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"Totally destroyed?" Ash sighed "When Tosh told us there had been an accident we were all so sorry … shit. Gone?"

"Yeah. We looked at the logistics of digging the bloody thing out and all the rock that had come down with it … no. It's too unstable. Anything large enough to lift the excavator out might bring down the next part of the tunnel system with its weight as well, why the entire place was marked no heavy machinery." Jack replied as he lifted a cup of coffee, knowing they coveted this like gold and were overly excited some had arrived in this month's offerings. An apology for Sean coming into their place. He smiled as he showed he was enjoying it, even if it would not have been to Ianto's' standards.

"What about the chopper?"

"Thought of that too. The fuel needed … it's a trip to Fallback and back, the amount I would burn up and it's not exactly easy to make. Especially when you add that the still was in there and is now crushed, more fuel is going to be scarce until we can get Bonnie up and running in another site." Jack explained as he watched those around him start to show concern. They relied on her too, especially the munitions shop.

"Do you have a list of what she needs?" Ash leaned forward.

"She did give me one, marked the things she could not pilfer on site from other places in the sites that while on patrol down there you might find …"

Ash had his hand out, waggling his fingers and he snatched it from Jack with interest, two others leaning over his shoulder and Jack realised one of them was not registered. He stared at the man and Ash looked up catching it.

"This is Bodine" he said with a wave of his hand "Can a few weeks ago with three others. A couple and their kid… his sister and co. We vetted them. The fact they were fighting a snarl of Zs at the time sort of superseded the usually cautious approach. He is good, ex military."

Jack nodded, leaning back to look "Any others? Ianto does not usually say."

"Really? Bodine, his sister Melva and her man Cole and their son Edmond … we all call him cake. You know … Edmonds, sure to rise? The Flour? He was born in a supermarket isle while they were pilfering and it's a little joke." He grinned at Jack, "She's a real comedian. Then … it was about three months ago we found a man walking on his own. Ryan. He had started in a large group from London, got separated during a fight … turned around found himself back at London. Poor bugger is a little weird, all that time alone ya know? Those loners can be hard to crack."

"Yeah, Kev was like that, remember?" Jack nodded "Good man. Lost so much, grief is a funny thing. It closes you off to the prospect of love as you fear the loss even as you revel in the discovery."

"You speak like you know all about that" Bodine said softly.

"I am almost two hundred years old, immortal" Jack replied with the same raised eyebrows "I have loved, lost more than you can imagine. Sometimes it makes me … cold. Vicious, calculated even. Sacrifice is nothing to me now, except … well. I found real love. Thought I knew what it is until Ianto. He is my soul mate. I would kill every last man, woman and child left on this planet to protect him and our children. He woke that part of me I thought dead. Long dead. Turns out love is always there, waiting for an opportunity to shine."

"To live that long. Sorrow and joy go hand in hand" Bodine sighed. "I heard about you. I was Special Forces, went all over the world with my elite team. When the shit went down we went down too, days. Mere days. All the training in the world and … we were stuffed."

"When the clean sweep of the broadsword comes your way, it cuts you as well as the man standing next to you. Colour, religion or skill has nothing to do with it. Swords do not care. This disease that was released, it was to eradicate us all. Some say it was a mistake, the lab fucked up but … I think it was deliberate, they just didn't realise how strong it was, they thought it would be an isolated event."

"Lab? What …we did this?"

Jack couldn't help but laugh at the man who was gaping at them. He looked over at Hope who was sitting nearby and smiled softly at her.

Nice to now after all this time someone could still have faith in humanity, eh?