Torchwood: Fanfic: Wrongful arrest - Chapter Six

[m_findlow]

Title: Wrongful arrest
Fandom: Torchwood
Prompt: Arrest at hc_bingo
Wordcount: 24,947 words
Rating: M
Warnings: N/A
Summary: UNIT are on the warpath, and they've got Jack in their sights.

Ianto placed the hot mug of coffee down on the desk next to his files. He'd had to stop himself from brewing a second mug, remembering that it was just him for the moment. It was a hard habit to break, especially when it felt like Jack was in the hub. He desperately needed the caffeine hit, plus it made him look more composed than he felt, sitting across from this Jack who wasn't Jack.

The cold hard stare unnerved him slightly. He hadn’t seen Jack use that kind of look on him for a very long time. Even when he’d been mad about Ianto hiding Lisa, there was an angry fire tucked away behind that look that proved he still felt something. This was just pure cold hatred.  

He had to keep reminding himself that this was not his Jack, which was an almost impossible task given that they were physically identical in every other aspect. At the same time though, he could have quickly pointed out a hundred subtle differences that separated them. The way he held his head, his stance, the body language that suggested he didn't trust anyone, the tiny creases around the eyes that had formed from years of frowning. It was Jack, but not Jack. This Jack had never met the Doctor, had never left the Time Agency, had never joined Torchwood. He was a ruthless vigilante, that much was clear. Had his Jack really ever been like this? Surely not. This version had seen and done things that his Jack had never done. Terrible things that corrupted the soul. Ianto could almost feel the blackness radiating off him in waves.

Focus, Jones, he told himself, sitting down at the table across from Jack and staring back, hoping to see something more in his eyes than darkness.

'You think you’re going to interrogate me, pretty boy? I’ve seen Agency cadets with more balls.'

Ianto forced himself not to roll his eyes. Different Jack, same histrionics. If he was going to play hardball, Ianto couldn’t afford to give away anything that Jack could use as leverage. This Jack didn’t know their relationship existed, and right now, that’s how it had to stay. If there was any chance of getting his Jack released from UNIT custody, the evidence he collected here had to be watertight.

Ianto began reciting in a disinterested manner. 'Ianto Jones, Torchwood officer 4357, conducting this inteview. Under Her Majesty’s Home Office International Extra-terrestrial Agreement, you are an unregistered alien of planet Earth. Your rights under the Shadow Proclamation are temporarily suspended, and you are to be held in the custody of the Torchwood facility until such time as your status has been determined, and any criminal charges against you are ruled upon. Do you understand these conditions?'

A small huff and crossed arms was the extent of any response. Jack had clearly been in far worse scrapes than this, and was bored with the procedure.

'For the record let it be noted that the detainee has indicated that he understands and accepts these conditions.'

'Yesterday morning at 2.32am you broke into a UNIT facility, you stole classified technology and killed three UNIT officers.' It wasn’t a question, merely a summary of the facts that would comprise the basis for the following questioning.

Jack continued to stare at him, head cocked to the side, and said nothing.

'CCTV places you there, as do our rift monitor logs,' Ianto responded, twirling around his laptop to show Jack the screen.

Still no response.

'See,' Ianto began, 'my problem is that even though you managed to get away, another you also managed to be apprehended. Except that the person they apprehended is not you, but rather this timeline’s current version of you, and who also, ironically, is the head of the Torchwood facility in which you are now detained.'

This seemed to garner a small amount of interest. As expected, Jack's ego could always be stroked, and discovering an alternate version of himself was guaranteed to register some interest.

'Captain Jack Harkness was arrested by UNIT at 1.45pm yesterday and is currently charged with the aforementioned crimes. In accordance with UNIT regulations and the British Homeland Security Act, he will be imprisoned in solitary confinement without trial for the term of his natural life, which for him will be a very long time considering he's immortal.' That got an eyebrow raise before Jack schooled his features.

'That's a shame,' Jack replied, 'he's such a handsome looking guy. But I don't know what you want me to do about it.'

'I'd like you to confess to the crimes you committed.'

Jack leaned forward, placing his handcuffed arms on the desk

'No, you'd like me to take his place. Sorry, but I don't do charity, and I certainly won't be copping to a life prison sentence.'

Ianto produced an evidence bag from under the table. In it was contained a large round object, metallic and yellow, with a chain attached. Jack had been wearing it when Ianto had apprehended him.

'Can you tell me what this is?'

Jack sat there mutely.  

'I've run some tests on it, and it has some unique radiation readings. I think you used this device to travel from one alternate universe to this one. Am I correct?'

'I'm not telling you anything. So what are you going to do about it?'

'We still have the video and rift data. And we've got you.'

'You really think they'll believe that? That he just happens to have an identical twin? That you think you have some wacky device capable of skipping between universes? '

'Stranger things have happened.' Ianto decided to move on for the moment. He'd come back to it later.

'For the record, you were apprehended by Torchwood at 8.46pm in Bute Park. We've been following your movements since you arrived in Cardiff at Queen Street Station ten hours prior. Where were you going anyway?'

'Trying to find Torchwood. My vortex manipulator was giving off crazy rift readings around the castle. Figured the base of operations must be somewhere around there.'

'Yeah, we get that a lot,' Ianto observed disinterestedly. 'The castle seems to be an intergalactic tourist destination. And the pride of the Welsh Tourist Board. And your reason for seeking out Torchwood?'

Jack must have realised he'd said too much because he clamped his mouth shut and gave Ianto another stern look.

'Let it be noted that the subject declined to answer the question. For now,' he added.

He returned Jack's baleful stare. 'You will tell me what your plan is, or I'll find out in other ways.'

'Fine,' Jack said, leaning back again and thrusting his chained and handcuffed feet up on the desk in front of him.  'Do what you have to. I'll just wait here, shall I?'

Ianto's expression was inscrutable as he folded down the laptop screen. He knew Jack was right. For the moment he didn't have enough proof. UNIT knew they had all sorts of technology, and without more concrete proof of his Jack's innocence, he was in trouble. It also didn't help that UNIT weren't taking his calls. As far as they were concerned, whilst the leader of Torchwood was in custody, and charged with high treason, the whole Torchwood Institute was suspended from normal relations with UNIT. His 48 hour window didn't formally exist. Oduya was just humouring him.

It had been all Ianto could do to stop them from taking over the base. There were plenty of officers at UNIT that would be keen to get their hands on certain items in the vaults. UNIT were supposedly conducting their own investigations into this matter and until they were satisfied or otherwise, Jack was going nowhere. And if he didn't come up with something better in the next 36 hours, that was where Jack was staying.  

 

 

Martha was apoplectic when she found out what they'd done to Jack. She'd marched directly down to Colonel Oduya's Office and demanded to see him.

Oduya was sat comfortably behind the mahogany desk, wearing a placid expression. Even without his uniform, you could tell that his posture and mannerisms left little doubt that he was a man whose orders were to be followed without question.  

'I cannot believe you allowed this to happen! He is in our custody. That means we're supposed to protect him, not treat him like some lab rat!'

Oduya considered her for a moment, gently placing his fountain pen down on the leather blotter. He was in fact, just penning some further orders for matters to be considered by his scientific technicians, who were currently reviewing Jack's vortex manipulator. What a colossal boon it would be to be the leader of UNIT, and to have cracked the discovery of time travel. His place in British history firmly sealed.

'He committed crimes on sovereign soil. His rights are nonexistent. That makes him our property.'

'He still has the right to be treated like a human being.'

'Doctor Jones, your involvement in this matter is as a courtesy only. Should you impede any actions undertaken by UNIT personnel in connection with Captain Harkness, you will find yourself transferred to a remote overseas posting effective immediately. Do I make myself clear?'

'Yes, sir.' She wasn't happy, but she knew better than to push her luck further. 'Permission to check on the prisoner, medically speaking.'

'Granted, but tread carefully,' he replied, his eyes already focused back on the document in front of him.

'Yes, sir.'

 

 

Jack was a bit vague when he woke. He wasn't sure if it was coming back from death or coming back from the drugs. He tried sitting up but it hurt like hell. Both his chest and abdomen felt like they'd been kicked in by a mad horse. Not dead then, he surmised. Dead would have have fixed that. He wasn't sure if that was good fortune or not. Dead might have been better.

He lay flat on his back and just breathed for a few minutes. He knew how UNIT operated, and how they liked to treat their prisoners. He just hadn't expected them to turn on him quite so quickly. He was still the leader of Torchwood, and still the organisation aligned closest to UNIT. Though that didn't seem to count for much right now.

Perhaps they thought this might be their only chance to try and find out what made tick. Owen had run all the tests in the world and still couldn't figure it out. The Doctor wasn't much more help. He simply was what he was. It defied all science.

But try telling that to these guys, he thought. If that was experiment number one, he dreaded to think just how far they might go to obtain answers. He prayed Ianto and Martha would find him a way out of here before it came to that.

Chapter seven...

Comments

[bk_forever]

Oduya is as power hungry and corrupt as anyone in Torchwood One. UNIT have always hated that Torchwood gets to keep all the best toys and are beyond UNIT's authority. The abuse has only just begun, and uinless Ianto can get something concrete from Alternate Jack, things aren't looking good for Ianto's Jack. Theh could use some help from the Doctor. I just hope Oduya gets what's coming to him once Jack is proved innocent and released.