AN: I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I decided to come down with flu on Christmas morning, but the tremendous pantomime skills of John Barrowman on Boxing Day is helping me through. I'm not sure how good this chapter is, but if it sucks – blame to flu and the ridiculous amount of driving I have done in the last three days. Please review x
Ianto had stepped out of the showers and was getting dressed whilst Owen stood under the fine spray and enjoyed a few more minutes rest before returning to the case of the giant Jelly Baby. As Ianto fastened his casual jeans and pulled a figure hugging tshirt down over his head the Hub's alarm system sounded and his head shot up as he jumped in shock.
"What the hell?" Owen asked as he shut off the shower and hurriedly wrapped a towel around his waist.
Ianto shrugged. "Hurry up and get dressed." He said as he placed his comms unit back in his ear, tapping it and speaking.
"Jack? What's going on up there?" He asked calmly.
His Captain's voice crackled over the line. "Get up here now – Owen's purple friend is definitely not dead." He said angrily.
"Shit." Ianto cursed as he turned his comms off. "Jelly Baby woke up." He said looking at Owen who was waiting for word from upstairs.
"Godammit." He cursed as he pulled his gun out, checked it was loaded and sprinted from the room with Ianto close behind. The Welshman pulled out his own weapon as they reached the main Hub area, and spotted the large purple creature was standing at the top of the autopsy bay. There were still no obvious eyes present and so it seemed to just be staggering around randomly. The comms units in both men's ears crackled to life.
"Welcome to the party guys." Jack said. "We need to surround and capture. Only shoot if necessary. I can't spot any weapons so far, but who knows. Ianto and I will distract him whilst Owen gets into the autopsy bay and retrieves some sedative." He ordered.
"What about the weevil spray? There's some by Gwen's desk." Ianto pointed out.
"Already tried. I just managed to irritate it. Owen we need some of your strongest sedative. Ianto make your way up onto the gantry and I'll meet you up there." Jack explained before the comms went silent.
"Be careful." Ianto said glancing at Owen.
"You too." Owen replied before edging his way towards the autopsy bay slowly, hoping to sneak past the creature whilst Ianto jogged to the nearest set of steps and hurried up them, dashing along the gantry and meeting Jack just outside the hot house. As they surveyed the scene below them Ianto watched nervously as Owen crept behind the purple creature and ran down the steps to his autopsy bay and out of sight.
"Plan?" Ianto asked looking at Jack.
"Keep it away from Owen till he has the sedative." Jack said simply.
"By?" Ianto enquired.
"Any means necessary. Its not that easy on his feet – from what I can guess it took a while to climb those steps – so we should be safe up here. At least I hope we are." Jack said before firing two shots from his Webley into the air. The sound echoed around the Hub and the purple creature roared as it stumbled forwards and headed in their direction.
"You know I never was keen on being bait." Ianto said as he silently gave thanks that the creature wasn't tall enough to reach the gantry.
"Hopefully you won't have to be." Jack said before shouting out. "Hurry up Owen!"
"Yeah yeah yeah… I'm coming." Owen said as he ran out the autopsy bay bearing a syringe in one hand. "Any thoughts where I should stick this?" He asked looking up to where Ianto and Jack were standing.
"In him." Jack said helpfully.
"Cheers for that." Owen said before taking a deep breath and running forward, jabbing the needle into the creature's leg and pushing the liquid inside before removing the syringe and stepping back as the creature screamed in pain.
"Owen look out!" Ianto called as the creature swayed under the influence of the sedative, its body drifting one way to the next before it spun around on the spot and crashed down to the floor. As the creature hit the ground Ianto and Jack ran along the gantry and down the steps to where Owen was stood out of harms way.
"Are you okay?" Owen asked as Ianto reached his side.
Ianto nodded. "You?"
"I'm fine." Owen reassured as Jack approached the creature with his Webley raised. As he hovered above the creature it suddenly leapt back into consciousness, knocking Jack across the room with one arm and snatching his Webley with its hand. As Jack lay knocked out on the other side of the room the purple creature waved its gun-wielding arm around and fired shots off in all directions. Owen pushed Ianto to the floor as the weapon pointed in their direction and a shot rang out.
"OWEN!" Ianto screamed as the medic was hit and slumped to the floor. The Welshman jumped to his feet and aimed his own gun at the creature before firing a torrent of bullets into it until his weapon was empty and the purple creature lay dead on the Hub floor. Tossing his gun down he hurried to Owen's side, pressing his hand firmly over the wound as he spoke.
"Owen? Can you hear me?" He spoke as calmly as he could as he brushed his free hand through Owen's hair. He got no response. Checking for a pulse he found a weak one. Ianto glanced over his shoulder as he heard Jack moaning behind him as he shook the pain from his head and opened his eyes.
"What happened?" He groaned as he dragged himself to his feet.
"It shot Owen with your Webley. He's alive but his pulse is weak and he isn't conscious." Ianto explained. "I need you to help me Jack. I need you to save him." He said looking pleadingly up at Jack who was stood beside him.
Jack nodded. "Get him into the autopsy bay." He said as Ianto swept Owen into his arms and carried him down to the examination table, his hand pressed tightly over the bullet wound as he went.