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.

At first the cool feeling on Ianto's cheek was nice, until he realised that it was the cold bathroom floor tiles he was pressed up against. He twisted his head around sharply and immediately regretted it, seeing stars, and feeling like he was going to be sick. His head was killing him. He blinked a few times before the figure above him came into focus. The silhouette was familiar.

'Jack?' he asked blearily.

'Not the one you were hoping for,' came the reply.

Jack was fully dressed once more. He must have done it while Ianto was out cold. Clever, thought Ianto ruefully, trying not to picture a naked Jack cracking his own gun over the back of his head while he'd been sitting there feeling sorry for him.

'Get up.'

Ianto found his own glock being pointed at his chest.

Ianto didn't move, though he wasn't certain if that was defiance, or just not wanting to move and sick up all over the floor. Somewhere in his head, being shot was considered the better alternative.

'I said, get up.' The command broached no argument.

Ianto struggled to his feet, head still spinning from the earlier whack. The cool floor that he'd been on moments earlier seemed better than his current predicament.

'Take us back to the hub.'

Ianto couldn't help but remember the last time he'd been given that instruction, being held at gunpoint by Jack. Ironic. At least last time he'd probably deserved it. Last time, he'd been the one in the wrong.

Ianto slowly lead him back to the main bowels of the hub. Even the soft trickling of water down the tower, and the gentle hum of various machinery, usually soothing, felt like a cacophony of sound to his pounding head.

There wasn't time for anything clever at this point, he just had to go with it. Maybe he could get Myfanwy to attack on command. Then again, she probably wouldn't know it wasn't really Jack. The idea now seemed completely ludicrous. Maybe he'd hit his head harder than he thought.

'Why are you doing this?'

'Why are you doing this?' Jack mocked. 'Please. You really thought I was going to help you?'

'Yes.'

Jack barked out a laugh. It was harsh and tinged with cynicism. It sent an icy chill of foreboding rippling down his spine.

'Let me tell you something Jones, Ianto Jones. Whatever you thought was going on here was a lie.'

'No,' Ianto declared defiantly.

'Yes. From the moment I got here, everything I've done was to get out and to get access to this. You might not have the exact technology to fix this,' he said holding up his left wrist and showing off his vortex manipulator, 'but given enough time here, I can find other ways to get this working. And some of the other kit you've got here isn't half bad. I might take a few souvenirs with me.'

'You don't have time. In twenty four hours, this place will be swarming with UNIT soldiers come to take over Torchwood.'

'You think a few soldiers scare me? If you have half the stuff here I think you have, they won't stand a chance against me. Kind of a shame that you're so pretty but so stupid. We could've made a good team. But right now, my plan is to get off this planet as quickly as possible.'

Ianto was halfway caught between shock, hurt and fuming anger.

'You can't leave! What about Jack?'

'You seriously expect me to care about some alternate version of me stuck in prison? I don't think so. Now, give me the code to the weapons store like a good little minion.'

Ianto stood there in muted silence, his determination etched into his features.

'No?' Jack cocked his gun and forced the butt into the small of Ianto's back. 'Code. Now!' he said pushing Ianto roughly forward.

Ianto made a move to comply with the instruction, letting himself be lead across the hub. His calm facade belied the multitude of thoughts running through his head as he tried desperately to formulate a way out of this mess. By the time they'd reached the storeroom he hadn't managed to come up with a plan.

To ensure further compliance, Jack's gun had moved from the small of his back to the back of his head, pressing into the base of his skull where Ianto knew it would do most damage. It hardly seemed worth considering the point. If Jack shot him in the head, it wouldn't really matter the precise location, he'd be just as equally dead.

'Now who's condemning who?' Ianto asked. When he didn't get any more response than the gun being pressed harder to his head, he reluctantly entered the twelve digit code and the door swished open with a gentle hiss of hydraulics.

Jack quickly entered, keeping his gun trained on Ianto as he surveyed his options.

'Kudos to whoever put this collection together, but I must say there's a few essentials missing.'

Ianto got the feeling he knew what Jack meant, and was suddenly glad for the secure archives, although if Jack was planning on sticking around for a few days he might uncover that little secret. Ianto would not give that one up quite so easily. Better he be shot in the head than give Jack access to those items.

'Ah, this will do nicely,' he said, picking up a rather nasty looking automatic. 'The technology is fairly primitive but very effective none the less. Oh, and these will come in handy too,' grabbing a set of handcuffs.

'Move.' Jack demanded, pointing his gun in the general direction of Ianto and indicating that he should move back out of the store.

What he failed to notice was the sleight of hand Ianto employed whilst Jack was browsing, to quickly slide one of their standard issue handguns from its benchside slot and conceal it under his jacket. It was a skill that the team had always marvelled at, how he could quickly produce retcon and a bottle of water seemingly from thin air at a moments notice. Ironic to think that the shoplifting skills he'd procured in his youth, that had gotten him into so much trouble, now served to mainly get him out of trouble in his current occupation.

'Stop,' Jack said as they were stood near the spiral stairs, snapping the cuff around Ianto's left hand. In the moment's distraction as Jack locked the other cuff around the handrail, Ianto snatched the gun from his jacket.

Despite that, Jack's reflexes were lightning quick and both men found themselves with guns pointed directly at each others heads, just inches apart in a standoff.

'Seems you're not as stupid as I first thought,' Jack sneered. 'Still, we both know you'll never pull the trigger.'

'You think so?'

'I know so.' Jack smiled, and it made another shiver run down Ianto's spine. 'You still like to think I'm him.'

Ianto hated him being right. All he could do was stare determinedly back.

'See, me,' Jack said, flexing his hand around the unfamiliar gun, 'I have absolutely no compunction whatsoever about blowing your head off if you get in my way.'

'You won't. You're still Jack Harkness.'

Jack's hand tensed, blue eyes hard like ice as he fixed them on Ianto.

'I'm. Not. Him!' He spat the words out with vicious intent.

Ianto felt a calmness descend over him, washing relaxation through all of his muscles. He wasn't afraid of Jack.

'No you're not,' Ianto replied sadly, 'You lost your little brother when you were just kids. You lost your father on the same day. You joined the Time Agency to find Gray and to make things right. Instead, you got caught up in the genocide of an entire planet at the same time as finally finding the creatures who took your brother, and the Time Agency stole those memories from you so that they could continue to use you as a soldier. You just escaped an alternate Earth where daleks and cybermen were taking over, killing and converting everyone. And now you're stuck here with no friends and no way back.'

Jack faltered for a moment, incensed at having all the injustices of his life relayed to him by this one insignificant man.

'You can't hide away from your past Jack, and you can't put the past right, but you can change your future. You can continue to be a conman and a criminal, and try and fill your life with small victories, or you can stand up and be the great man you are capable of being. Let us help you. Let me help you. Please.'

Jack hadn't noticed the tear streaking down his face. For the first time in his life, he realised that this was someone offering him help. Others had offered him success, money, pleasure and a dozen other superficial desires, and he had taken them all. But no one had ever offered him help.

Gun still pointed firmly at Ianto's head, Jack forced himself to speak, his emotions oscillating wildly.

'Why would you do that?'

Ianto sobbed out a large breath, dropping his gun hand his side.

'Because I believe in you. And because Gray is still alive.'

Jack searched his face for any traces of deception but found only honesty in the young man's eyes. Why couldn't he see the monster that Jack was? The things he'd done made him the worst kind of human being, and yet this man believed he could redeem himself.

'Gray's alive? You found him?'

'He's broken, damaged, but you can fix him.' He didn't want to mention that Jack hadn't been able to bring himself to take Gray out of stasis. Too scared that he was damaged beyond repair. Maybe this other Jack's Gray could still be saved. He had to believe he could be.

Jack slowly lowered his gun. Tears now streaming down his face. What he wouldn't give to have his little brother back.

Ianto let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

'Why are you telling me this?'

'I don't want to give you up to UNIT. I just want Jack back. My Jack. Please help me do that.'

Jack's chest was still heaving but his desire to flee was waning. How could another version of him mean so much to this one man? Could he really be even half as worthy as his alternate self? He'd never bothered to consider it a possibility. Perhaps he could change for the better.

'So what happens now?' Jack asked, trying to regain his composure.

'Now we get Jack exonerated. And we figure out a way to do it without you having to take his place in a UNIT detention facility. Then we can try to figure out how to fix your vortex manipulator so that you can go wherever it is you want to go.'

'And you know where Gray is? You can tell me where to find him?'

'I know someone who knows. Maybe you know him too.'

'You'd do that?'

'I can't make any promises. Jack's vortex manipulator has been broken for over a century, but we'll do what we can. If Jack can fix it, he will.'

'Okay,' Jack agreed, 'even I don't think that sounds like a bad plan. You're quite something else Jones, Ianto Jones. I guess I can see why your Jack likes you.'

'Thanks, I think,' Ianto replied hesitantly.

'You're really ready to trust me? After everything?'

'I've wanted to trust you from the first moment we met,' Ianto replied honestly.

'That's a dangerous tactic,' Jack mused.

'Torchwood's a dangerous place. All you've really got to rely on is each other.'

'Suppose so,' Jack conceded.

'So are we saving Jack? Together?'

'Well, if he's even half as good looking as me, it'd be a shame to let him waste it on prison guards.'

Ianto couldn't help but roll his eyes. Same old Jack.

'Oh, and I've even got an idea on how we stage your jailbreak,' Jack said, turning away and heading for one of the computer bays.

'It's not a jailbreak. This is UNIT. Everything has to be by the book and totally transparent.'

'Don't worry, I've got it under control.'

'Not sure I'm exactly reassured at this point,' Ianto quipped, enjoying the familiarity of the banter that he and Jack shared.

'Relax. I'm a conman by trade. This is what I do best.'

'I'd relax more if you could uncuff me from the railing.'

'Oh, right, sorry,' Jack replied sheepishly, having forgotten, and quickly moving back to the stairs.

'Uh, where do you keep the keys?'

Ianto sighed. 'Weapons store, third drawer on the left.'

'Oh, and guess I should give your phone back,' Jack said, retrieving it from his pocket. 'By the way, who's Martha Jones? Relation? Fourteen missed calls. Somebody misses you.'

Crap, Ianto thought. When had Jack knicked his phone? Martha must be going spare. He hoped she wasn't trying to deliver bad news about Jack.

'She's our way in. Get the keys, I'll call her.'

Chapter ten...