Torchwood Fic: Lynchpin (2/7)
Mar. 26th, 2008 05:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hel_beeTitle: Lynchpin (2/7)
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: R/NC17 (for later chapters)
Warning: None
Spoilers: 1.04: Cyberwoman. Set after 2.09 but before series finale. Passing references to events throughout both series but nothing really that spoilery.
Summary: Torchwood Four want their lynchpin back. Just what has that got to do with Ianto Jones?
Beta:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rakina
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em – unfortunately
Links previous parts:
Chapter 1 - http://hel-bee.livejournal.com/21730.html#cutid1
Chapter Two
Snippet: “Well, they seem to actually understand the concept of what being a secret organisation actually means,” muttered Ianto darkly.
Jack stood with his hands deep in his trouser pockets looking at his team as they sat around the table in the conference room, waiting for Ianto. As if on cue Ianto appeared, carrying coffee which was quickly distributed before he took a seat in his usual spot.
“So what was so important that it couldn’t wait for me to finish lunch?” asked Owen, who sat low in his chair, his hands resting on his stomach.
Jack just looked at him, his head slightly cocked to one side and his eyes narrowed. “You don’t eat, Owen,” he said testily.
“Still like to take my allotted hour,” Owen replied with a grin.
Jack let the matter go, there was more to worry about here than Owen’s strange mood. “I received a phone call earlier from a guy called Philip Henshaw. He claimed to be the leader of Torchwood Four.”
“He is the leader of Torchwood Four,” interrupted Ianto, his voice fraught, and Jack knew Ianto wasn’t looking to forward to repeating what he had already told Jack.
“Yes, well... like Ianto said, his story checked out.”
“Really?” said Tosh, her eyes wide. “I’ve heard about them but every time I try to find out more I hit a blank wall. Either the files were wiped or they’re so classified that none of my techniques can break the encryptions guarding them.”
“Well, they seem to understand the concept of what being a secret organisation actually means,” muttered Ianto darkly.
“Can we get back to the point?” snapped Jack. “The fact of the matter is he and his team,” his eyes rested deliberately on Ianto, “will be here tomorrow.”
Gwen looked puzzled. “But why? I mean, I take it they haven't visited before?”
“No, first time for everything,” replied Jack, his eyes still on Ianto. “But then they’ve never asked to borrow personnel before, either. Have they, Ianto?”
Jack watched as his team exchanged looks and then turned their attention to the young Welshman. “Perhaps, Ianto, you’d be good enough to explain to everyone else why you have been singled out?”
Sitting down, Jack knew he should have handled this better. But what Ianto had told him was still fresh, like a raw wound. It wasn’t the first time he had underestimated the youngest member of his team. He wondered just how many more things Ianto would have to tell him before he finally learnt that lesson.
Faced with a wall of expectant faces, Ianto took a deliberate sip of his coffee. “I suppose,” he began, “that I should begin with a little about Torchwood Four itself, then try and explain my involvement.
“Torchwood Four was founded in 1923, and is very different from the other branches. It’s based around teams of six who aren’t geographically linked to one place, not like us and the rift in Cardiff. They investigate very particular phenomena, no matter where in the world they occur. Initially, the teams congregated at Torchwood House in Scotland, but their meetings were relocated to the nineteenth floor of Torchwood Tower in the early nineties. At its peak there were sixteen teams of six, but over the years the numbers dwindled and people weren’t so easily replaced.” He paused for a moment, taking his time to compose himself. “The Battle of Canary Wharf left only one semi-operational team intact, the rest were converted.”
Jack watched Ianto as he talked; the others sat quietly taking in what Ianto had to say. He wasn’t surprised that it was Gwen who spoke first. “What do you mean by particular phenomena?” she asked carefully.
“Anything related to parapsychology, or rather the misuse of it.”
Owen snorted in derision. “Are you telling me that Torchwood has a secret division dedicated to hunting down ghosts and people who think they’re hearing voices?”
Ianto raised an eyebrow. “You of all people shouldn’t mock the idea of talking with the dead.”
Owen scowled. “I don’t mean it that way. We’ve all seen things that wouldn’t exactly be classified as normal. I mean it makes no sense for Torchwood to expend its resources in such a way. Crack teams, racing around? Come off it, Ianto, you’re having a laugh!”
“It does sound a little strange, even for Torchwood,” said Tosh, ever the mediator.
“They're not exactly standard agents,” Ianto said, and Jack thought Ianto was trying to prevent himself from rolling his eyes. “Each team member has a particular specialty, although not medicine or computer science... more telekinesis or mind reading. Torchwood used to put all its employees through psychic training, those that were especially gifted were assigned to Torchwood Four.”
Ianto seemed to be waiting for his words to settle in. Even Owen was speechless. “Torchwood believed that the only way to stop human or alien dangers that were of an aggressively paranormal nature was to fight them head on, with people who could respond in the same way. Torchwood Four is extremely successful, or at least it was.”
“Okay,” said Owen, drawing out the word, “so where do you come into this?”
Ianto took another procrastinating sip of coffee. “It’s not easy to explain...”
“What isn’t?” shot back Owen.
“In Torchwood Four terminology I am called a lynchpin. The six members of each team are psychically linked to each other. Initially, that happens through me. There’s something about my physiology that enhances other people’s psychic abilities... it’s not really understood, just that I’m needed – kind of like an anchor, I suppose. But I don’t really have any of what you would call psychic abilities myself.”
Owen looked at Ianto thoughtfully. “So you’re like a facilitator of some sort.”
Jack could be Ianto considering Owen’s summation. Ianto nodded slowly. “Something like that.”
“So what’s happened for this Philip Henshaw to visit?” asked Tosh, she was leaning forward, clearly excited by the prospect.
Ianto shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but if I had to hazard a guess then I’d say they’ve found a replacement for the missing team member. It would explain the headaches I’ve been having recently – the team would expend a lot of energy. I can feel it; it’s too much at times... it needs to be reined in properly before they work as a cohesive unit.”
“I’m confused,” admitted Gwen, and Jack thought she probably wasn’t the only one. “So you weren’t working for Torchwood One before you came here?”
“No, I was working for Torchwood One,” he confirmed. “I’m not needed all the time, so I would report to Torchwood Four as requested.”
“But surely if you have this gift, or whatever it is, they’d want you where they can keep an eye on you,” insisted Gwen, clearly no less confused.
Ianto rubbed his chin contemplatively. Jack wondered if he should intervene. Ianto had told him a lot more than he’d said so far, and he’d agreed that Ianto could divulge as little or as much as he wanted once the team knew the basics. “It’s complicated. After my parents died I went off the rails – I caused quite a lot of trouble and I became pretty well known to the local authorities. I was sentenced to a short spell at her majesty’s pleasure where I came to the attention of Torchwood due to the effect I was having on some of the other inmates.
“I was fourteen, scared witless and just wanted to go home. All I wanted, more than anything else, was my grandfather to return from his travels and take me away. I don’t know how long they worked with me. In time I sort of got used to it, I suppose. They never actually hurt me, and I was better off there than in prison. But while they still to this day don’t really know who or what I am, my abilities are the reason Torchwood Four was formed... I am the lynchpin of every team. Without me there is no Torchwood Four.”
“Hang on a minute,” interrupted Gwen, “you said it was formed in 1923! It’s not possible.”
Jack hadn’t expected Ianto to be so forthcoming. They exchanged a look which Jack took to mean ‘here goes nothing’. “I was born in 1906; I stopped aging in my mid-twenties.”
Jack admitted that Gwen was pulling the same face he had pulled when Ianto had dropped that bombshell on him. It was quite comical to watch. He held his breath for a moment waiting for the others to react.
TBC
Chapter 3 - http://hel-bee.livejournal.com/22206.html
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: R/NC17 (for later chapters)
Warning: None
Spoilers: 1.04: Cyberwoman. Set after 2.09 but before series finale. Passing references to events throughout both series but nothing really that spoilery.
Summary: Torchwood Four want their lynchpin back. Just what has that got to do with Ianto Jones?
Beta:
rakinaDisclaimer: Don't own 'em – unfortunately
Links previous parts:
Chapter 1 - http://hel-bee.livejournal.com/21730.html#cutid1
Chapter Two
Snippet: “Well, they seem to actually understand the concept of what being a secret organisation actually means,” muttered Ianto darkly.
Jack stood with his hands deep in his trouser pockets looking at his team as they sat around the table in the conference room, waiting for Ianto. As if on cue Ianto appeared, carrying coffee which was quickly distributed before he took a seat in his usual spot.
“So what was so important that it couldn’t wait for me to finish lunch?” asked Owen, who sat low in his chair, his hands resting on his stomach.
Jack just looked at him, his head slightly cocked to one side and his eyes narrowed. “You don’t eat, Owen,” he said testily.
“Still like to take my allotted hour,” Owen replied with a grin.
Jack let the matter go, there was more to worry about here than Owen’s strange mood. “I received a phone call earlier from a guy called Philip Henshaw. He claimed to be the leader of Torchwood Four.”
“He is the leader of Torchwood Four,” interrupted Ianto, his voice fraught, and Jack knew Ianto wasn’t looking to forward to repeating what he had already told Jack.
“Yes, well... like Ianto said, his story checked out.”
“Really?” said Tosh, her eyes wide. “I’ve heard about them but every time I try to find out more I hit a blank wall. Either the files were wiped or they’re so classified that none of my techniques can break the encryptions guarding them.”
“Well, they seem to understand the concept of what being a secret organisation actually means,” muttered Ianto darkly.
“Can we get back to the point?” snapped Jack. “The fact of the matter is he and his team,” his eyes rested deliberately on Ianto, “will be here tomorrow.”
Gwen looked puzzled. “But why? I mean, I take it they haven't visited before?”
“No, first time for everything,” replied Jack, his eyes still on Ianto. “But then they’ve never asked to borrow personnel before, either. Have they, Ianto?”
Jack watched as his team exchanged looks and then turned their attention to the young Welshman. “Perhaps, Ianto, you’d be good enough to explain to everyone else why you have been singled out?”
Sitting down, Jack knew he should have handled this better. But what Ianto had told him was still fresh, like a raw wound. It wasn’t the first time he had underestimated the youngest member of his team. He wondered just how many more things Ianto would have to tell him before he finally learnt that lesson.
Faced with a wall of expectant faces, Ianto took a deliberate sip of his coffee. “I suppose,” he began, “that I should begin with a little about Torchwood Four itself, then try and explain my involvement.
“Torchwood Four was founded in 1923, and is very different from the other branches. It’s based around teams of six who aren’t geographically linked to one place, not like us and the rift in Cardiff. They investigate very particular phenomena, no matter where in the world they occur. Initially, the teams congregated at Torchwood House in Scotland, but their meetings were relocated to the nineteenth floor of Torchwood Tower in the early nineties. At its peak there were sixteen teams of six, but over the years the numbers dwindled and people weren’t so easily replaced.” He paused for a moment, taking his time to compose himself. “The Battle of Canary Wharf left only one semi-operational team intact, the rest were converted.”
Jack watched Ianto as he talked; the others sat quietly taking in what Ianto had to say. He wasn’t surprised that it was Gwen who spoke first. “What do you mean by particular phenomena?” she asked carefully.
“Anything related to parapsychology, or rather the misuse of it.”
Owen snorted in derision. “Are you telling me that Torchwood has a secret division dedicated to hunting down ghosts and people who think they’re hearing voices?”
Ianto raised an eyebrow. “You of all people shouldn’t mock the idea of talking with the dead.”
Owen scowled. “I don’t mean it that way. We’ve all seen things that wouldn’t exactly be classified as normal. I mean it makes no sense for Torchwood to expend its resources in such a way. Crack teams, racing around? Come off it, Ianto, you’re having a laugh!”
“It does sound a little strange, even for Torchwood,” said Tosh, ever the mediator.
“They're not exactly standard agents,” Ianto said, and Jack thought Ianto was trying to prevent himself from rolling his eyes. “Each team member has a particular specialty, although not medicine or computer science... more telekinesis or mind reading. Torchwood used to put all its employees through psychic training, those that were especially gifted were assigned to Torchwood Four.”
Ianto seemed to be waiting for his words to settle in. Even Owen was speechless. “Torchwood believed that the only way to stop human or alien dangers that were of an aggressively paranormal nature was to fight them head on, with people who could respond in the same way. Torchwood Four is extremely successful, or at least it was.”
“Okay,” said Owen, drawing out the word, “so where do you come into this?”
Ianto took another procrastinating sip of coffee. “It’s not easy to explain...”
“What isn’t?” shot back Owen.
“In Torchwood Four terminology I am called a lynchpin. The six members of each team are psychically linked to each other. Initially, that happens through me. There’s something about my physiology that enhances other people’s psychic abilities... it’s not really understood, just that I’m needed – kind of like an anchor, I suppose. But I don’t really have any of what you would call psychic abilities myself.”
Owen looked at Ianto thoughtfully. “So you’re like a facilitator of some sort.”
Jack could be Ianto considering Owen’s summation. Ianto nodded slowly. “Something like that.”
“So what’s happened for this Philip Henshaw to visit?” asked Tosh, she was leaning forward, clearly excited by the prospect.
Ianto shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but if I had to hazard a guess then I’d say they’ve found a replacement for the missing team member. It would explain the headaches I’ve been having recently – the team would expend a lot of energy. I can feel it; it’s too much at times... it needs to be reined in properly before they work as a cohesive unit.”
“I’m confused,” admitted Gwen, and Jack thought she probably wasn’t the only one. “So you weren’t working for Torchwood One before you came here?”
“No, I was working for Torchwood One,” he confirmed. “I’m not needed all the time, so I would report to Torchwood Four as requested.”
“But surely if you have this gift, or whatever it is, they’d want you where they can keep an eye on you,” insisted Gwen, clearly no less confused.
Ianto rubbed his chin contemplatively. Jack wondered if he should intervene. Ianto had told him a lot more than he’d said so far, and he’d agreed that Ianto could divulge as little or as much as he wanted once the team knew the basics. “It’s complicated. After my parents died I went off the rails – I caused quite a lot of trouble and I became pretty well known to the local authorities. I was sentenced to a short spell at her majesty’s pleasure where I came to the attention of Torchwood due to the effect I was having on some of the other inmates.
“I was fourteen, scared witless and just wanted to go home. All I wanted, more than anything else, was my grandfather to return from his travels and take me away. I don’t know how long they worked with me. In time I sort of got used to it, I suppose. They never actually hurt me, and I was better off there than in prison. But while they still to this day don’t really know who or what I am, my abilities are the reason Torchwood Four was formed... I am the lynchpin of every team. Without me there is no Torchwood Four.”
“Hang on a minute,” interrupted Gwen, “you said it was formed in 1923! It’s not possible.”
Jack hadn’t expected Ianto to be so forthcoming. They exchanged a look which Jack took to mean ‘here goes nothing’. “I was born in 1906; I stopped aging in my mid-twenties.”
Jack admitted that Gwen was pulling the same face he had pulled when Ianto had dropped that bombshell on him. It was quite comical to watch. He held his breath for a moment waiting for the others to react.
TBC
Chapter 3 - http://hel-bee.livejournal.com/22206.html
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Ohhhhhhhhh
Date: 2008-03-26 05:45 pm (UTC)Just LOVING it though!! (Yes that was a shout :-)
(PS - I like the not showing every little thing approach in fic but please actual Jack reaction scene would be great!!)
Re: Ohhhhhhhhh
Date: 2008-03-26 06:05 pm (UTC)There will be other reaction scenes for Jack and Ianto... ;). I wanted to have the team's reaction (with is in chap 3) and didn't want to repeat the conversation.
:D
Re: Ohhhhhhhhh
Date: 2008-03-26 06:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 05:49 pm (UTC)Though, one thing: in 1923, there was a king on the throne and not a queen. So I would think he would say something like "at his majesty's pleasure" rather than her majesty's. Sorry, it bugged me.
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Date: 2008-03-26 06:02 pm (UTC)Guess it didn't work... sorry it bugged you :(
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Date: 2008-03-26 06:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 06:09 pm (UTC)I even got my Schama's History of Britain books out at one point - to check who was on the throne. *heads desk*
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Date: 2008-03-26 05:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 06:13 pm (UTC)Glad you're enjoying it still!
woohoo!
Date: 2008-03-26 05:58 pm (UTC)When's the next chapter???? :)
Re: woohoo!
Date: 2008-03-26 06:14 pm (UTC)Chap 3 should be up tomorrow evening. :)
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Date: 2008-03-26 06:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 06:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 06:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 06:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 06:58 pm (UTC)and he is so much more than just a tea boy, I knew it!
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Date: 2008-03-26 07:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 07:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 10:18 pm (UTC):)
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Date: 2008-03-26 10:19 pm (UTC)Yes, I understand the pain of reading something and finding it to be a WIP... so more on its way tomorrow :)
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Date: 2008-03-26 07:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 10:20 pm (UTC);)
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Date: 2008-03-26 09:06 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-03-26 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 10:23 pm (UTC)sorry don't know what came over me then! (must be the thought of Ianto in those tight jeans)
Thanks for reading
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Date: 2008-03-26 09:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 10:24 pm (UTC):D
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Date: 2008-03-26 09:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 10:26 pm (UTC)I've seen other Tourchwood Four fic where it is the building that disappears but I wanted something different... both from fandom and what the other Torchwoods are on telly :)
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Date: 2008-03-26 10:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-26 10:29 pm (UTC)I love a More-than-Teaboy!Ianto... I think there's definitely more to him under those suits than even what we've seen in series 2 (must get Jack to peel the suit off to check *g*)
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Date: 2008-03-27 12:16 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-03-27 12:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-27 10:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-27 12:47 pm (UTC)LOL
Thanks :)
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Date: 2008-03-28 02:15 pm (UTC)Can't wait for more!Never mind, I see I don't have to!
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Date: 2008-03-28 05:30 pm (UTC)Glad you're enjoying it...btw Chap 4 is now up as well :)
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Date: 2008-03-29 06:25 pm (UTC)Thanks so much... I've post the first 5 part so far and the rest will be up over the next 2 days day :D
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Date: 2008-05-30 12:15 am (UTC)Nicole
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Date: 2013-12-18 09:12 pm (UTC)But poor Ianto. Seems like to Torchwood he was merely a useful commodity, to be used however they saw fit. I guess he doesn't have a say in what happens to him after all. Or hasn't up to now.