4

"I've got good news and bad news" a voice said as Ianto followed Jack into a building that seemed to be abandoned. Myfanwy froze and looked around with equal confusion, and then the far wall moved and… disappeared. A temporal distortion, or to the great unwashed… a hologram.

The woman standing there was petite, Asian in descent… if he had to guess he would say Old Earth Japanese, her hair swirled onto her head with what apparated to be a pencil on top. She was looking at Jack like he was not there and the man shrugged "Hit me with the bad first."

"Saxon just put a price on your boy's head for eight million credits dead or alive… seems preferable dead." She replied.

"Wow, nice to know someone values me" Ianto quipped with surprise.

It was like she noticed him for the first time and turned to him, then saw the dog. "Ahhhh, a Sherlish Hound…. Oh… what unusual colouring."

She was then on her hand and knees crooning to the dog now larger than her that was in total puppy meltdown as she found another willing fool to pet her. Ianto sighed "This is Myfanwy. Do not… I repeat… do not feed her cheese whatever you do."

"Come on puppa…. Aunty Toshi with find you a tweeeeet….yeahhhhh"

Ianto tuned to Jack to find him slack jawed watching his employee loose her shit over a monster. Apparently this was new or something. Then came another distant bellow and laughter.

"Ah…. That was Toshiko, me tech and the other one screaming now is Owen my… well… medic and general twit. We all flew together. We are all Agency for now and when off the clock… well… mandems" Jack said as he got control of himself, the man in the distance running as Myfanwy chased him with glee didn't seem in any danger and his laughter punctuated with squeals filling the air. "I am … I am sorry about that… I had no idea they even liked Sherlish Hounds."

"She is a little… unusual. She was the runt of the litter. The weird colour a giveaway that she as not good quality apparently. They thought there was something wrong with her as she did not behave like the others. I was lucky… they were giving her away. Can you imagine a Sherlish Hound for free? First few days… I knew why. She is bloody insane. But she is my kind of insane, ya know?" Ianto said, the most conversation Jack had been rewarded so far and he grinned wider as that voice so… so… endearing.

They entered the end of the warehouse that was actually a well set up workspace, Ianto forcing himself not to make a noise of disgust at the dust. This man needed a cleaner at least… badly. Oh my god… how many cups… it was like some weird Tetris problem on someone's desk. Someone with a fetish for little Grey Alien bobble heads… Ianto instantly knows this was the desk of the man who was now on the ground being slobbered on as he yelled.

"Myffy, put him down. You do not know where he's been" Ianto said softly as he stared at a wall of photos, the dog stopping immediately. Jack turned to watch as he had barely heard the soft spoke command.

"Good hearing."

"Yes, they are exceptionally well endowed there. Why they are so sought after for security work" Toshiko said as she walked over and offered her hand "Sorry about earlier. I am Toshiko Sato, The Tech Specialist."

"Pleasure to meet you… well… under strange circumstances perhaps… I am Ianto Jones."

She regarded him and then smiled as she turned to Jack "So… this is the first time you ever brought one home. Does this mean you want to keep him?"

Jack looked shocked as he gaped again, not usually lost for words and she knew it as she grinned. Finally he said, "The other. You said you had good news and bad news. What's the good news."

"Oh no… that was the good news" she corrected "The bad news is his entire building shut down within an hour of us vacating and everyone inside was killed by subzero temperatures as the building's AI went haywire and then the thermostat went mental."

"Oh my goddess" Ianto said softly, struggling for a chair as he thought of all those people… children.. pets… oh god.. staff who had families too… Jack watched Ianto's break down, starting to weep softly as he rubbed his hands on his knees and whispered numbers to himself.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked.

"He's counting the dead" Toshiko replied, recognizing and respecting the methodology of each floor being added. Artistic… factual. Intelligence she cold relate to. She liked this guy.

"Really?" jack asked with surprise.

Ianto stooped counting and she said to him as gently as she could "add three more from the Agency's crew still there clearing the apartment's crime scene and you have it. Wow, that was impressive."

"I like numbers. They do not lie" Ianto said, rising now to stare at the wall again "Before I was a Translator I was a mathematician and archivist."

"I know… you have an amazing file. And I can tell you, you are more than just anything" a new voice said and Ianto turned to see a woman with crazy hair and an intense stare "Hi, I am Suzie and you my friend… and an interesting cat."

Myfanwy sat bolt upright, knocking Owen over who had been trying to hug her.

"No cat, a figure of speech girl" Ianto said without looking at her and Owen started to laugh.

Jack canted his head as he looked at the man now slowly walking the wall staring at the 'persons of interest' and knew he was no cat either. Unless that cat was something dangerous like a Mongerillan … or one of those legendary things that once existed… what were they called… Tigers.

Yeah.

This man moved like one of those in the archival footage.

Jack liked him.