Shrouded (comic story)
'Shrouded' is a Torchwood comic strip written by Gareth David-Lloyd which appears in Torchwood Magazine. It is set after the death of David-Lloyd's character, Ianto Jones, and is the first Torchwood story to be set after Children of Earth.
Plot
Set not long after the events of TW: Sleeper, Ianto notices an attractive coffee saleswoman who introduces herself as Mairwyn, a time-traveller who has come to manipulate Ianto into travelling back in time and acquiring some vital technology from Torchwood One with which she can enslave the world. She has chosen Ianto because of his access to Torchwood One security and because, with the knowledge of Torchwood Three's destruction (TW: Children of Earth: Day One), Tosh and Owen's deaths (TW: Exit Wounds), Ianto's own demise (TW: Children of Earth: Day Four), and Jack's abandonment of Earth (TW: Children of Earth: Day Five), he is exploitable. He is visited later by Rhys Williams and John Hart, who have travelled from the future to stop Mairwyn, who had previously introduced herself to John Hart as "Beatrice" and stole a vortex manipulator from him.
Despite this, when Mairwyn next drops by Ianto, she uses a device to show him his future and comments to him that Captain Jack is not a loyal lover, and is a heartbreaker, and won't take very long to get over Ianto's death. Ianto later views the Hubs CCTV footage of Jack's attempt to romance Gwen in TW: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, where he discovers her engagement, not long before Jack formally asked Ianto out. Jack comments "I don't know what I'd do without you" when he recommends Ianto get on with his computer work; his wonted coldness leaving Ianto visibly upset. When Mairwyn next appears to Ianto, he immediately kisses her, and takes her home and has sex with her. When he uses her device again to see the future he would be responsible for creating, he refuses her original offer and eventually stabs her. After saying goodbye to John and Rhys, he sends his sister Rhiannon Davies an uncharacteristically friendly email saying he loves her before retconning himself. The timeline restored, we see Gwen and Jack at Ianto's funeral, watched from afar by Captain John. Further afar are alternate universe doppelgängers of Ianto and Mairwyn; Ianto comments "I can't believe there's a reality where I said no."
Story Notes
- Captain John Hart observed Ianto's funeral, and worked in Mexico at the site of a small time rift.
- Gwen Cooper delivered a healthy baby, because of which Rhys Williams has had to work with Captain John, and has now time travelled.
- In an alternate reality, evil Ianto was created in the reality where he did not refuse Mairwyn's offer.
- This seems partially designed to please fans that wanted a "version" of Ianto to exist, somewhere.
