23
It was a nondescript neighborhood on the wrong side of town. Children with snotty noses playing in the street with a half deflated ball of some sort, no way to tell what sex they are as they all stream past bellowing lustily.
John walked along the street while drinking in the different gardens and entrances, finding one that didn't seem to match the others. Cold, sterile and no plants. Not even lawn, gravel between the small boundary fence and the front steps, the paving stones to walk on so carefully placed that you had to watch your step, of course not able to see the hidden cameras above the door that John only knew of as the sunlight glinted off the lenses when he crouched to pretend to tie his boot.
His boot that did not have laces. He knew he could do this as he was as nondescript as everything else, not out of place as other members of the public wandered about on phones, yelling at a neighbour or unpacking a car with things that were clearly not groceries and also clearly not totally … cold… if ya know what I mean. Hot… stolen. John knew this was the right house as in the four passes no one came in, went out or even acknowledged the fact he stopped to look in the empty letterbox like a total mad man before moving on.
He walked around the back of the house next door and looked up at the roof, glad to see the overhang he had hoped for and he clambered up the drainpipe, over to the attic window and into the house with no real problems either. Clearly not as cool as they think they are… security is light to nonexistent.
He wandered down the stairs and stood on the landing to listen to the conversation happening below. He knew the language. Not as learned as Ianto but enough to recognize it and know he was right in his assumption that these are hired mercenaries that are here to discombobulate and upset while their leader waltzes in and put an end to the royal family.
John decided to sniff around in one of the side rooms and found the explosives, checked for any signs of innocents and decided anyone who is part of this scheme is a willing participant and so deserved to die. He then set the timers left conveniently for him and he left as he had come, still unable to comprehend the stupidity of these idiots in making it so damned easy.
Of course the little voice in his head said it was too easy and these patsies were expendable, made to stop any further looking and as he watched it all go sky-high he looked at the phone records in and out of the address as Toshiko did her job, finding another thread in the spider's web to follow back to the big fat fucker he intended to punish personally.
.
.
Max and Mac wanted to see their new brother and were vocal about it, also wanted their Taddy as they could not believe he was hurt. This is Tadda. He is a super hero, he cannot be hurt. Jack wound up proposing a visit to see them the next day and with the kids on the floor making cards and some paper flowers that looked sort of cute, Jack was left to ponder things and hope John was not blowing shit up.
.
.
"Hello puddin' long time no see" John purred as the Ambassador squeaked, swinging around to find the man sitting cross-legged in the middle of his desk. In his office. In the middle of the Greenichian embassy.
"Hart. Ho the hell did you get in here?" he demanded, striding over to hang up his jacket while trying not to show how much his hands were shaking. John leaned back to unlock his ankles and slide from the desk as the door opened and two others entered, both shocked to find John there too. John waved.
"Sir… there has been an explosion downtown at one of our diplomatic houses..."
"Sorry, that was me" John sighed as he looked at the two men and recognized one as the head honcho he sometimes saw around the palace in the other realm where DeFleur flounced about so he spoke to him directly "Since your buffoons tried to kill Ianto and the unborn baby, I decided to respond in kind. You destroyed something that is precious to me so I blew up your safe house and the fools who were openly broadcasting their views on the internet. You might want to check on things… they did actually record some of your conversations and they were released on-line too."
John did not add the 'by me' part. Liking the looks on faces "Now… Jack might want a word in a little while, once this settles a bit so maybe you need to go tell your bosses that the hole they dig themselves into is about to be filled with piss and shit… if they dug themselves deep enough they might drown in it so… let's hope they can claw their way out of it because Jack might well decide to declare war for this… only… we have the support and backing of four other realms against your one. Oh and let's remember Gray, married to you king's future crown bearer… is mine. Do the DeFleurs know this is happening? Hmmmm? Norman and Rosalie might be a bit… miffed to learn of this treasonous thing that someone set in motion."
They stared at him with mute horror as he canted his head and said softly "Better get on that right now! Call him before I do… or worse still … a terrified Lilly?"