10

Ianto walked to the back vehicle and leaned in the window "Right. Tosh, I don't want you up front with Owen, I want you in the back of the cabin with those shade shades pulled down."

"Why?" she asked, "something bad to see out there? I have seen bodies before Ianto."

"They are lead lined" Ianto replied softly, his hand reaching in to touch her arm, "This entire vehicle is lead dipped."

"A Faraday cage?" Tosh asked with surprise, "Are you telling me the interior of this thing is entirely lead and with the lead lined curtains pulled down an EMP would not touch my tech?"

"Yes" Ianto nodded "I have some small homemade EMPs in case we get into trouble. If you are already protected I will not worry about releasing a bomb. I can't signal you back here to let you know I am doing it, I just have to do what I can to get us through."

He walked to the next vehicle and asked for the kids to remain in the back with their parents, hissing at Gwen about bodies and dissidents being scary and she clambered through the seats to pull the curtains without further comment as Rhys looked at him long and hard, "You alright there?"

"Yes Rhys" Ianto patted the arm resting in the open window "will be better when we get through London and into the open landscape again."

"I hear ya" Rhys nodded and Ianto walked to the lead vehicle, well aware Jack was following him closely.

As Ianto climbed into the passenger seat and Jack into the driver's seat he said softly "We will have a couple of hours to talk. Let's move, that upgrade will be cycling down to reboot while we sit here. Within half an hour drones will be up once more and soon aware vehicles are moving without pings."

"Yeah" Jack punched it and they shot up into the bright sunlight of the afternoon, Ianto clutching at the suicide strap as he held a glock near his hip. Jack noticed but did not comment, glad he had a wingman that knew when to be on guard, no matter how sedate things seemed.

"You knew this was coming" Ianto said after he had settled back half an hour later.

Jack glanced at him "What?"

"You never once questioned the acquisitions for large amounts of lead based products. After Lisa you should have been on guard and when I asked for the chassis of these new models to be lead dipped you signed it without blinking." Ianto accused.

"Well … maybe I had an inclining. I mean … what is your reasoning?"

"After the Cyber attack … I know that's what is behind all of these, like that bloody Terminator movie, they got hold of some tech and created this mess" Ianto sighed.

"That was a long time ago Ianto, not many even remember that." Jack answered "Too many were happy to accept a terrorist attack and move on."

"You want to know the funny thing?" Ianto asked as he held up a small ball of wires that blinked in the middle with a red light.

"What?"

"Lisa told me how to make these while she was in that cyber-unit" Ianto huffed, "This little ball of pain just needs a twist and throw … enough EMP to knock out anything electrical for up to a kilometre in radius."

Jack tried not to gape.

"She was reasoning it through. Thought once she was fixed, we would have to escape you. Of course .. .she already knew you had your claws into me as she put it. Was so jealous of the way you would make me smile when you called me over coms." Ianto stopped speaking and stared out the window for a while and Jack tried to be reasonable about it. Lisa was something that might always hover in the background … as much as Jack's secrets Ianto seemed to know more about than he let on. Well. He is the Archivist after all.

"Sir?"

Jack realised he had zoned out as he glanced at the clock and saw he had passed an hour in silence. He made a noise of interest to let Ianto know he was aware of him.

"Roadblock" Ianto was reaching down into the wheel well of the vehicle to hook up an EMP ball as he also slid that glock into the space between door and hip. Half an hour to London and that playground Alice and Stephen were hopefully hiding in.

"Let me handle it" Jack said calmly as he slowed down, this roadblock on the outskirts of London not a surprise, the UNIT insignias not either but the Bots walking about were. These were in broad daylight, not even hidden beneath loose clothing. Shiny Bots in a parody of Cybermen stomped back and forth with clipboards and Ianto made a noise in the back of his throat to show his alarm.

Then one raised its arm and the weapon discharged as Ianto jumped in his seat.