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.

When Jack regained consciousness, it took a moment to remember where he was. A quick look around told him he was still at Torchwood. That guy with the suit. He'd gotten the jump on him.

He patted himself down, checking for any injuries, and all his valuables, mainly his vortex manipulator. Where was the void hopper? He must have taken it!

Jack cursed. It wasn't until he sat up properly that the phone that had been resting on his torso clattered to the ground. When had that got there? It wasn't his. Maybe the man had left it behind, seemingly on purpose. Curiosity got the better of him. He turned it on and saw that there was a video message.

'Hey there handsome. This is your future self calling with today's horoscope reading.'

Jack had seen plenty of bizarre things when he'd been with the Time Agency, and he'd heard plenty of stories about what happened to agents who had run ins with themselves. It never ended well. Now he had to decide if he was taking a risk in listening to the rest of the message.

Well, he did say he was your future self. Surely anything he tells you is likely to change your future and save his arse, which by extension, saves your arse. Ethical debate over. He keyed the screen and played the message.

'You may have noticed that the void hopper you pilfered is missing. I stole it. Last time you jumped it didn't exactly go to plan.'

What was that supposed to mean, he wondered.

'I ran into someone, well, ran away to be exact, but he caught me, tied me up and had his way with me. Real cute. Could've snogged him for a month of Sundays.'

And you want to change my future? Jack thought incredulously. Could it be the same man he'd just met? He'd been quite attractive. The other Jack didn't say.

'Anyway, long story short, I kinda screwed things up big time for the me in this universe. Decided to go back and change things. Now I know that you're in a really bad place, and right now you couldn't give a rats about some other version of you's problems, but I'm hoping that this will change your mind.'

Jack scowled at his own image.

'You and I have never been good at putting other people first. The Time Agency was never quite the altruistic organisation we thought we'd signed up for. Maybe it's time we started evening up the scorecard. Check your pocket.'

Jack did so and found a small object.

'This,' Jack said, holding up an identical image of the small device, 'is capable of loading up a computer virus that will reopen the void that brought all of the daleks and cybermen here in the first place.'

That easy huh? Well, you haven't given me much of a choice, since my only way out is gone. Thanks very much for that, by they way.

'Trust me on this one. Who else is going to have your best interests at heart?'

Jack chuckled cynically. True.

'Way things are going there, Torchwood's going to need a new leader. I fancy you might be up to the task, you know, since you're stuck there and all. Might turn out okay for us.'

Gee, thanks.

'Oh, and one last thing.'

Jack groaned. What now?

'There's a guy out there somewhere called Ianto Jones. Find him and offer him a job. It'll be the best decision you'll ever make. Okay, gotta go. I'll see you around.'

Jack sat there stunned for a few moments, uncertain what to do. The only person he could trust was himself. He'd learned that the hard way. Now he had to trust those instincts. Maybe it was time for a change. He grabbed the device, pushing himself determinedly off the floor, and started running.

His destination - the top of Torchwood Tower.

Ianto was still sitting at his desk in the archives. The gentle flowing of his pen on the paper in front of him stopped as the scent filled his nose. He couldn't tell which came first, Jack's pheromones or the luscious smell of warm pastry. Either way the combination was heavenly.

'Sneaking up on me is useless,' he commented, not looking up from his paperwork. 'Anyway, I thought you'd be back later.'

Jack came around and perched himself on the side of the desk. Only now did Ianto tear his eyes away from the desk to take in the handsome features of the man sat there.

'My sources came up with nada. I don't know why we bother sometimes. Still,' he said, waving the paper bag in the air, 'I have croissants, so it wasn't a completely wasted trip.'

'I'll make some coffee then, shall I?'

'Good idea, then maybe some naked hide and seek afterwards?' Jack asked hopefully. 'By all accounts it should be a quiet afternoon.'

'You're really enjoying Gwen not being here, aren't you?'

Jack leaned in close, his breath ghosting against Ianto's ear.

'Yes.'

He straightened and stood up, clearing his throat authoritatively.

'But don't tell her I said that!' he ordered.

'You're the boss.'

The aftermath of the battle was eerily silent, almost unnaturally so. It made sense. With all the daleks and cybermen gone, there were very few humans left that were alive. Just a handful of brave individuals who'd agreed to help him try and put a stop to it all. Most of them now lay dead, having provided him with the covering fire he'd needed to get the device in place and use it to reprogram the ghost machine, reversing it and pulling everything tainted with void radiation back into the void. Permanently.

Jack found the phone device beeping in his pocket. He'd forgotten about it entirely. There was a message. Strange, he thought, there must have been a delay transmitting it from the relay tower. With all the daleks and cybermen, he was amazed that any of the phone towers still stood. He opened the message and read it, half expecting it to be another message from himself.

"Jack, your brother Gray is still alive. Don't give up searching for him. He needs you."

Jack almost dropped the phone in shock before scrolling to confirm the senders details.

Sender: Ianto Jones.

'Whoever you are, Ianto Jones,' Jack vowed, 'I'm going to find you. And Gray.'

The end.