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"OK, I gotta ask" John asked as they sat in the chopper heading back to Cardiff, Ianto looking over some files with mild interest.
"Ask away" Jack gestured for him to continue.
"The Decay. We know it is not over, we know that even with the amount of clean-up done that unfortunately there are going to be other sporadic outbreaks right?" John asked and Ianto nodded looking up at him as he continued "So… why don't UNIT have a team of front runners? You know, a ground crew. First on the Scene. They arrive… deicide if it's a major even or just take out a few rogues before the entire squad is uprooted and moved there at great expense and wasted time. By the time a Travelling Team gets there it's been several days and the Decay has spread. If we get it early enough then those huge trucks full of shit can be better unitized where needed."
Ianto sat back and regarded John "Tell you what. When ee get back, you write up a report with that idea and I will ask her nibs. If she likes it you can head up the formation and unitisation of the Advance Team as well as any and all gear needed. Maybe a troop carrier of like this… a big arsed chopper to save time. Simply land on the cricket pitch in the town and swarm it. You would only need… what… six?"
"Eight" John said back "The pilot stays with the bird. If we are compromised we have to get out fast. He stays and keeps her running. One is purely comms, between the chopper and the ground crew. Six ground crew that do a quick sweep and burn. By the time we know if it's contained or not we can be back to the chopper and out of there either triumphant or holding our arses."
"OK. I like that. Do the logistics and get that to me this afternoon or first thing in the morning, yeah? Also… if you have names or references for the crew let me know and I will have her sign off, makes it easier to snavel from another crew. They might argue with you, even me but NEVER with her."
John looked at Jack with glee, the prospect of his own team to play with…er… work with something that pleased him no end. Jack smiled back knowing the sexual harassment claims would come thick and fast soon enough and it was going got be fun to watch John work the poor bastards to weed out those who had no flair for the … nuances… of being a First On the Scene Responder. Jack knew what John was doing, something they had been drilled in at the academy. Shoot to kill, then secure and destroy. John would be careful respectful… to a point.
Really he was perfect for the job.
UNIT could not touch him, Ianto would not care as long as he didn't kill any kids and at the end of the day it would show a force to be reckoned with, comforting the nation who was quaking so much they were dobbing in their own neighbours as Decayed when in fact they had staggered home drunkn for the local the night before.
Yes.
Delegate… divide and conquer.
And in the end….
More time for the little things.
Speaking of which…. Jack smiled as Ianto answered his personnel phone then smiled softly. Then he handed the phone to Jack "Hello?"
"Daddy?"
"Hello son. I was just thinking about you ya know. Me and Taddy might be home this weekend, what do you think?" Jack crooned happily as Ianto went back to files.
"Awesome! Can we camp?"
"CAMP?" Jack roared with glee "I LOVE camping! Yes. We can put up a tent down by the stream. Cool our dinks in the water, have a camp fire. Close enough to the house for the loo and if it rains we can run inside like drowned rats where Taddy will scold and make us some hot chocolate. If fine, he will bring it to us in a flask so we can drink it under the stars around the camp fire. Maybe the others….."
"No!" came the quick reply "Just us?"
Jack's face softened with the warm happiness of knowing his son was choosing time with him over others "Oh sweetheart. Just us sounds grand. I will bring a few things from work for the fun. I have a cool lamp called a tilly lamp that you light like a candle and it puts out a cool light for us. That and the camp fire will be great. Maybe some marshmallows on sticks? Hmmm? Tatties in tin foil in the embers for some cooked tatties too? We can sprinkle cheese on top and eat them like heathen scummers."
Ianto listened as Jack and their son made plans to be wild men camping in the back yard and felt a relief in the fact that not only had Daniel accepted his new parental, he was seeing the potential in one that liked to get down and dirty while Taddy prefers sheets doors and stuff inside.
Ianto made a mental note to being some DVDs and stuff for the other kids so they could feel special as well, but they needed to understand the Jack was Daniel's first.
And always.
