21

Ianto is aware of movement and the sack is pulled off his head with a flurry leaving him blinking in the semi-darkness. He smells dirt, earth. They are underground.

The gunman who he had left handcuffed in the SUV is now standing in the shadows watching with a look of total bliss. Whatever he took, probably the blue ice, he is flying higher than any dragon ever could.

Ianto is not restrained, his first warning that this is gonna hurt and he rises from the chair he was slumped in to search for means of escape. Hopefully the tracker is working, Jack on his way but remembering the agreement to let Ianto see this through.

Ianto can make out things a human eye could not, his dragon eyes gleaming in the darkness as he sees a rifle propped against a table nearby.

"So this is to be a game?" Ianto says quietly, letting those know on coms that he is OK and still in the agreed mindset for this. He hears Jack's soft sigh as he maintains the coms silence.

Gods, he loves this man.

The back room is deeper than the poor light gives away. Ianto's boots grind over burned-out candles, occult runes... Tully launches out of the darkness at Ianto. Before he sees it coming, Tully drives a hard punch into Ianto's skull.

Ianto stumbles forward, ears ringing from the blow. Tully draws a gleaming knife from his boot and springs on Ianto.

He swings the knife so quickly it becomes a blur, blade whistling as it cuts through the smoke. He slashes the knife across Ianto's thigh, dropping him to the ground.

Unable to stand, Ianto thrusts the rifle up for protection. The blade clanks against the barrel, carving deep trenches in the stock, finally gashing the back of Ianto's fingers.

Blood rushes from the cuts, loosening Ianto's grip on the weapon. Teeth gnashing like an animal, Tully reaches out and tries to pull the machine gun out of Ianto's hands.

He buries the knife into Ianto's shoulder. "Can you hear them, now?"

Tully drives his knee into Ianto's chest. Arm numb from the stab wound, Ianto's grip on the gun is slowly overpowered. Helplessly watching it slip away, Ianto roars with rage... Outside, no voice could carry on that raging wind. Two figures walk up the street, closing slowly on the location.

Tully leans over Ianto, one hand grinding the knife deeper into his shoulder, the other wrenching the machine gun free. Ianto desperately tries to dig his nails into the grip... "We'll see which one us they're flying for. We'll see who they love best."

Sweat streams down Tully's face, dripping down onto Ianto. Fingernails splitting, Ianto finally loses hold of the gun. The sudden shift in momentum pitches Tully back.

For an instant, they are apart.

In that instant, Ianto pulls the knife from his own shoulder and buries it to the hilt in Tully's stomach.

Tully drops the machine gun. Ianto clamps his hand over Tully's throat, using his grip to force the knife deeper. While Tully gasps, eyes wide, Ianto gracefully rises to his feet showing no signs of the previous helplessness he was displaying and the trap is now obvious... Ianto is not the mouse but the fucking cat.

"Where is Yvonne?"

Tully looks down at the knife in his stomach.

Fascinated.

"Where did Yvonne go? Tell me, where is her base of operations!" Ianto is calm, super chill and ready to flame this punk.

"You are so blessed." Tully sighs.

Ianto looks at Tully - up close, his skin is ashen and pockmarked, older than his age. Blood drools from his lips. Tully's eyes swim around, lost in a fog of drugs and pain.

"You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?" Ianto sighs as he realises this is a cull, his quarry long gone.

Tully's eyes stop swimming. For a moment, he sees Ianto. "The angels are not done with you yet."

Tully's skull explodes.

Ianto spins towards the hall, but another shot rakes across his shoulder and slings him to the ground. Defenceless, Ianto can only lift his eyes to see who's coming to finish it... Yvonne steps out of the smoke.

As Ianto reels at the sight of her in all her glory, thinking she had won the game she stomps on Ianto's wrist, in the same motion telescoping a metal baton and cracking it across his skull.

With the grace of an old pro she snaps on a pair of handcuffs.

Ianto is hauled to his feet - bleeding, cuffed, and trapped. So they all think bar the dragon that has finally started to feel the trap closing.

The cat grins at the mouse.

Yvonne is slightly unnerved by the sight of a man who never smiles like that.

Her eyes are drawn to those shiny white teeth….long…shiny…longer….

Ahhhhhhhhh, come feel the burn.

Game almost over.