15

"If you told me what you were looking for I might be able to help more" Toshiko said as she watched Ianto and Jack go over screeds of names scrolling across the screen, clicking on them randomly then muttering as they both shook their heads.

"We want to know what they were after" Jack finally said distractedly, "Checking the passenger manifest."

"Don't' you mean the cargo?" John frowned as he looked over at Suzie, her face changing as she rose from her chair. Owen looked up from the weapon he was fiddling with to watch as Suzie stood behind the two men next to John, her hands behind her back as she and John watched the screen over the men's shoulders.

"That one?" Jack muttered, clicking it and they stared.

"No… he is a digger. Looks like mineral mining" Ianto said as he clicked a few passenger files, "Damn it, looks like an entire mining crew in there… maybe we eliminate those from the same port? Maybe it's someone from another port, look for someone entering late or singular?"

"Hmmmm." Jack squinted at his screen "Theris Delta?"

"Did we stop there? Damn, I was already down" Ianto leaned in "We did. Look at that. We picked up two… fuck. They look like big spenders, paid the premium. Idiots, they do know we all travel together right?"

"I will never get over that, those that pay more for superior service when we all sleep in the pods in the same fucking room. Do they want their pods cleaned or something?" Jack huffed.

"We need to look… these are in the clear zone. Do we wake them?" John asked. "Seems whoever it was, they knew which side of the boat to rupture.''

Ianto grunted, his fingers fiddling with his pant leg as he glanced at Jack who grimaced and said "Ah… let's just sweep the area first."

"Sweep?" Owen repeated.

"Ianto is from the Wolverines. They were a pack of five. I am from the Jackals, a pack of five. This lot of interlopers … thy are Agency Pack, like us. Tell me Suzie… how many did we bag and tag?" Jack asked.

"Four."

"What is a standard number for an active Agency Pack?"

"Fuck" she swung to John with alarm "The others are spread all over the place… we need to bring them all into one area to keep an eye on them"

"Unless we can strip each one down and check their arm for an Agency Brand we might be welcoming in the fucking Rat" Jack muttered as he tapped his finger to his top lip. "alone, last man standing, hiding in the mob would be my idea."

"Set off the sprinklers in the section they have bunked down in" Ianto shrugged "Force them this way, we will be so alarmed for their safety. Give them clothing, help them change into dry things… act angry with the bloody system. Who is left dripping? Or not in the same clothing as we had out from the crew lockers? I am guessing one."

"Oooooo….likey, likey!" John chortled "either undress and try to hide it or simply stand there for all the worlds to see."

"They will have some idea leady… maybe something to hide it, or they will try to evade us and not come here with the others… either way we will know those we watched change their clothing will be clean skins… all that leaves is one either standing right there like a retard or… hiding in the remaiind arse of the vessel."

"We lock down the ones we want to protect, go hunting for the Rat" Suzie juggled on her feet with glee at the thought of a real Rat Hunt.

"Personally, I agree with you Suzie, I would love a good old fashioned hunt" Ianto said softly as he smiled at her, "but let's try this first. The longer this one is loose the longer he has to try and find a way to their target. When he does… is it a bullet into the pod? Or he explodes the hull… that will kill all of us."

"Also, the longer it takes the more likely the Agency is to think they failed and send in the second wave" John guessed and they all looked around at one another with undisguised horror.

"Well… let's get them wet" Owen clapped his hands tighter and turned to John "Well? You said you can get anyone wet… go for it."

"Cheeky little shit" John crooned as he patted Owen's cheek lovingly "So mouthy!"

"Toshiko, you and Daisy sort the clothing, be the ones handing it out with faces of condolence" Ianto pointed then looked at them for a second more with his finger still crooked out, then he closed his hand and made a soft noise in his throat, heading out after Jack.

He had thought of something else, something he did not like and Kevin followed him out "Boy"

"Kevin, help the girls will you? What the kids" Ianto asked.

"You had one of your brain farts… I saw it."

"Could be just that… nothing."

"Or something?"

"Hmmmm" Ianto sighed with annoyance "Or something else."

Kevin did not like the sound of that and he frowned as he watched Ianto head after Jack with the air of someone needing something.

Whatever Ianto had suddenly thought, it was not good and if he was running true to form… most likely the scenario they had to face next.