2
Coroner's ambulance. Keirin's covered body is being loaded, as Jack Harkness in a Fish and Game uniform, Forty, emerges from a black truck. He approaches the body. Lifts up the sheet. Stares a beat in disbelief. Turns to Archie.
"What did this?"
.
.
.
.
Ianto's in his office, working at his desk. Lisa enters. "Hey."
"Lisa. How's it going, what's happenin', family good, great, nice to catch up, get out." Ianto says in a monotone without looking up.
"This is business." Lisa says defiantly, "There was an accident in Scotland, some guy got killed by something in a lake. Probably a wild cat, or pack of dogs but... they found a tooth."
"A tooth?" Ianto repeats without looking up from his paperwork.
"A tooth they say couldn't have come from any mammal. They say it looks prehistoric. Like maybe a dinosaur."
Without looking up Ianto replies "Oh, well then I'm sure that's it, he got killed by a dinosaur, anything else?"
"I want you to go there."
Now he looks up. "Sorry?"
"I'm sure it's nothing, but you're a palaeontologist, this is what we do, I—"
"This is what we do?" Ianto slow blinks.
"I'd like you to check out this lake. See—" Lisa steps forward only to hesitate as ianto rises from his seat.
"Are you on drugs?"
"Ianto—"
"I'm not going to Scotland, I won't even go –"
"Part of our research…" Lisa tries but Ianto simply raises his voice over her.
"I'm not even a field person."
"Well on this one I'd like you to be." Lisa snaps and Ianto stares back. The penny drops.
"This was Daimen's idea, wasn't it? Get me out of the office for a few days, until…"
"It has nothing to do with…"
"I never do field work and even if I did, Scotland, to look at a tooth of a dinosaur who bit somebody, couldn't you dream up something—"
"Ianto—"
"I am not going to Scotland. That's ridiculous."
.
..
.
.
A sea helicopter is sailing up against the blue sky, nothing but Evergreens and lakes below.
Ianto with the Pilot. He looks a little white.
.
.
.
.
Ianto is walking with Archie the morgue.
"He just came up screaming." Archie explains as he walks and unwraps another Twinkie.
"Did he say anything?"
"He just kinda gurgled. He was pretty much dead." Archie shrugs, examining the Twinkie he has bitten into.
"And you didn't see anything?"
"The lake was dead calm until up he came. The tooth is in there." Archie pointed towards a door.
"There?" Ianto asked, hesitating "That's the morgue."
" Yes."
"Is the dead guy in there?" Ianto knows he sounds stupid but is a little alarmed.
"That's where they keep them." Archie agrees then sighs "You want me to bring the tooth out here?"
"Um." Ianto finds some bravado "No, no. Let's go."
The Medical Examiner, Daniel, is there with Archie and Ianto. Keirin's torso is covered. Ianto is examining the tooth. "I need to get a microscopic look at it."
"Fine." Daniel agrees indicating towards equipment "There you go."
Maybe I should see..." Ianto glances toward the cloth covered body.
Reading him Archie mutters "I wouldn't."
"I'm fine, thank you." Ianto says with more conviction than he feels.
"Have you ever seen a dead body before, Mr. Jones?" Daniel asks.
"Well." Ianto admits "At wakes."
"This is a little different." Archie reminds him with a sideways glance at Daniel who is struggling not to grin.
"I can look at dead things."
And Daniel is about to pull the sheet back when Ianto barks "Wait."
He takes a breath.
"Okay."
And Daniel peels back the sheet. Ianto strains to disguise his extreme horror. Finally fighting off nausea Ianto asks "This... how long did this attack go on for?"
"Seconds." Archie shrugs "Three, four."
"And this is how he came to the boat?" Ianto leans over the corpse and take a tentative breath.
"Yes."
"Okay." Ianto nods, then says weakly "And is there a place nearby I could go to vomit?"
.
.
.
.
Paradise. It's a small, almost tiny town; general store, post office, fire station. Ianto and Archie are in front of the general store loading supplies into a van, across the street in front of the Sheriff's Department.
"Nobody lives within twenty-five miles, 'cept some old couple who live right on the lake. Teenagers trek in every once in a while, none have disappeared, and none have spotted anything unusual." Archie flicks his hand as he talks, showing the direction of the few things worth pointing out.
"You talk to the married couple?" Ianto wonders.
"Not yet."
"What kind of backup do we have?" Ianto asks as he heads towards his rental car.
"We?"
That strikes a nerve. Ianto swngs to face him with a defensive "What?"
"Sorry. I'm just a little unclear as to why the Museum of Natural Earth History would send somebody here." Archie says with a frown.
"You have a thing against museums?"
"I got nothing against—"
"Ever even been in one?" Ianto knows he is being snide but ya know he really didn't want to be here either. He wanted to be cuddled up with that two timing whore bitch who…ah…ooooo. Gun.
Archie stares back. Then picks up a huge cannon-like gun. As he loads it Ianto asks "What is that?"
"Lightweight Forward Area air device unit. Whatever's out there, one shot with this and he's dead."Archie snarls with open malice.
Ianto is incredulous "And you stock these things for what, to fend off New Russia? Or the next Alien invasion?"
A beat.
"You're sort of a rude person." Archie points out.
" It's just that…" Suddenly, like a shot, Ianto's arm jerks up as he jet sprays a jet of white fog from a can of Yard Guard. Archie holds a look at him.
"Mosquitos. I have a thing about mosquitos." Ianto frowns.
Upon which a sport utility vehicle pulls up, it's marked "United Panets Fish And Game". Jack emerges, Ianto's eyes scan him like radar.
"We set?" Jack grins with the ease of someone who knows they are filling the uniform well.
"A museum in London sent us some additional back up." Archie says sarcastically.
Ianto shoots Archie a look. Then "Ianto Jones."
"Jack Harkness. A museum sent you?" Jack grimaces.
"Are we all museum bigots in New Scotland? Or is that an Old American Accent?" Ianto asks. "Boeshanne?"
Jack holds a look, decides to let that pass. "Did you make anything of the tooth?"
"Yes, it did seem prehistoric but I'm sure he just carried the thing for luck. Not that it worked, obviously. It probably somehow got lodged into his body." Ianto nods.
Jack holds another look.
"Why are you staring at me?" Ianto demands, turning to Archie "Do I have a smudge on my face, it would be so you not to have told me."
Archie also lets that pass as he turns to Jack "I'm ready when you are."
Jack studies the young man in a suit more closely then nods.
"Let's go."