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.

The phone didn't even ring twice before Martha picked up.

'Ianto where the hell have you been? I've been trying to call you!'

'I've been tied up,' he replied, shooting daggers at Jack who was now fumbling to get the cuffs unlocked. 'How's Jack, is he okay?'

'He's fine for the moment. UNIT are perfectly happy to have him locked up indefinitely though, but they're making sure they take the opportunity to study him. That's why I've been trying to get hold of you. They want me to head up their medical team to run experiments on him. They'd already drugged him and taken tissue samples before I found out.'

'What?' Ianto was furious. 'Please tell me you didn't!'

'Don't be daft,' she scolded, 'it was all I could do to delay them trying anything. If I'd said no, who knows who they might have put in charge and what they'd do to him. I've stopped them for the moment but I'm not going to be able to put them off much longer. And if I refuse, they will get someone else in to do it.'

'Just hold them off a bit longer, please. We're on our way there now.'

'We? Who's we? Is Gwen back?'

'Long story. Tell you when we get there.'

Dusk was falling as they hurtled down the M4 en route to London. Traffic was light as the majority of vehicles were headed in the opposite direction, out of the busy city centre and home to quiet suburban towns and villages.

Ianto had made the trip dozens of times, and could almost drive it in his sleep. Right now though, his mind was far from thoughts of sleep, instead going over their plan again and again, looking for holes, searching for roadblocks, contingencies and alternatives. It was risky, but they might just pull it off.

Jack had sat quietly beside him the whole time. That was something he couldn't say happened every day. Usually he couldn't get Jack to shut up, or at the very least, to sit still. Now he was accomplished in both, amusing himself with the views from the window. Ianto had forgotten temporarily that these sights were new to him, and not the same boring drive that usually drove him to distraction. Ianto too, needed a distraction from the endless thoughts running around in his mind, worry not the least of them, should their plan fail.

'This device,' Ianto asked, looking over at Jack sat in the passenger seat, where he was cradling it in his lap, 'What does it do, exactly?'

Jack was quiet for a moment. 'Probably best I don't say.'

'But someone was going to use it to somehow take down this ex time agent, right? If I give it back to UNIT, will it be dangerous? I don't even know if they know what it does.'

'It'll be fine.'

Ianto kept his eyes on the road ahead, but Jack could sense his reticence about wanting to say more.

'I just don't want anyone getting hurt,' Ianto replied softly.

'I can disable it if you like,' Jack offered.

'You'd do that?'

'I don't want you to think badly of me.'

'I don't.'

'It's okay,' Jack conceded, 'I've done some pretty bad stuff.'

Ianto tried to be reassuring. 'It's not your fault.'

'Yes, it is. I let greed and ambition and selfishness decide things for me. Not like you. You do what's right, no matter what the cost.'

'That's not true. I've done bad stuff too.'

He couldn't help but think of Lisa, and all of the stupid, dangerous things he'd done that had put the whole planet at risk.

'I know what it's like to let selfishness dictate your actions. I try and make up for those mistakes every single day.'

'Is it ever enough?' For the first time, Jack found himself honestly wanting to know the answer.

Ianto didn't respond. He wasn't sure if he knew the answer himself.

Jack decided to change the subject.

'What happens if you can't fix my vortex manipulator? I'll be stuck here won't I?'

'Would that be so bad? At least it's not a slave colony, and I imagine there are worse places in the universe.'

'You say your Jack's been stuck here for a while?'

'Over a century.'

'And he never wanted to leave?'

'Sure he did. But he had to wait for The Doctor. When he finally did turn up, Jack left with him.'

'You didn't go with him?'

'We didn't even know he'd gone until it was too late.'

'He left, just like that? Without saying goodbye?' Jack suddenly felt angry that this universe's version of him had left his lover behind.

'There's wasn't exactly time for goodbyes,' Ianto replied awkwardly.

'But he came back?'

Ianto sat quietly for a moment. He wasn't sure if he should say what he was about to.

'Something happened while he was gone. Something bad. He won't talk about it, but he has nightmares sometimes.'

'He came back for you,' Jack stated more than asked.

'Maybe.' That's what Jack had said. He wasn't always certain if he believed it.

'You don't want to see the universe?'

'One day. It doesn't matter. I've got enough here to keep me happy.' He knew chances were he wouldn't live long enough to see "one day". Jack's promises about the wonders of the universe would likely remain just that, promises.

Martha felt tense as she approached Jack's cell. She'd spent the better part of half an hour on the phone with Ianto discussing their mad plan. She wasn't entirely convinced it could work, but right now they were out of options. She'd have to be careful about what she said, in case anyone was watching the CCTV in Jack's cell, or decided to check it out later.

'I've got good news,' she announced to Jack. 'They've found the real culprit. They're bringing him in right now.'

'That's great.' Martha's facial expression suggested there was more to it. 'So why are you not smiling?'

'He's you Jack. Well, not you you, just another version of you. Alternate universe you.'

'Ooh, kinky. Think he'll be up for it?'

Martha couldn't help but take the comment in the spirit it was intended. Even at the end of days, Jack would still be standing there trying to crack a joke filled with innuendo.

'If he's you, I'd say that goes without saying. I'm so happy for you Jack,' she declared, wrapping him in a tight hug.

'Woah, little excited!' Jack laughed, but hugged back just as tightly.

'We're getting you out, but we need to fake your death,' she whispered whilst still hugging him. She felt his body tense against her own. 'We're doing a double bluff prisoner exchange. You need to pretend to be him. He's going to come in here on the pretense of being you to interview you, but instead he's going to drug you and make it look like he's killed you. Whatever happens, just trust us.'

'Okay.' Jack didn't say anymore. They'd already been hugging longer than was strictly necessary. He had more questions but there wasn't time, he just had to hope Martha and Ianto had it under control.

Chapter eleven...