4

Ianto suddenly stopped his horse and the other two stopped as well, listening intently.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered.

"Humming?" Jack whispered back.

Ianto canted his head then paled "Run!"

Neither man questioned him as they all turned their horses and took off at speed, Ianto glancing back with open worry, leading them towards a copse of trees and they hid under the boughs as Ianto slid from the horse and tentatively crept out to peer up.

"Drone?" Orinoco hissed.

they all watched as a small steel disc hovered in the air, spinning like it was looking for something. Like it had a brain to check places and Jack wondered just how intelligent these little machines were getting if the Bots could be self aware …. What else was? Surely this far away from the main power sources it was thinking for itself, no way it could still be getting instructions. Preloaded? Or was it self-aware?

"Yeah. I don't believe it, it's …" Ianto suddenly felt to the ground and curled around the tall tuft of grass he had been standing next to, and Jack resisted the urge to run out and save him. Then he saw that Ianto was OK, just hiding in the long grass. After a while he rose and stood looking in the direction it went.

"Ianto?"

"It's falling. Looks like it reached the limit of its battery pack or whatever fuel cells it uses. No telling if it is still transmitting or is too far from the source to relay anything" Ianto turned to face Jack with concern. He looked back at the drone "Could be it's dead. Could be it just gave away our position."

What do you want to do?" Jack asked "Do we go get it? If it didn't see us and is still relaying it will give us away. If it's dead then Tosh might be able to see what it did."

"I know" Ianto sighed, and then he started to pull off the backpack and dump the contents. "We try to get it from behind and in the dark it cannot tell anyone much. We dump the crisps in the packet to use the packet as a containment vessel and the foil will block any transmitting or tracers too."

"Good thinking Tiger" Jack nodded "I'll do it."

Ianto nodded, and then handed the bags over surprising Jack. He had really expected Ianto to argue and was once again reminded that Ianto had faith in him and his decisions as Ianto nodded and stepped back. It still felt strange to be seen. Not the Captain, not the flamboyant guise but him. Javic. Ianto saw him, clear in the way his face softened as he looked into his eyes.

Took some getting used to.

Jack traversed the field and got to the small disc of doom, scooping it into the foil chip packet, then into the backpack careful not touch it in case it was DNA sensitive. That tech should not be here yet but a lot of things that should not be happened seem to be these days.

"Tosh will want this" Ianto sighed "I don't want it operational."

Jack nodded and then to Orinoco's horror Jack swung the bag in a large arc behind himself, up ….over….slamming it into a rock. He did it again. Again. Again. He did it one more time and then shook the bag, the noises telling them all it was definitely stuffed.

"Thank you Cariad" Ianto said calmly.

"No problem" Jack replied just as calmly then Orinoco started to laugh as he shook his head and went to fetch the horses.

"Do you want to rest before we go back?" Jack asked as they stood waiting.

"I want to get home where I know we are safe. Knowing they are getting closer, honing their craft like this. Obviously they were better prepared than they were letting on. Like the Bots … these are a new version. What else are they hiding from us? If this recorded from lift off … maybe there is footage of what it left behind as well" Ianto pointed out.

"Good call" Jack agreed.

They rode back to the outpost and bid them all farewell, Orinoco hugging Ianto and whispering his thanks for the talk. Also for helping him see that age and body weight has nothing to do with strength.

As they headed back to the port to get home to the island Jack glanced at Ianto. "What did he really want from you?"

"He thinks that if he sets now … spends the next fifty odd years looking that young and lithe that he will not be taken seriously. I have helped him understand that is can be an advantage to be seen that way, then surprise them" Ianto replied, then stumbled letting Jack take his hand to steady him.

Jack was well aware that it had been a deliberate act and was secretly pleased as they now walked hand in hand.

As lovers do.

"Yes" Ianto said gently tugging Jack closer so they walked with hips touching "We are."