A Song as old as Time - part 4

[silver_sun]

Title: A Song as old as time (4 of 12/13)
FanFic_50 Prompt: Trap
Rating: This part pg13, over all pg13.
Summary: A chance visit to a bar and the unexpected arrival of an old acquaintance raises a lot questions for Jack and creates a dangerous situation for Ianto.
Notes: This is set during the first series after 1x06 Countrycide, but before 1x08 They Keep Killing Suzie.

Links

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

 

It’s raining again as Jack and Jubel walk along the bay, Jubel still reminiscing enthusiastically about old times. Despite his earlier annoyance at Jubel for making an already awkward situation with Ianto worse, Jack find himself smiling and joining in with the ever more outrageous stories.

Eventually Jubel stops at a gap in a wire fence that surrounds an area of derelict warehouses and points to the nearest of the buildings, "Ship’s in there, didn’t think it was safe parking it out in the open."

"Why? It’s not like anyone but you would steal it," Jack says jokingly, following him across to where Jubel has pushed open the warehouse door to reveal a small and rather battered spacecraft.

"So this what you’re flying now?" Jack looks at the particularly under whelming Verdani light transport ship.

"She might not look much, but she’s reliable. Well she was up until this morning." Jubel ducks inside out of the rain and begins punching in a series of numbers into a control pad next to the ships door, "I think the last refit I did might have gone a bit wrong."

Jack follows him inside. The interior is as unimpressive as the exterior, the gloomy bare metal and dimly flashing control panels, do nothing to enhance the ambience of the place.

"Getting your hands dirty these days?" The idea of Jubel actually doing any repairs to his own ship is amusing, especially given the fact that the first time Jack had met him he’d been unable to even change a fuse.

"Money’s tight and times are hard, I do what I can." Jubel looks older and sadder than Jack can ever remember seeing him. It doesn’t seem right or fair somehow. Not that much does these days, Jack thinks sadly.

"I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?" Jack decides it's best not to press him for details. If Jubel wants to tell him about it he will, otherwise it’s none of Jack business.

Jubel seems to think for a moment before answering, "You can take a look at the power relay circuits, if you want. That’s what’s been playing up." He prises off a dented panel that covers a tangled mess of circuitry and wires. "I’ve tried to fix it, but every time I think I’ve got it figured out something new manages to short itself out and I have to start all over again."

Taking off his coat Jack crouches down and looks at Jubel’s attempted repairs. Jubel was, in Jack experience, pretty good at dealing with people and really bad with technology. The intervening years don't seem to have changed that. Inside the panel the wires are twisted over themselves, some hang loose and while others are held together with what appears to be chewing gum. Jack shakes his head and then gets to work.

An hour later, Jack crawls back out of the narrow space under the control panel and smiles. "Try her now."

Jubel flicks a couple of switches and there is a faint hum as the engines start to power up. "She sounds better than she has done for months. What was wrong with her?"

"Apart from the fact that it looked like you’d tried to rewire her with your eyes shut?" Teasing Jubel about his lack of technical ability with anything more complicated than a light bulb had almost become a pastime back then.

"Yeah, yeah, you’re good with your hands, so what’s new?" Jubel says good-naturedly as he switches the engines off again, "You want that drink now?"

"Why not." Wiping oil from his hands Jack sits down gratefully on one of the flight control chairs, glad to be out from the cramped space under the control console. "So are you staying in Cardiff long?"

"Now she’s fixed, I’ll be off in the morning."

"Oh." Jack can’t quite keep the disappointment from his voice, "You’ll always be welcome here. Just let me know when you’re coming and I’ll find you somewhere secure to land." Jack’s quite aware that it not remotely within Torchwood rules to suggest such a thing, and a few years ago he would have been wary of making the offer. Now however with him and his team making up the single largest active branch of Torchwood, Jack feels able to start making the changes necessary to bring Torchwood into the 21st century and set in on the path to what it will one day must become.

"I might just hold you to that." Jubel smiles as he hands Jack a glass.

"See that you do." There are few enough people that Jack is still in contact with from his days as a free agent and fewer still who he would call friends.

Jubel raises his glass, "To simpler times."

"Simpler times." If only you knew, Jack thinks sadly. How his life has changed since he used to run with Jubel, Sidony and his old crowd. He’s not thought about them in years. Everything had seemed so simple then, so easy. Drifting from one job to another, earning money, spending money, living for nothing but the thrill of being alive. Jack closes his eyes and leans back against the bulkhead and wonders just when did everything get so damn complicated?

"Want another?" Jubel has already poured himself a second glass.

"Sure. Why not?" The drink is horribly sweet and tastes like apple juice mixed with maple syrup. Jack can’t help but smile, it brings back so many memories, of him and Jubel getting horrendously drunk on it on Parnassus IX after a particularly good night in the casinos, aided by a very handy probability manipulator.

It’s after the second drink Jack realises that something is wrong. He feels light headed, dizzy. Shaking his head to try and clear it the rooms seems to spin and he clutches at the arm of him seat, waiting for it to pass. He doesn’t drink much anymore, but he knows that there’s no way he should feel like this, shouldn’t feel this drunk and out of it after only a couple of drinks.

It’s getting difficult to think and is an odd taste in his mouth, bitter and vaguely chemical, it’s mostly hidden by the cloying sweetness of the drink, but it’s definitely there and suddenly it all makes sense.

Jack lurches uncoordinatedly to his feet. "You drugged me." He points an accusing finger at Jubel, "Why?"

"I’m sorry, Jack." Jubel switches on a small, electronic device, it’s display blinks for a moment before showing a location on the outskirts of Cardiff. He shakes his head sadly, "If I could think of another way, I would, believe me."

"That’s Ianto’s house." Jack makes a grab for the device and misses, colliding with the wall. Off balance Jack leans there for a moment, trying to gather his rapidly scattering thoughts, knowing that he’s got to do something and do it soon.

Jubel shakes his head, "I said I was sorry. Don’t make this any harder than it already is." He pulls on a coat and pockets the device before picking up a gun from one of the storage compartments along the wall of the ship.

It’s now or never, Jack tells himself as he lunges at Jubel again, grabbing the gun from him, before taking a step back and pointing it at his old friend.

There seems to be two of Jubel that blur in and out of focus as Jack tries to aim the gun, but he’s not letting that stop him. Instead he just aims for a point somewhere between the two. "I’m not letting you take him."

Jubel holds up his hands placatingly and takes a step forward, "You won’t shoot me, Jack, not after all the good times we’ve had. We’re friends."

"You go after him and all bets are off." Jack clicks off the safety. He’s got to stop Jubel and make him see sense. He doesn’t really want to have to shoot him, he’s buried enough friends over the years without adding another to the list. The dizziness is getting worse and he rubs a hand across his eyes, hoping that he can remain conscious long enough to see this through.

Taking advantage of Jack’s obvious disorientation Jubel grabs his hand and tries to pull the gun away.

The sound of the gunshot is deafeningly loud in the confines of the ship and Jack staggers back, a look of pain and disbelief on his face.

Dropping the gun he presses a hand to his stomach, feeling his shirt already soaking through, wet and warm with blood. A second later the world seems to spin and floor rushes up to meet him.

Stepping forward quickly Jubel catches Jack as he slumps forward, laying him as gently as he can on the floor. "I’m sorry, Jack. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…" Jubel’s hand is shaking as holds it over Jack’s own in an attempt to stem the flow of blood that's now pooling rapidly about them.

"Don’t take him." Jack gasps, he can taste blood in his mouth. He remembers dying like this before, once long ago in the trenches of the Somme. He’d volunteered, tried to help, tried to save as many as he could, but even he hadn’t been prepared for the horror of it and senseless waste of life.

There have been so many people down the years that he couldn’t save and it’s at times like this when he is faced with his own lack of mortality that it weighs heavily on him. He just hopes he can save still Ianto, because if he doesn’t he’s not sure how he’s going to live with it. Or rather he does, because he will have no choice but to live with it and to never forget that he’s failed him.

Everything is starting to blur and grey at the edges and he tries to hold Jubel’s hand tighter, but his body won’t comply. Jack knows it’s irrational to want to hold the hand of the person who has just shot him, the person who is trying to take away the man he cares about, could one day maybe even love, but he hates dying alone.

Jubel seems to understand and holds Jack’s hand tighter as his breathing becomes more laboured. "I didn’t mean for this to happen, you know. You were meant to wake up out there by the bay. You’d think you’d had a heavy night and I’d be long gone."

Jack tries to speak, tries to tell Jubel not to go after Ianto, not to take him away, but all that comes out is a choked wheeze and the taste of more blood in his mouth.

"You’re my friend, I didn’t want to chance you getting in the way." Jubel sounds close to tears, "I never wanted to hurt you." He rubs his free hand across his eyes, "I’m sorry. I wouldn’t be doing this if I could think of another way to pay him."

Jubel is still talking but it is just a drone in Jack’s ears as a familiar darkness claims him. His last thought as it does is that he hopes he revives fast enough to save Ianto and find out why the hell Jubel is doing this.

Part five

Comments

[mrs-cj-harkness.livejournal.com]

:O He drugged him?

Should've seen that coming Jack!

[silver_sun]

Jubel's not exactly being a nice person at the moment is he, but he's got his reasons, most of which will be revealed shortly, when Ianto returns in the next part.