Ianto's in the middle of pouring coffee when the lights start to flicker. Shit.
Jack orders Tosh to do a system diagnostic. "Actually," Ianto breaks in, "We've been having generator problems all evening. I was down there checking earlier. Couple of bits of cabling have come loose." He's no good at lying, and it shows. "I thought I'd fixed it."
Everyone looks at him, and Ianto wonders if the lie is written in neon lights on his forehead. "Let me have another look."
Jack seems content to humor him. "Fine. Go check."
"Want some help?" asks Gwen. Ianto shakes his head, heading back downstairs at a run. "It's fine."
The lights haven't stopped flickering. "You've got to shut down the power!" Ianto yells as he bursts through the door. He doesn't even check what's going on in the rest of the room, not until he's flipped the main switch and stopped whatever it is that's causing the drain.
When he does look, he wishes he hadn't. Tanizaki is lying on the floor, and there's blood everywhere. "Oh, God. Oh my God! What happened?"
Lisa's voice is even. "His upgrade failed."
There's a giant cog where the doctor's left eye should be. Ianto can't stop staring at it, even as he kneels to check for a pulse. "Was it an accident?" Fear wrenches at him again, turns his next words into a plea. "Tell me you didn't do this."
"I wanted to repay him for helping me," comes her flat response. "By removing the weaknesses of his humanity."
"What have you done?" he asks, trying not to give in to hysteria as he rises to face her. "You've killed an innocent man!"
"It's all right," she says, but he doesn't listen. Ianto's shouting now, gripping her arms, arms that are softness wrapped in steel. "It's not all right! They're gonna come looking for me in a minute. If they see the body, if they find out what we've been doing ..." He begins pacing, trying to figure out what to do next.
"I can deal with them," Lisa insists.
"Don't you go near them!" he screams. He turns around, trying to gather his thoughts. A few seconds later, his voice is calmer. "You didn't mean to do this. Something's happened to your mind." The hysteria wells up again when he turns to look at her but he swallows it back. "Um... just, um... Some kind of side effect from this whole process. It's post-traumatic. You didn't mean to..." he trails off. It's too much, he can't think. "You've ruined everything now!" he screams at her again, pushing Lisa so hard she stumbles back.
Ianto turns away again, tries to calm down. "How hard have we had to work to keep you alive?" he asks, putting his hands at either side of her neck. It's an intimate gesture, almost an apology. "And now you do this."
Their foreheads touch, and Ianto tries to think. "I need you to stay in here," he says finally, breaking away. "Rest. Don't come out unless I tell you. This can't happen again, Lisa. If you harm anyone else I'll..."
"Yes?" she says, with a touch of what might be curiosity but is certainly not fear. "What will you do?"
Ianto can't bring himself to answer, so he changes the subject. "Okay, the body. Got to deal with the body."
This is my fault. I'm responsible for this. It's not the first time he's had to hide a body for Torchwood, but this is someone he knew. Someone he brought here.
He picks Tanizaki up by his armpits and drags him through the door. "I'll hide the body," he says. "Everything's going to be okay."
He shuts the door behind him, and doesn't see Lisa resetting the table.
no subject
Jack orders Tosh to do a system diagnostic. "Actually," Ianto breaks in, "We've been having generator problems all evening. I was down there checking earlier. Couple of bits of cabling have come loose." He's no good at lying, and it shows. "I thought I'd fixed it."
Everyone looks at him, and Ianto wonders if the lie is written in neon lights on his forehead. "Let me have another look."
Jack seems content to humor him. "Fine. Go check."
"Want some help?" asks Gwen. Ianto shakes his head, heading back downstairs at a run. "It's fine."
The lights haven't stopped flickering. "You've got to shut down the power!" Ianto yells as he bursts through the door. He doesn't even check what's going on in the rest of the room, not until he's flipped the main switch and stopped whatever it is that's causing the drain.
When he does look, he wishes he hadn't. Tanizaki is lying on the floor, and there's blood everywhere. "Oh, God. Oh my God! What happened?"
Lisa's voice is even. "His upgrade failed."
There's a giant cog where the doctor's left eye should be. Ianto can't stop staring at it, even as he kneels to check for a pulse. "Was it an accident?" Fear wrenches at him again, turns his next words into a plea. "Tell me you didn't do this."
"I wanted to repay him for helping me," comes her flat response. "By removing the weaknesses of his humanity."
"What have you done?" he asks, trying not to give in to hysteria as he rises to face her. "You've killed an innocent man!"
"It's all right," she says, but he doesn't listen. Ianto's shouting now, gripping her arms, arms that are softness wrapped in steel. "It's not all right! They're gonna come looking for me in a minute. If they see the body, if they find out what we've been doing ..." He begins pacing, trying to figure out what to do next.
"I can deal with them," Lisa insists.
"Don't you go near them!" he screams. He turns around, trying to gather his thoughts. A few seconds later, his voice is calmer. "You didn't mean to do this. Something's happened to your mind." The hysteria wells up again when he turns to look at her but he swallows it back. "Um... just, um... Some kind of side effect from this whole process. It's post-traumatic. You didn't mean to..." he trails off. It's too much, he can't think. "You've ruined everything now!" he screams at her again, pushing Lisa so hard she stumbles back.
Ianto turns away again, tries to calm down. "How hard have we had to work to keep you alive?" he asks, putting his hands at either side of her neck. It's an intimate gesture, almost an apology. "And now you do this."
Their foreheads touch, and Ianto tries to think. "I need you to stay in here," he says finally, breaking away. "Rest. Don't come out unless I tell you. This can't happen again, Lisa. If you harm anyone else I'll..."
"Yes?" she says, with a touch of what might be curiosity but is certainly not fear. "What will you do?"
Ianto can't bring himself to answer, so he changes the subject. "Okay, the body. Got to deal with the body."
This is my fault. I'm responsible for this. It's not the first time he's had to hide a body for Torchwood, but this is someone he knew. Someone he brought here.
He picks Tanizaki up by his armpits and drags him through the door. "I'll hide the body," he says. "Everything's going to be okay."
He shuts the door behind him, and doesn't see Lisa resetting the table.