Doomsday
a Torchwood story
by RoadrunnerGER
Dislaimer: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.
Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones/Jack Harkness
A/N: Sorry for the wait! First I was busy, then my beta was busy, then FFN wouldn't let me log in… phew! But here it is, chapter 8. Thanks to everyone for commenting and putting the story on favourites. Makes the muse happy! (and me, too) Special thanks as always to my faithful beta reader. Enjoy!
Chapter 8 - Discoveries and memories
Cardiff
"So, Captain, you're with what again? Torchwood?" PC Cooper queried from the backseat while Andy was driving down North Road. Actually he had just hit the brakes as the traffic lights ahead changed to red, right at the corner of Cardiff Castle. Gwen would not be distracted, though, "What's Torchwood?"
"We are Torchwood," Jack gave his standard answer. He appeared to be distracted. Obviously the glove compartment was much more interesting and he reached out to open it.
"Okay, and what do you do? Are you part of the police?"
Jack laughed.
"Nope."
Snooping through the glove box Jack pulled out a ticket book and started to leaf through it.
"So who do you answer to?" Gwen prodded.
His only comment was a winning smirk.
"No, no. No. Tell me. Who's in charge of you?"
Instead of answering Jack returned his attention to the ticket book and… "You ticketed my SUV!" he gasped indignantly. "Thrice!" he yelped after turning another few pages.
"Why does that surprise you?" Andy teased. "Didn't you get them?"
"I'm sure I did, and probably threw them away," Jack shot back. "I just didn't expect a sweet guy like you to be one of those jerks scribbling away in his ticket book trying to meet a quota."
"Oh, bother," Andy sighed as Jack's flirtation made him blush again. "It's nothing to do with quotas," he said sullenly. "It's just the law. Parking regulations are in effect for everyone's benefit. I've seen that black monstrosity you drive in handicapped spaces more than once. I should have had a wheel clamp put on it. You're obviously fit enough. Why don't you park where it's legal and walk?"
When Andy finished talking, the car was silent, but he could feel Jack's gaze on him. Glancing sideways, he could see the captain's enormous, 1,000-watt grin.
Knowing he would regret it he asked, "What?"
"You think I'm fit, do you?" Jack queried in a tone that promised worlds of pleasure if he gave the right answer.
In the back, Gwen brayed a laugh at Andy's discomfort.
"Shut up, all right?" Andy mumbled. Glancing at his partner in the rearview mirror, he repeated, "Shut up, both of you. Just… shut it."
"It's green," Jack quipped and swayed in his seat when Andy rapidly accelerated and turned into Heol Y Castell. He reached for the glove box again. This time he unearthed a stale pack of gum and a plastic bag containing something green and hairy which might have been a sandwich in a previous life. "You know, I always wondered what you guys carried in here. Got any deep, dark secrets in the boot?"
"No," Gwen piped up this time. "But we'll have to assume that you do if you don't tell us who you answer to."
Jack looked out the window at the tourists queuing in front of the castle. Everything seemed to have returned to normal already. Still the question was left unresolved. Stifling a sigh he decided that he would have to tell them anyway, so he answered, "We're separate from the government. Outside the police. Beyond the United Nations."
His admission spread through the car and faded away, leaving both constables thinking, while Andy turned left into Womanby Street from where he would get to Heol Y Porth.
"And who pays you?"
Now Jack laughed out loud, throwing his head back.
"Seriously, Captain Harkness, if you answer to no one… who do you work for?"
"The Crown," Jack told her, knowing that he had neither the time nor the patience to try and explain how Torchwood really worked. As he did not know where else he should put the things he removed from the glove box he threw them all back in and snapped it shut.
"And they give you so much authority over your own actions?"
Looking back over his shoulder Jack said, "She trusts us!"
"She?" Gwen puzzled.
"She," Jack confirmed.
Gwen thought a moment more and then her eyes and mouth popped open. "Oh!"
"Yeah." The captain smirked so complacently that Gwen scowled at him suspiciously.
"You still haven't told us what you do, how we're supposed to help you. We're in a crisis. The whole city is in uproar because of those Cybermen things and Chief Superintendent Cadwallader sent us with you, playing taxi driver."
"You'll see soon enough," Jack said mysteriously. "Why should I worry you in advance?"
"See!" Andy exclaimed, slowing the car down to follow Jack's gesture and turn right into Wood Street. "Now you're worrying me!"
Gwen nodded.
Once more Jack laughed. Then he tapped his odd looking earpiece.
"Yes, Tosh, I got it. Where exactly? Yeah." Once more he gestured Andy, "Past the railway station… and stop at the Millennium Stadium if you can."
"I thought you'd want to help us calming down the people," Gwen stated with confusion.
"Sorry, nothing to do with me."
"But then, why are you here?"
"Mostly to keep them alive so they can continue to panic," Jack quipped. "Now if you don't mind, I am getting a call from my Director of Operations."
"Director of Operations," Toshiko chuckled in his ear. "Is that a promotion, Jack?"
"Hardly, but it's something she'll understand."
"Oh, the officious type, is she? Reliant on bureaucracy and bound by rules?"
"Only when it suits her, I think," Jack replied, which earned him a most curious scowl from Gwen. "Now what have you got for me, Tosh?"
"It's alarming. The appearance of the Cybermen seems to have startled the Rift. It's more active than ever before… at least as far as I can tell. Whatever it spit out, it's big."
Jack prodded her, "Can you identify it?"
"No, but it's really big. No Weevils."
"Thanks, Tosh, that's reassuring."
"You're welcome, Jack."
"Can who identify what, Captain?" Andy asked sourly. "Now tell… us…"
His words trailed off as he jammed the brakes.
"Oh!" Gwen gasped from the backseat. "Bloody hell! What's that?"
"Bugger!" Andy's jaw dropped.
And Jack was frozen in his seat for a couple of seconds as he watched the huge animal retreat over the River Walk by the Taff on the western side of the stadium. Shaking off his astonishment the captain jumped out and strode toward the bunch of people that was gathering at the bridge now, watching the creature that fled the open street. Behind him he heard a shout and then a car door open and close. When he looked around he saw Gwen standing beside the patrol car as it started to roll backwards.
"What is that?"
"Trouble," Jack growled, wishing for something more effective than his Webley as he squeezed through the gathering of people.
"I should've brought my insect spray," Gwen retorted, trying to follow him.
When they came out on the other side of the group and stumbled onto the plaza in front of the stadium's gate the giant insect was gone.
"Where is it?" Jack panted.
Gwen just shrugged while Toshiko said over comm. link, "It's on the western side of the stadium."
So Jack advanced onto the River Walk.
"Over there!" someone shouted.
Jack looked around and spotted someone on the bridge who pointed at the stadium. Even when the captain turned in that direction he could not find the animal. From behind he heard Gwen arguing, trying to convince the people to keep their distance. Suddenly Andy was by his side.
"Now that's one oversized praying mantis," the constable said.
"Thought you'd stay with the car," Jack teased.
"Noooo," Andy drawled. "Just thought it would be safer further away."
"That's what I meant," Jack chuckled. "Now, where do you see the mantis?"
"Right there," Andy nodded in its direction. "It's on the cross beam of the pillar."
Only now when Jack looked again did he find the creature. It sat on the lower part of the supporting structure of the stadium. Even though Jack could have sworn that it had been green-purple before it now was white and hardly stood out among the metal structures. It tilted its head to the side, its mandibles opening and closing slowly, almost thoughtfully, when seagulls circled it. The creature probably did not know what to make of the strange place it had come to.
"What are we gonna do?" Gwen panted as she stopped beside the men.
Good question, Jack thought.
"Yeah, well, not trying to be funny, but actually I could really use a giant can of bug repellent right now. You should've brought it, Gwen." Jack tapped his ear piece. "Tosh? Tell me more about the readings you get for my current position."
"There was a Rift spike fifteen minutes ago. Alien life form right ahead of you. No identification possible."
"Try giant mantis," he replied. "Chameloid. Basically it probably was greenish-purple, with a yellow ridge on its back."
"No kidding!"
"I don't kid about things like that, sweetheart," Jack purred. "It's white now, blending in with the stadium."
Both constables exchanged a confused look at how excited, if not cheerful, Harkness seemed to be about the situation. Rolling his eyes at Gwen, Andy made a circling gesture with his forefinger beside his head.
"Thanks, Tosh," Jack just said. "Okay. We don't know what it is except that it looks like the biggest and meanest bug I've ever seen. And isn't it nice of it to stay sitting there, waiting for us, instead of chasing any pedestrians? Any idea how to capture it?"
"You're asking us?" Andy blurted out.
"Do you see anyone else who I could ask?"
"What about your Director of Operations?" Gwen suggested.
"Tosh could not find it in our database."
"Database?" both constables said at the same time, exchanging an incredulous look.
"Well, if those spiked forelegs are any indication I'd say it's a predatory creature. I don't want to find out if its diet includes any pedestrian strolling down the River Walk. As it tries to blend in I'd say it's an ambush predator, but I don't want to rely on it to keep sitting there either. So… let's find out if it's communicative," Jack told the constables and started toward the giant insect.
"I'm curious if he'll try flirting with it, too," Andy whispered to Gwen.
"I heard that!" Jack shouted with obvious amusement. As he never looked back he could not see the constable turn crimson.
The mantis did not react at all to Jack's approach.
Wracking his mind about how to get the insect down from its perch Jack got out his Webley. Even though he had no idea if it would be of any use it was reassuring to hold the weapon in his hand.
I probably should've brought something bigger, he mused and advanced on the beast. For lack of a better option he shouted, "Hey, you! Come down from there!"
From behind he heard suppressed chuckles coming from the constables.
You think that's amusing? How about this…
"Try all you want to blend in!" he called seductively to the massive bug. "With raptorial legs as sexy as yours, it will never work!"
Almost as if it had heard him, the insect turned its triangular head nearly upside down…
…and snatched a shrieking sea gull right out of the sky.
The laugh Jack had heard from behind died with a gasp.
Well, that didn't work. Guess he's not as easy as Xix'trian.
Even after all these years, Jack's body could still react to the thought of his former lover. Like a giant dragonfly, Xix'trian had large transparent wings that created the most sensual stir of air around Jack as he hovered over him and caressed him with his six delicate legs. The memory alone was enough to raise goosebumps and…
Oh, now you're interested, Jack thought as he noticed the mantis turning to scrutinize him.
Deliberately Jack remembered wrapping his legs around Xix'trian's slender, segmented abdomen, rubbing against him, the little bumps between the segments being the only friction, subtle enough to make their lovemaking last all night long if that was what they wanted.
Jack kept watching the creature and was just about to convince himself that it did not work when the mantis suddenly became fiery red and yellow and twisted on its perch. It dropped and landed on the walkway, only a few yards from the captain. The insect bristled and straightened up, making itself look bigger as its prothorax rose. It opened its mandibles wide and spread its spiked forelegs.
"Whoa! Head over heels in love, are we?"
Backing off he realized that he had achieved what he wanted by the mantis coming down, but that he had no plan at all for what to do next.
The mantis gave a rattling shriek and opened its raptorial legs, reaching for Jack who suddenly had the dreadful feeling that, far from seducing the creature, he just might have challenged it as a rival. Reflexively he shot at it, but three bullets ricocheted off the exoskeleton before a fourth hit its neck. If nothing else, this made the mantis angry. Screaming it grasped for Jack who avoided the spiked leg by a hair's breadth.
"Hey!" Andy shouted, throwing something at the angry insect.
Sure enough it twisted around to him and the young police officer threw himself flat on the ground when the arm shot right at him. Andy howled when he felt the spikes get stuck in his thick vest. He was rolled around when the insect tried to pull him closer, but could not grab him. To Andy's horror he rolled right toward the creature. Terrified he stared up at his attacker. From this perspective it was an impressive sight.
Something else impressed him, and that was Captain Harkness who ran right between the legs supporting the main thoracic segment, grabbed the carapace and tried to climb the beast. Andy saw the arm come down again to grab him and rolled aside.
And Jack lost his grip on the exoskeleton, sliding down. Before he could try to climb it again the insect backed off far enough to reach him. The arm came down way too fast for him to react and Jack cried out when it snapped shut around him and the spikes dug into his flesh. He felt himself being lifted up. From below he heard screams. Glancing down he saw the spectators run.
How do I get out of this mess?
Piercing pain made him nauseous. Shaking his head he tried to clear it, but his senses were dwindling. Thankfully his arms were not stuck in the iron grip, but what good did that do him? With terror he saw the mandibles come closer.
Once more the creature bellowed, almost deafening Jack. How he managed to bring up his gun he did not know and he was just in time to avoid having his head and shoulders bitten off. He did not know if that was an injury from which he could recover and he preferred not to find out. The bullets went straight through the mantis's mouth and into its brain. The big bug shrieked and reared back. Its claws clenched impossibly tight and then relaxed and suddenly Jack felt himself falling.
xXx
London
Ianto awoke to deceptive silence. No sounds of battle or wails of pain echoed through the storey, but that did not mean that there were no sounds at all. Every now and then the plastic sheets separating the cubicles rustled. From somewhere very far away, almost inaudible, Ianto heard an alarm and he wondered if it was inside the building as he thought that he was too far away up in the tower to be able to hear the traffic or sirens from outside. Among all the occasional sounds was a persistent bell that did not want to stop, followed by a low clonk. It took Ianto a while to realize that it was an elevator that had been blocked open. After the carnage he had seen, he could not help wondering if it was a body that prevented the door from closing.
"Ianto?" Virginia startled him out of his trancelike state.
For a moment Ianto thought about ignoring her, but then he realized that he simply could not stay silent. It would drive him mad.
"Yeah?"
This time he was the one who had to wait. When she spoke again he could judge by her panting just how much effort it cost her.
"How… did you come to… join Torchwood?"
"I…"
This had to do with Lisa again. Every thought of her was painful, so the words caught in his throat like a bite of toast swallowed too quickly.
"Ianto?"
"Yeah. I…" Ianto took a steadying breath. "When I was finished with school, I left home to go to university. I... have a degree in literature. But after studying I didn't know what to do with myself. In my teens I already got in trouble and then…"
"What trouble?"
He chuckled wryly when he remembered that time.
"I was convicted for shoplifting," he groaned. "I was stupid, but kinda lucky. I got off with some community service."
"I see."
"Yeah… Anyway, after studying I was mainly drifting from job to job, unable to decide where to stay, where to go, what to do…"
"I know that feeling," Virginia said. "I felt that way before I went on the trip to Australia. When I came back I wanted to study, but then I met Collin and before I knew what happened I was in London."
Ianto could not suppress a chuckle. The vibration coursing through his body made him aware of his head hurting. As it was stuck in the clamps he could not move it, his neck was stiff and it throbbed in his temples.
"And I kind of found myself recruited into Torchwood one day," Ianto laughed wryly. "I was working as a waiter and once more thinking about a new job when this woman came in. She caught my interest at first sight but it took a while to get us from orders for coffee to a real conversation…" Ianto paused as the images became alive before his inner eye and he swallowed a sob. "It was raining that day. At first I saw only her umbrella, but when she lowered and closed it I was lost. She wore a business suit, blue with pinstripes, and a yellow blouse. Both contrasted perfectly with her skin. She chose just the right colours for her type. Most captivating were her eyes, dark… and sparkling…"
When he trailed off Virginia said, "You seem… to have a good sense for fashion."
"Runs in the family," Ianto brusquely rejected the compliment. The thought woke other memories that he did not want to welcome. "Anyway… after a few dates Lisa suggested applying for a job at the institute she worked for as they were searching for new employees. I didn't really come to London to work as a waiter so I followed her suggestion and that was it. After three interviews, some tests, and initial training I started to work in the archives."
"Were you together by then?"
Ianto smiled dreamily to himself. "Not quite. To me she still seemed to be out of my league. I didn't know then what I know now."
"Oh?" With delight Ianto heard her chuckle softly before she asked, "What do you mean?"
"Our first dates were… awkward," Ianto replied. "It took me ages to realize that I didn't need to try and impress her."
"I have a feeling… as if she's older than you."
"Only two years."
"Still you were scared of her, weren't you?"
"Intimidated, I think," he mused. "She was so… urbane. Skilled at what she did and secure in her proficiency. I admired that."
Ianto paused when he heard Virginia choke and cough. It sounded like she tried to suppress the coughs to avoid more pain and it made Ianto feel bad because his position was not as dreadful as hers. Fearfully he called out, "Virginia?"
"Hurts," she groaned. "Ianto?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell me… about the trip?"
"The trip?"
"You mentioned… earlier. Brittany?"
Oh no. That hurts. He groaned.
"Are you okay?" Virginia asked anxiously.
"Yeah," Ianto countered quickly. His limbs were stiff and ached as did his back and his neck. Still he felt like he should not express his pain. Compared to her he had no reason to complain and he wanted to keep talking for both their sakes, to keep themselves distracted from their predicament. "It's… The memory hurts."
"Because… she was killed by… the Cybermen…"
"Yeah."
For a moment he fell silent before he finally started to talk.
"It was our first proper vacation," he began. "Lisa wanted to go abroad, but we couldn't really afford it. So she talked me into making it a camping trip." Now that reminiscence made him chuckle. "She was always good at talking me into things."
"Like joining Torchwood?"
"Yeah. Back then I saw nothing wrong in that. Actually I was pretty happy with my new job. It was interesting and well paid."
"Back then…" Virginia mused. "Now you think… it was a… mistake to join Torchwood?"
"Hmmm, well… all those rumours, you know. They made me suspicious," Ianto explained. "With the recent experiments came the ghosts and that really creeped me out."
She did not reply, so he continued, "Seeing what Hartman brought down on us, Cybermen, through that breach… Yeah, you can say there's something wrong with Torchwood."
Hysterically Virginia laughed out loud, startling Ianto. For a terrifying moment he thought she would go mad, but then he heard her cough, trying to regain her composure.
"Yeah," she finally chuckled bitterly. "There was something wrong… Oh, Ianto, you have an extraordinary knack for understatement."
For a few minutes awkward silence hung between them. It was a hard subject to talk about and not ideal for distracting them from their situation.
"So, Brittany?" Virginia finally reinitiated their conversation.
"Oh, yeah. We went to France by car, the boot stuffed with our tent, camping equipment, food, and clothes. Travelling along the coast we visited a few towns, but mostly we enjoyed the landscape. Lisa preferred to be outside, with me." He sighed. "It was the Friday before we had to travel back when we met a group of other young people at a campsite. We had quite a party and the next day we were hungover."
Ianto chuckled with the memory.
"I made cheese toasties for breakfast. I just couldn't stand anything sweet that morning. I desperately wanted some tea, but Lisa forgot to descale the kettle again. So I had to go and try and clean it before I could make tea. Then we drove along the coast toward St. Malo to take the ferry back. We still had one night we could spend there and we found a wonderful spot for the night. We camped on a beach. It was wonderful. Lisa and I, we… well, I guess you know… Then it became cold. It got so freezing that we wore our coats and shared one sleeping bag. And then, when we woke up the next morning, a dog was pissing on our tent."
Now Virginia could not help but laugh. Still Ianto could hear the pained undertone in her voice. She had to be suffering.
"So, how was Australia?" he asked to get her focused on something other than her own agony.
"Hot," Virginia chuckled involuntarily. "We spent the first three days exploring the Kakadu National Park." She drew in a shuddering breath. "It was… spectacular."
"Where is that?"
"In the Northern Territory. We saw the Jim Jim Falls, a herd of brumbies… freshwater crocodiles, and… lots of birds. I especially liked the black-necked stork."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes," she said and her voice took on an admiring note. "Its neck is completely black… as is its beak. The feathers shimmered in the sunlight. And the legs were a bright red. A beautiful bird.
"From there we went to Melbourne. My… pen friend lives there… and she… showed us around. We went to Victoria Market with rows and rows and rows of market stalls with just about anything you could imagine for sale. We attended the Ghost Tour at the Old Melbourne Gaol, that was creepy… and we spent a whole day at Ocean Grove's Adventure Park, splashing about in the water rides. That was really cool."
Over her enthusiasm she totally forgot about her pain. Ianto thought that she probably should not talk so much and overexert herself, but he did not have the heart to stop her. She was happy talking to him about her trip… he just could not take that away from her. Besides, he suspected that she knew how straining talking was for her. It was not his decision to make. Before he could ask anything she continued on her own.
"Then we flew to New Zealand. I have a pen friend there, too, and we travelled with her. Oh dear, we saw so much that it's hard to remember everything."
"Take it slowly. We have time," Ianto replied dryly.
"Ouch, Ianto!" she burst out with a pained laugh. "There's your understatement again!"
"Why? Were you planning on going somewhere?"
"No. You?"
"Not at the moment…"
Once more she chuckled bitterly before she went on with her tale.
"Even before we flew down there my pen friend told me that she found it very insulting that many tourists do New Zealand in a week. I guess… that she didn't take into consideration that most people either can't afford a longer stay or simply don't have enough vacation days… Anyway, we had three months to explore her home country and most of the time she spent with us."
"What's her name?" Ianto interrupted her. Virginia used the break to take a few deep breaths and collect herself.
"Julia. She's a bit older than I am, but we're on the same wavelength."
"That's great."
"Yeah. We met in Auckland, she grew up there, and from there she accompanied us to where she lives now. She showed us some really gorgeous beaches, we went fishing and I caught two really big fishes… don't remember what kind. We went to Rotorua next. There's a lot of geothermal activity there, and we saw geysers and boiling mud pools and the best was that we could really see them as Julia took us to an even more spectacular area that is less known and a little out of the way, so there were no tourists standing in the way when we were taking pictures. It was…" Heavy coughs shook her. "It was awesome!"
"I believe that."
"The whole coastline is amazing. Maybe… I should've stayed there…"
Another fit of coughs stopped her. Ianto heard it with worry. He desperately wished he could help her.
Finally she fell silent and when he could not bear it anymore he called out tentatively, "Virginia?"
"Yeah?"
For a moment he hesitated. He did not want to ask if she was okay, he knew that she was not. So he went with, "Tell me more?"
"Wh-whale watching. We saw a couple… of them."
It became increasingly difficult for her to talk. Ianto feared that she would fall unconscious. With horror he noticed that he hoped for her to stay awake and keep talking, not for her sake, but his own. He was scared to death of the silence.
After some time that felt like eternity Virginia spoke again.
"We… were in Hanmer Springs, a mountain resort with thermal pools. That was… incredible! It's an alpine mountain range and the pools are outdoor, water temperature over thirty degrees Celsius, with waterslides and picnic area. We… had a… marvellous day there."
When Virginia trailed off this time she did not try to speak again. Ianto's prodding fell on deaf ears. Certainly she was unconscious.
Tormented by the sudden silence Ianto felt his anxiety increase, complete with quickening heartbeat and breaths shortening to hard gasps. All of a sudden he noticed that occasionally there were other groans and moans. They sounded metallic, a sign that the voices' owners were further converted than Virginia was.
That realization was worse than the silence.
Desperately Ianto wished to lose consciousness and a while later his body granted him that wish.
xXx
Cardiff
Gasping back to life Jack inhaled water. He flailed and his throat closed against the liquid. It was dark and Jack realized that he was near the muddy bottom of the river. Desperately he struggled to reach the surface, his soaked coat making every move difficult, but he had to get himself out of the water. If he kept dying down there until they dredged the bottom and found him, not only would he probably go mad, but he would also have some pretty fancy explaining to do when he revived. When he broke the surface he gasped for air painfully. He still was in deep shadows. Treading water Jack looked up and realized that he was under the River Walk.
"Jack!"
From above he heard Constable Davidson call out for him. Andy. The mantis almost grabbed him!
Splashing about Jack paddled out from under the walkway.
"Captain Harkness!" Gwen yelled when she spotted him. "Hold on!"
What they were doing Jack did not know. What he did know was that his heavy coat threatened to pull him down again and that the opposite waterside was too far away for him to reach. Still flailing he tried to keep afloat. His eyes caught movement and something hit him in the face and splashed the water.
"Put the rope around your waist!" Gwen shouted. "We'll pull you up!"
A towing rope, Jack recognized as he did his best to tie the rope around himself without sinking again. It did not work, so he wrapped it around his right arm a few times and held on to the rope.
"Pull!" he wanted to call out but it came out like a croak. Still the constables began to haul him up. Jack was sure that it was quite an effort and when he was far enough up to grab the railing he helped by climbing the balustrade. Groaning he collapsed on the walkway and the constables sat down beside him. For a moment they just sat and breathed.
"You Torchwood guys… do this kind of thing a lot?" Andy panted.
Jack responded with an almost challenging grin, "Every day."
Gwen looked around at the fallen insect, asking, "Is it dead?"
"Well… at least it looks dead," Jack replied, taking in the mess that was the shattered head of the mantis. "Good work, kids. Both of you."
Both constables frowned at being called kids. Shaking her head Gwen said, "Well, I think that I now have an idea of what you Torchwood people do."
Jack smirked and patted her back as he got up. Water still ran out of his hair and clothes, especially the coat. "Let's clean up the mess quickly," he said cheerfully, "before Tosh announces the next emergency."
"You expect more incidents like this to happen?" Gwen queried.
All Jack could do was shrug.
"You must be kidding! This thing almost killed you!" Andy gasped. "How did you get it down from there in the first place?"
"I'm not sure. Must've been the pheromones."
"Pheromones?"
Jack nodded. "I've always said mosquitoes eat me alive in summer, but it was really only a figure of speech!"
He started for the dead creature and the constables followed him.
tbc…
