15

Ianto was shaky but determined to follow through with this, following them into the other room where the young man was standing with a look of terror. Jack stood with that cocky self-assured look of someone who not only got the canary, it tasted very nice with some fauve beans and a nice Chianti.

Derp.

Not his real name…like …duh … was thinking fast as he answered questions and tried to work out which ones were Alts and which were Norms. So far the big tits was clearly Norm and the little Asian was clearly Alt, along with the two strong men but now he was focused on the one he had almost drowned.

This one seemed …. Murky.

"That' s my friend you are calling Murky" Ianto said softly and the boy jumped as his mind was read like an open book, "Careful where you step Derp. Landmines everywhere."

"But you don't hide. I see you walking around in the sunlight … amongst the Norms like you belong there!" he frowned.

"Because we do. This is our home too" Tosh sighed softly as she shook her head, her hair fanning out prettily "You know, Tigers can walk in a room filled with alley cats in it and not even cause a scene, if he is quiet enough and walks like it's no big deal."

"Still a tiger that could eat them all"

"True" Ianto spoke in the boy's ear, making him squeak as he swung to find him close behind him. How the… oh right.

"Do they… the government. Do they…"

"Of course they know" Jack snorted "I work for them don't I? We are the ones they ask to clean shit up they don't want to touch. Or are too scared of. Look, whoever sent you here with big stories about avenging the mutants or whatever… it was stupid right? You now see we are the same. Killing your own kind to please your own kind? Messed up. Also … you can't kill humans like cattle. They are our families too."

"I am so confused" he whimpered slumping into a chair "I was told things… poisoned honey."

"If you cannot tell us who is after us, I understand but if you can … we can stop them from harming anyone else." Ianto knelt an peered at the boy "Who do they have over you?"

"My little sister. They say she will exhibit soon and they will take her away. It will kill my dad, she is the baby and his only daughter."

"Has she exhibited?"

"No."

Ianto looked at Jack who shrugged "She's probably a Norm then."

Derp looked at him with surprise and Jack snorted "Not all Alts create Alts. Even two Alts together can produce a Norm. A family of mixed abilities… or none at all."

"Jack. I am wet, cold and chaffing in this suit. I want to go change and take a hot shower" Ianto said softly "Derp looks hungry. Gwen can fix him a sandwich, she is great with those."

Gwen puffed up with delight while rushing from the room as Owen agreed that he was wet too, and then he glanced at Ianto and muttered a thanks before trudging off as well. Tosh looked after him and then at Ianto "Why were you both in the pool?"

"Seemed a good idea at the time" Ianto answered and she snorted with amusement, not realising how close she came to losing her fella.

"Derp. Let's sit." Ianto took a seat and leaned close to the boy "I am a Gleaner and I also see those not yet moving on after passing. I see you believe in our kind strongly and I commend you for that. Despite the poor execution, I understand your desire to protect those less…. Gifted… in the community of Alts. I get it. But you are in the wrong group to do that."

"What! I should be Torchwood?" the youth snorted "Right. This is a recruitment blather?"

"No. This is advice from one who is strong with the gifts, to another. You will die. If you mess with the wrong Alt … you will die. Plain and simple. Of course, if you die it will help them because they will then know what they sent you to find out."

Derp didn't get it as he frowned at Ianto.

"They will know I am stronger than they thought. That I can kill with my gift. Rare, almost unheard of right? Almost all gifts have a failsafe, we cannot kill. You can though. You were doing a pretty good job of it. But you are not me. You can single out someone, have a go. I can simply lower a room to its knees if I am willing to sacrifice something of myself. The most … the most people I felled was about forty in one space. Out, gone, on their knees and then asleep. I almost died. I was young then though, not like now. I did not know my gift's capacity, had not honed it and learned to rein it in. Now? I think … I think if I were willing to potentially sacrifice myself I could take down an entire city block." Ianto stopped talking and let that sink in, knowing Jack was also struggling with this information. Jack knew Ianto was not lying, his face serene as he spoke about killing himself when the time came to protect the human race. "Do you understand? Norms. Alts. I can kill them all … not care a fucking jot."

Derp stared as Ianto and he asked softly "So … why don't you put us out of our misery?"

Ianto sighed as he settled back and shook his head.

"Because … there is still hope that we can evolve into something better. I have to hold on to that. If not … I could just kill all the Alts and let the humans have their world back …. For a generation. What will that solve? This tenuous line we walk while trying to find peace in this world? I have to hold onto the hope that….that…. one day they will not fear us and we will not hate them for their weakness. For we are weak too. We fear them too."

Derp nodded as he finally saw that this man was telling him the truth.

"So … if not Torchwood … where do you mean?"

Jack smiled as he glanced at Ianto who whispered softly "The Clans."