they truly wanted to they could wipe out whole planets. There was not true defense not even for the psychic alien races. Their combined physics force could wipe entire races out as they shut down their minds with a single thought.

Ianto leaned forward deadly serious with hard eyes. He had to know what they were planning. "How are they going to use this as a weapon?" He demanded. No one knew what the spectrum was, no one but the 456.

"Some advanced alien species worships these stupid crystals," John admitted laughing at the horrified look on his face. No doubt he was interpreting the horror on Ianto's face as disbelief, "So Trume gets this idea if he takes one of the crystals he can hold it ransom against this race because they are batshit crazy, make no doubt about that. Everyone is terrified of them. But they will do anything for this crystal. And I mean anything."

"So you don't know what the crystals are?" Ianto demanded eyes widening in delighted surprise. They didn't know. No one else knew what they were, they would be able to keep the universe safe.

"No clue," John gave a shrug and leaned back to leer at the waitress again.

Ianto leaned forward and stared directly into John's eyes. "Those are more than just crystals," he hissed, keeping his voice down to keep attention away from their table, "More than just shiny rocks on a planets surface. In each and every one there is a person, a single living consciousness that is connected to all of the other crystals. All of them are dead beings from all corners of the universe who were gathered together for no real purpose that we know of. That...that is the real weapon John."

There was a long moment of silence as they stared at each other across the table. Ianto was as stony faced as ever while John's fade was rapidly losing color as the magnitude of the situation hit him. As a Time Agent he knew how dangerous this could be. Psychics were always dangerous to deal with, but on such a large scale? If so many psychics could all believe in one thing, one single thing, it would happen in reality. And there was no defense against the amount of psychic energy.

"Fuck," John immediately downed the rest of the bottle before a manic gleam lightened his eyes, "Do you have any idea what this would sell for? I'll be set for at least six lifetimes."

Ianto raised his eyebrow hoping to show the time travler how unamused he was. "Or the spectrum could, you know, come looking for it and destroy you. Just a thought there."

"Would they do that?" John demanded all thoughts of money gone from his head now, "They're coming after me now?"

"Don't worry I'll protect you," Ianto deadpaned, "Especially since your holding my body in that bag."

"This is your body?" John demanded holding up the sack containing the crystal.

Ianto held up his wrist to show the crystal on his bracelet that looked just like the crystal in the bag. It was the same and currently his body seeing how he didn't exist anymore. John whistled as he studied the crystal. It was an exact replica as the one he had.

"You're not real are you?" John demanded.

Ianto just shrugged, "Not really. This is just a projection from the crystal."

"We need more information," John muttered, "Something to give us a chance."

Ianto smiled wickedly a grin crossing his face. "I can do that," he announced, eyes turning as blue as the crystal with red streaks in them.

"You know where Ianto is?" Jack demanded as Siani bounced around the TARDIS running her hands against the controls with delight on her face.

"Yes...and no," Siani admitted with a shrug. "This thing is amazing, what is it? Can I borrow it for a while and go adventuring!"

"Oh I like her," the Doctor whispered to Amy who just sighed and rolled her eyes.

"See I can sense where he is but I don't know where exactly. Quite annoying really," Siani grumbled rubbing her head with a scowl, "There's this annoying buz in the back of my head letting me know something is wrong. I'm guessing Ianto cause he is a trouble maker. Humans. So antagonistic."

"What's that mean?" An indignant Rory demanded.

"First thing Ianto told the spectrum was to fuck off. Quite impressive. No onewver tells the spectrum to go fuck itself. Not even the first people who were forced into it and had a choice. But this simple human suddenly said no and backed it up. Amazing," she said with a forced laugh running her hand through her hair, "But there is seriously something wrong...can you hear that buzzing noise or am I crazy?"

"You're from a giant crystal," Rory muttered, "You're insane."

Siani froze after that. Not just quite moving, no. Her entire body froze, every twitching muscle stopped, her eyes stopped blinking, she stopped breathing. Her purple eyes filled with the same greens and silver spots as her crystal. All facial tics stopped as she stared blankly at the three before her.

"What happened to her?" Amy hissed.

Jack took a quick step back, "She just...stopped. Stopped everything."

"Well," the Doctor cocked his head to the side, "That's not good. Not good at all."

"Crystal was taken from surface by the theif. Taken to planet known as Minta E'Mani, information from planet will be taken and recorded in collective. Blue sheild crystal is not in danger. Keep consiousness on crystal until it returns to spectrum. We look after our own," her voice stayed flat, a monotone as she stared blankly at them. Amy and Rory looked disturbed while the Doctor and Jack just looked on with fascination.

"Who is she talking to?" Jack demanded,

The Doctor hummed under his breath, "To whoever is holding the crystal missing. That first part was just a warning to them. And to us if we take Siani off planet."

"Information requested by John Hart in formation of spectrum," Siani intoned in that same dull voice. She did not respond to Jack's muttered curse before she before she began again, "This is the second version of the spectrum. The first spectrum was not sentient but a consiousness, the legend of the singing crystals came from this before they were all destroyed. An alien species worshiped the singing crystals and their loss was detremental to their society."

In a seedy bar across several galaxies Ianto continued in a dull monotone eyes staring blankly at a disturbed John who watched fascinated. The warming had been taken into consideration and he would have to puzzle over it.

"The race decided to rebuild their religious symbol," Ianto and Siani spoke at the same time their minds connected among the million of glittering stars of the spectrum as they brought the information out, "A gas was developed with a virus in it, one that stole the last breath of the being and injected it into the crystal. This transferred the consciousness into the crystal placing the beings mind inside the crystal. Then the being joins the spectrum after that.

"We are a single consciousness made up of many. The one is weak, easily influenced by emotion. We remove the emotion and focus on the logic of the situation. All of the memories are collected to create information to be stored and shared for years to come. That is our purpose, to offer guidance and information to those who seek it."

"Who made you then?" John and the Doctor asked at the same time, their eyes trained of the two.

"Who else would make us?" They both cocked their heads to the side, eyes blank, "We were created by the race that calls themselves the Vrako, they are also known as the Death Bringers, the Invaders, and recently the 456."

With twin gasps they returned to their bodies, eyes returning to their proper colors. Neither paid much attention to the cries of shock and fear as they focused on breathing and relaxing.

They both furrowed their brows and reached into the minds to tug at the new string inside of their heads. It was different than any other, a swirling color of red and blue and green and silver that just sat there next to the hum of the spectrum.

Eyes snapping open Ianto let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. Of course this got more complicated. He couldn't just have a simple afterlife could he? Everything had to be difficult for him, there was no doubt about that.

"That's wonderful," Ianto grumbled, "I've got another bloody voice in my head, that's just what I need."

John let out a bark of laughter, toasting Ianto with the bottle, "I hear ya mate!"

Chapter Text

"So let me get this straight," the Doctor announced grandly as he pranced around the TARDIS with bright eyes as he grinned to himself, "You lot were taken by the 456 to remake this spiritual worship planet with all of you as the crystals. But there wasn't enough from one planet was there? So they kept going to all the other planets until they had a collective of different aliens from a bunch of different places. So you and Ianto know each other?"

"Yeah, met him right after he died. We hoped from memory to memory to keep them from taking our emotions away again. That's how they keep you in the Spectrum by taking your emotions and making you join the continuum," Siani explained, curled up in a ball on the ground, slouching against the wall as Amy fussed over her, "We spent years running around visiting different worlds, trying to keep ahead of the spectrum. We got awesome at it also."

"What do you mean awesome?" The Doctor demanded leaning down to stare into her eyes shining the sonic screwdriver into her eyes.

"Ever see the movie Inception?" Siani asked with huff, "It's kind of like that. Opening doors to other worlds, jumping through mirrors and pulling stuff out of pictures."

"You've seen Inception?" Rory demanded an indignant on his face as he turned to glare at Amy, "I told you it was an awesome movie! Even weird green girls have seen it!"

"I didn't see it," she growled trying to push the Doctor off of her, "Ianto saw it..."

"With me on our second date," Jack told them his eyes trained on Siani, "As interesting as this is, there's only one thing I want to know from you. Where the hell is Ianto?"

"Some weird bar with a guy named John Hart," Siani let out a groan as she got to her feet running a hand through her now destroyed braid, "He is not happy, I can tell that much. That planet was not there when I died so I have no clue where we're going. Well, most of these planets didn't exist when I was alive."

"I do!" The Doctor lit up like a little boy at Christmas time as bounced around, "Describe it to me, help me narrow down the quadrant and we can go get Ianto back to Jack in licketty slit!"

"Sure thing," Siani said with a grin. Walking over to the Doctor she grabbed his face with her hands Siani shut her eyes and reached deep into her mind. The newest thread sat there nestled in her mind and Siani grabbed it with both hands.

Following it through her mind scape Siani dragged the Doctor with her through the confusing maze that was her mind. It was difficult to get her mind in order when she had spent so long as just a thought amongst million of other thoughts she was still getting used to being an individual. Her mindscape was a long white corridor filled with doors that she navigated easily. Slowly though it transformed into a series of bookshelves stacked to the brim with books as they entered Ianto's mindscape. Reaching forward Siani slipped into Ianto's mind pulling the Doctor along with her as they stared through his eyes to watch him arguing with the strange man at the bar. Looking through Ianto's eyes they took in the surrounding planet around them before a name floated through their connected minds and Siani pulled them back out of Ianto's mind and into their proper bodies.

The Doctor let out a surprised shriek and threw himself away from Siani with a full body shudder. He was gasping from breath even as Siani fixed her hair with a secret smile on her face.

"Doctor? Are you alright?" Amy rushed to his side and tried to check him over but the Doctor was up and moving once again.

"How did you do that?" The Doctor hissed taking a step away from Siani, "How did you pull me into your head? That shouldn't be possible I have shielding against people like you...unless...oh. That's not good."

"What did she do?" Jack demanded stepping forward with a scowl, "What did you do to him? Where's Ianto? What have you done?"

"You're a weapon. A giant psychic weapon," The Doctor stated studying Siani as she leaned against Rory, "There is no escape, no defense from it because there are so many of you. You all believe in one thing and it happens. Planets destroyed, lives ruined, reality could be rewritten because of the spectrum. And you have it in your head."

Jack froze the implication hitting him. She was dangerous, she was a powerful weapon that had been unleashed on the universe because of them, because she was helping them find Ianto. That type of power has the potential to destroy the entire universe.

"You're able to be the end of everything," Jack hissed taking a fearful step away from her. He noted Amy and Rory were also flinching away from Siani as she straightened up.

"He's right," the Doctor just shook his head sadly as he regarded the alien, "The greatest weapon in all of time and space and it will only keep getting stronger as more and more people continue to join it. How do we know you won't use it?"

Siani let out a bright laugh at that as she settled herself against the TARDIS with a sad grin. "You have nothing to worry about on that front," she said running her hand through her thick hair, "I am so old, so old and so tired of all this. Death, destruction, pain. So pointless in the scheme of things. All you do is destroy and hurt and cause pain. Everything we were, everything we did, was destroyed because of a weapon and you actually think I will become that?"

Rage, pure rage, filled her and her eyes narrowed as she advanced on the Doctor. Pure hatred filled her for a second. "There are entire worlds, entire civilizations out there terrified this gas will return and kill them once again. Take their families and loved ones away from them and they don't know who or what killed them," Siani sneered, her entire expression twisting as rage filled her wholly, "They killed me. They killed my wife, and they killed my children. They killed everyone and you think I would do that to another living being? Take away the most precious gift in the universe for shuts and giggles? So you know what?"

Grabbing the Doctor's bowtie she pulled him in close and hissed, "Take your pretentious bullshit and shove it up your ass. The last thing I want to do is make more people like me. This isn't life Doctor, Ianto and I aren't living. No one deserves to end up like us."

There was a long guilt filled silence as Siani stormed from the room. The Doctor had the coordinats now, he didn't need her right now. They wouldn't need her until they reached the planet so she could follow the link to Ianto. That left plenty of time for her to go sulk.

This TARDIS, it was alive. She could feel it pressing in her head the thoughts humming away. It was strange in a way but she had dealt with worse before. The sound of footsteps made her look up as Rory slid onto the ground with her.

"Sorry about them," he muttered softly, "Get all doomsday whenever someone shows up. Just need a good kick in the ass to remind them how to be human. Which you just have them. Jack's just worried about Ianto, as soon as we get him back everything will be fine."

Siani just sighed offering him a pained smile, "I didn't want to say this to the Doctor, but we physically cannot kill anyone. The people who killed us can program the Spectrumand they keep us on a pretty tight leash so we don't turn on them. But still....he just looked at me and decided I was a weapon. I hate that."

Rory just hummed before settling an arm around her shoulder. "I figure," he shrugged, "There's been times I want to punch him also."

the two sat in silence for a long while before Rory just had to ask. "Is the no harming reason the only reason you didn't deck him."

"Oh hell yes," Siani admitted with a grin delighting in Rory's laughter, "I need to figure out how to fix that sometime soon."

"Eh. Next time you want to punch one of them just tell me."

"Thanks Rory."

Chapter Text

The marketplace was crowded as they moved through the throng of people around them. And by people, Ianto meant aliens. Some were humanoid, some he had seen come through the rift, and some were just plain wierd. But judging by the strange and appraising looks the aliens were giving him as he followed John through the mess of bodies. He was quite happy to be dead because the place looked disgusting.

There were strange stains on the ground. One was a rather viscous looking violet that was painful to look at and did it have eyes? What the hell? But he refused to voice these thoughts and just continued following John. For how very noticeable the time agent was on earth he blended in very easily in this alien market. The difference was amazing to observe. For being born a human John was defiantly alien.

It was an interesting place to look at though. Booths sat out covered to the edge of collapse with goods. Everything from mechanical toys to weapons were out in bulk as aliens of every color moved about. And Ianto knew the majority of the alien races he stepped around. From the brilliant blue and pink insectoids that hovered in the air clicking away to a strange octopus like creature slithering across the ground he knew them.

Ianto knew what their planets looked like, knew the temperature and the humidity. The languages and the food not to mention the customs. The majority of these people he had seen and shared memories with inside of the spectrum. There was a good half dozen he didn't recognize and that was more concerning to him.

"How close are we to the home planet of the 456?" Ianto asked softly as his eyes tracked a Zysif'norna moving past with its three heads hung low. An air of defeat and fear hung around it as it moved.

John sidestepped into an alley skirting by a family of aliens curled in on themselves. They were whispering frantically eyes trained on the skies as they clutched gas masks in their hands. "Rather close, couple hours in a jump ship," John explained as they continued passing even more desperate aliens who seemed more and more desperate, "Why?"

"No reason," Ianto muttered staring around him with furrowed eyes. All of these species had been attacked by the 456, every single one of them. Some even centuries ago but they were still afraid of it happening again. And of what he saw was correct than the 456 could trade with these races and was in fact doing that. John didn't have to deal with that. Not yet anyway.

When they finally emerged from the alleyway Ianto couldn't keep in his cry of delight. He stepped forward eyes twinkling in the artificial light even as John stepped behind him with a chuckle. It was a truly amazing sight, one Ianto knew he could never forget.

"Impressive isn't it?" John murmured, "Almost makes working for the bastard worth it."

The entire compound was made from trees. There were at least a hundred of them twisted together to form a diant dome that stood out over the rooftops of the city pulling in the sunlight. Deep purple flowers swayed in the breeze accentuating the green and brown bark that glittered with fluorescent lights. The windows and doors were gaps between the trees that beings moved around and through with little to no problem.

"Take a good look eye candy. We'll be inside soon," John announced with a leet reaching out to grab Ianto around the waist and pull him in close. A surprised yelp left him when his hand passed through Ianto's body with no problem, the blue eyed Welshman raising that signature eyebrow with a smirk.

"Remember I'm dead John," Ianto announced grandly waggling his fingers in the air. "This body is only an illusion." He made sure to drag the last word out just to be obnoxious before starting to head into compound.

"You're obnoxious when you're dead," John growled storming past Ianto with an irate scowl as he headed deeper and deeper into the maze of trees.

"You're going to be a giant prat when you're dead," Ianto announced grandly. He took a moment to pause before smirking, "Oh wait, that's just your default setting. My mistake."

They moved slowly thought the maze which was indeed a maze. Stepping over roots and around branches was time consuming especially when you were ducking around the aliens also. Ianto didn't see the point in going in there but it wasn't like he had much of a choice with John holding his body hostage. Alright that wasn't entirely true. If he really wanted to he could destroy John and take his body back but why would he want to do that?

Finally they reached a giant archway that was grown into the wood. Stepping through it Ianto struggled to keep his face impassive as he looked around the giant vaulting chamber. A long table made out of the same wood as the trees stretched across the room leadig up to a wooden dais with a large throne like chair that was occupied by the alien.

"Mr. Hart," the alien said pleasantly, "Welcome back to the Compound. Do you have my merchandise ready?"

John smiled an oily smile that made Ianto want to punch him in the face. It would be so easy to deck the smug bastard except for the fact that he was dead. That put a damper on things. "Of course I do Mr. Trume," John announced grandly, "Give me the money and I'll give you the bag."

Trume let out a deep laugh shaking his head, "Oh no Mr. Hart. I've heard about you. If I give you the money first you'll take it and the crystal and run probably after killing me. No, the crystal first."

Ianto took a step forward, his eyes narrowed on the massive alien. "Why do you want it?" Ianto demanded, "What's so special about that crystal?"

Besides it being his body now but Trume didn't know that. And Ianto refused to tell him about it.

Trume offered a sad smile, one Ianto had seen too many times back on earth. He had worn it also before meeting Jack, before Jack made everything better. It was the smile of the desperate, the smile of someone who lost so much they don't care anymore about what they lose next.

"The 456 worship these crystals. They find it to be the most amazing thing in the entire universe and would do anything for them." Trume just sighed running a hand through his hair, face lined with grief, "They come to planets, kill the people with a gas. No one knows why but Minta E'Mani is the last planet in this galaxy. The 456 have targeted every other planet here but us. And with this crystal we can keep them from targeting us by holding it ransom."

That actually made a lot of sense. Ianto could understand the fear of the 456 coming back for them. Some days he had woken up in the spectrum screaming as the thought of the 456 going back to earth and killing more filled him. Everyone was scared, all of them. This alien race just appearing and killing before moving on was a terrifying idea for anyone especially with the threat of them coming back.

"The crystal won't stop them," John warned, "They'll just try to get it back. This thing is cursed, bad luck it is."

Trume just laughed that long and mournful sound, "I can't take that chance. My people need me."

Ianto just shook his head taking a step forward. "The crystal isn't going to fix anything," Ianto knew he was begging, knew he was pleading but all he wanted was for another planet to live. Not to die like he did trapped forever between life and death. "All it brings is death. I should know, they killed me because of this god forsaken crystal and I will not let your planet end up like I did!"

Trume let out a rather condescending laugh, a sneer painting his face, "And who is going to stop me? You and Hart?"

Ianto narrowed his eyes, desperation filling him as he started towards Trume. "If I have to," he hissed.

The clicks of guns and blisters filled the room, Hart reached out to draw a weapon ready to fight at. A moments notice. Ianto took a deep breath preparing himself to fire off a mental attack seeing how he couldn't do much else. It was tense, everyone staring at each other with hard eyes while Trume smiled at them with his oily grin pleased to have won all ready.

The tense moment was shattered before a single shot was fired as a strange hum filled the air. John paled swearing quickly and softly as he took a stepaway from Ianto. He refused to let Jack see him standing next to Eye Candy. Ianto had never heard that sound before except that he had of course. He knew the noise and what it meant from Siani's mind. Could feel her coming closer and she was angry why was she angry she hadn't been able to feel in so long. Now he could feel all of her emotions pouring through her as she relearned how to feel.

And sure enough a bright blue police box appeared at the end of the room. Trume was yelling for guards but Ianto was past caring. Because the door of the TARDIS flew open and out ran a familiar figure in a long dark blue coat. His faxed was lined with worry and grief and what Ianto wouldn't give to kiss those lines away and promise him everything would be alright.

Ianto couldn't help it. He just gave a delighted cry and threw himself forward into Jck's arms. He didn't even notice that Jack was also holding him too busy pressing his face into Jack's shoulder and just holding on. It simplty register that he hadn't passed through the immortal because he only wanted to clung to Jack for the rest of eternity. It was his strongest wish. It's been so long since they saw each other last and Ianto never wanted to leave Jack again. He'd already been forced to go once.

Jack pulled him closer pressing kisses to his forehead. "I am never letting you leave again," oh it broke his heart how heartbroken Jack sounded, like the one thing in the universe he loved was completely gone, "No way in hell are you getting rid of me Ianto Jones."

Ianto let out a delighted laugh snuggling closer, "Why would I ever want to leave you? I just found you again Jack."

Although in the back of his mind Ianto could feel Siani's temper flaring her eyes flashing as she started towards Trume ready for revenge. With a reluctant whimper Ianto pulled away from Jack as both turned to take in the green skinned woman who stood there regally.

The Spectrum would be heard, even if Trume didn't want to listen. The many had decided.

Chapter Text

Bright laughter filled his head as Siani stalked by him, her bright green held high as she approached Trume. Her purple eyes were harsh and her mouth twisted in a scowl.

"You have no right to touch that crystal," she snarled, eyes trained on Trume even as he flinched away from her, "None whatsoever. And if you think I will let you walk out of here alive with him I will destroy everything that you love one atom at a time..."

"Alright putting a stop to that!" The Doctor quickly got between her and Trume resting a hand on hshoulder pushing her away. This was not good, not good at all. A weapon like her should not be allowed to go around making decisions willy nilly, "Get back in the TARDIS, I'll deal with you later. Right now I will talk to him."

"Names Trume," John offered apparently trying to by helpful.

Jack fixed him with a vicious glare, tugging Ianto to his side. A warm hand rested on Ianto's head leading him to rest against Jack's shoulder. Shamelessly Ianto clung to the older man hiding away from the rest of the world even if he could feel Siani's rage pushing through his happiness at being with Jack again.

"Why the hell are you even here?" Jack demanded even as John snorted at that crossing his arms over his chest.

Pointing at Trume he rolled his eyes in exasperation. "This guy hired me to steal some crystal so I did. Next thing I know eye candy is sitting across from me looking all pissy."

Rory, who had just left the TARDIS, turned to John with a blank look on his face. "You just stole some crystal off a magic death planet with no clue what it does?" He demanded taking Amy's hand and coming up to join Ianto and Jack. "Seriously who does that?"

"Kind of my thing," John announced proudly, "Isn't that right eye candy?"

"Make him go away Jack," Ianto demanded cuddling closer. Jack just tightened his arm brushing a hand through Ianto's hair.

"I'll get working on it," Jack whispered softly shooting John a venomous glare. John of course just winked much to Jack's annoyance but it was hard to be angry when Ianto was pressed against him alive and safe and whole.

Everyone's attention turned back to the Doctor as he let out a rather girlish shriek as Siani stepped through him to get to Thrume. Not kidding, she stepped right through him with narrowed eyes locked onto Thrume as she stalked forward. It was like a tidal wave moving around the Doctor who was gagging and shuddering after that uncomfortable moment. Not everyday someone walked through him.

Ianto was moving the second the thought hit his head. Siani was angry but not like how he was angry. No this was a deep rage that came from having no acess to emotions for countless millennia and suddenly getting them back. Sensory overload was one thing to deal with, emotional overload was a different problem all together. Especially because Ianto was so much weaker than her physically.

Siani was the sword, forcing her way through obstacles by sheer will alone. Ianto was the sheild keeping them hidden as they moved through the spectrum. He was no match for her, no match for Siani in a dragout mental brawl but he would try. He used to think he would never see Jack again but here Jack was. Maybe he could deal with Siani.

Shutting his eyes Ianto reached into his mind and grabbed the mental string and pulled. He pulled as hard as he could until suddenly they weren't in the compound. They were just standing in the park Ianto had gone to as a child for escape staring at each other.

"You can't kill him," Ianto whispered hating the rage spilling across Siani's face. For so long she had been a blank slate of contented smiles that this was scary.

She sneered, "And why not? All beings die in the end. This is a mercy."

"Why the hell gave you the right to decide this?" Ianto snarled taking a step forward, "Why do you get to choose who lives and who dies?"

"They were going to take you and use you as a weapon!"

"Jack would have saved me!"

"This is for the better..."

"No one has the right to play God!" Ianto snarled feeling the spectrum falling behind him. He could feel everyone whispering their agreements. No one was god, not even them, "You out of all people should know that! Playing god is what got your entire planet killed! Because some genius decided your planet should die! I won't let you make that mistake, no doubt about that!"

Siani let out a dark laugh. "I'd like to see you try to stop me!"

Shutting his eyes Ianto made sure to do that. He thought about the one topic he had always avoided. His death. About the terror as he choked to death feeling every part of him shutting down. The heartbreak as he whispered his love to a broken Jack who just held him close. The fear of the unknown as his eyes slid shut. Why him, why now? What was the point of this mad mission why couldn't the Earth just burn? Hadn't he given enough. Waking up and he was angry, no he was pissed. They wanted to change him make him not human. He would not let that happen no matter what. A million of emotions swirled together in a matter of seconds amplified by the remembered emotions of the death of every person in the spectrum. And with a thought Ianto shoved that into Siani.

She threw her head back and screamed pain filling her entire being. Her own pain, the pain of her entire being ending multiplied by millions of people in that split second. The screams turned to strangled sobs as Siani collapsed in on herself, curling up on the ground whimpering in pain. It wasn't physical instead it was all mental. Seeing how her entire being was mental it was not a surprise to see her mental form standing in tatters silver tears streaming down her face.

"I just wanted it to stop," she whispered brokenly, "All the pain all the heartache. He was going to bring death to his planet and didn't even know. I just...wanted to help. But I made it worse."

"No. No no no no." Ianto dropped to his knees and pulled her in for a hug, "You didn't make to worse you just got confused. You know what that means?"

Siani just shook her head tears running down her feet. Ianto gave her a gentle smile, "You fucked up. That's a part of being alive. Mistakes come from being alive and you just made a big one. Now dry your tears and lets go face the music."

Opening his eyes Ianto found himself on the ground curled up in Jack's arms. The immortal looked terrified running his hands through Ianto's hair. Rory was kneeling next to him checking his pulse while Amy and the Doctor fussed about them. Offering Jack a soft smile and a quick kiss Ianto sat up.

"What happened," he asked noting how Jack pulled him closer. "Where's Siani?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by a rather loud scream followed by the sound of skin hitting skin. The noise was quickly followed by the sound of John yelping in pain. Rising up Ianto smiled to see John clutching his cheek while Siani glared viciously back at him her eyes hard as she glared at him.

"She hit me!" John whined as Siani screamed, "He groped me!"

Ianto let out a mournful sigh at the pair of them. Worse than children they were bickering with each other and pushing at each other on the floor. With a soft laugh Ianto tucked himself closer to Jack delighting in being held once again.

"What was that? What you two just did?" Amy asked looking between Siani and Ianto who were ignoring each other so busy with the 51st century human that was demanding their attention so fully.

"They just talked to each other in their minds," the Doctor explained softly watching fondly as Jack fussed over his reseructed lover in his arms. "Those two will always be connected psychically for the rest of time. The spectrum will see to that make no doubt about it. Psychic twins pretty much."

"Sounds like a terrible pop band," Rory muttered grumpily watching as Siani punched John in the stomach as he reached for her chest.

Jack fixed Ianto with a grin as he helped the Welshman up off the floor gently leading him over to the TARDIS. Ianto froze remembering to turn to the Doctor. "What happened to Trume?" He asked softly.

The Doctor tried to smile innocently at that but failed, "Jack may have convinced him to give up on the crystal which I confiscated from Hart. It's sitting in the TARDIS right now."

Amy frowned at Ianto, "What exactly is so special about a crystal?"

Ianto just shrugged, "It's only kind of my body right now."

And he couldn't help but laugh as Jack chocked on thin air stumbling over his own feet. Amy and Rory shared commiserating looks while the Doctor bounced along behind them dragging and arguing Siani and John behind him. As soon as everyone was inside he turned with a bright grin.

"Right, first thing first returning the crystal," he announced with a grin, "Next stop...Londinium."