19

"Fuck" Jack drops his pack and starts to run after Gwen, shouting at her to stop as Ianto sighs and slowly gets to his feet, looks around then groans as he sees more Blobs in the distance, approaching at speed.

"Sentient?" Martha is also on her feet looking at them "We talking hive mind?"

"Looks like it. They are either attracted by her screaming or those in the lead called their brethren with mind-speak." Ianto nods as he taps his cufflink openly now, the Morse code being sent back to base now being received at lightning speed. Essentially he is yelling in Morse.

"Ideas?" Toshiko asks as she starts to shrug off her pack.

"Well, given that she has now fallen over and is screaming louder… her ankle I think … we may be best to run?" Ianto points to their left where the largest Blob they had seen so far is moving towards them faster than the others.

"Shit" Owen squeaks, struggling with his straps and Ianto seizes him, swinging him around and un-clipping it like an angry parent handling the naughty child "Right, I'm gone."

Owen starts to run, Ianto shrugging as he looks around and Martha reaches out to touch his arm "Can they see?"

"Contacts in" he replies softly "Knew they would want to see before we left the base, hence no frames. They are with us."

"Well … that's comforting" she huffs, starting to sprint after the acidic doctor and Toshiko nods to Ianto, then begins to run as well. He stands his ground as the Blob approaches and then passes him by, swinging to watch it leave then crouch to examine the strange snail-trail it left behind.

"No. I will bloody not" he says to thin air. Then he blanches, reaching out to touch the slime. "Ew… god."

He rubs his fingers together and groans "No. No tingling, or pain. Nothing happening … I think .. I think this is what is excretes. Ew… this is it's …what…poo? What it cannot imbibe…wait."

Ianto considers and then sniffs his fingers, and then with a look of total revulsion he licks his fingers and looks at them with shock "Salt. Like … almost pure salt."

He rises and looks down on the beach below where the team are almost to Jack and Gwen as Jack pulls her along the sand, the Blobs still chasing as the team chase behind. "Salt. Salt. Salt….. huh. Yes. I would agree with that. Solid."

Ianto starts to finally move, running along the grass but not down the trail but towards the cliff, throwing himself into the air as Jack looks up and he sees the figure take flight, leaving the edge of the cliff to hang in midair for a moment before he starts to fall gracefully, arms out like he is about to belly flop, then his suit flows out around him to form …. A flight suit?

Jack drops Gwen, standing with his mouth open as Ianto's sleeves and trousers seem to gell together to form wings and his suit becomes a glider, taking him down faster than the girls could to reach the bottom of the track, landing near Owen.

"JACK!" Toshiko screams with horror and he turns to find he has stopped too long and a large Blob casually rolls over top of him, pinning him down as Gwen screams with horror, watching Jack struggle now as he is sucked up into the middle of the dense blob.

"Fuck" Ianto mutters, striding forward as he yells "head for the water. I have a theory, get in the water!"

Martha and Toshiko begin to run automatically as Owen runs for Gwen, hooking under her arms to pull her along, more Blobs starting to reach the sand and to everyone's horror some start to fling themselves from the cliff above like fucking Lemmings, landing with sickening thuds in the sand around them. Grenades of epic proportions.

"RUN" Martha yells as she grabs Toshiko's arm and yanks her along faster.

Ianto is still focused on Jack, his struggling now feeble as it is becoming apparent that he is dying, the lack of oxygen and the way his skin is bubbling tells a horribly clear story of what is happening to him and Ianto cannot leave him, instead staggering towards the Blob as he tries to find some way to save him.

Then the sound of an engine, everyone stopping to look up as a large plane comes into view, the oversized belly of it showing it is a cargo plane of some description.

"Crop duster" Martha says with surprise.

"No" Toshiko beings to run again "No it's not. It's a Fire Suppressor …. Run!"

Martha picks up speed as the two women reach the water, plunging into the cold sea with matching whoops of shock, then wadding to their waists before turning to watch the chaos on the shore. Owen was almost to them, still dragging Gwen as Ianto stood so close he could touch the Blob that was imbibing Jack.

The plane passes overhead, the belly opening to release gallons upon gallons of water … the Blobs reacting immediately with writhing and an eerie noise lot unlike fingers along a blackboard.

"Salt water" Martha panted as she tastes the reside on her face "Salt. It's salt water. They can't stand salt. Whoohooooo!"

The Blob containing Jack is settling into a block, in death throes to match it's victim and Ianto makes a decision, taking a deep breath as he plunges his hands into the mess and seizes Jack's feet, yanking him from the Blob and dragging him towards the water.

Martha curses and rushes to help, pulling Ianto back by his arms as he pulls Jack, the gentle waves closing over Jack to wash the residue away and Ianto falls to his hands and knees dry heaving as the half melted corpse of Jack Harkness bobs on the water. His eyelids are gone as is much of his face and the sightless eye still on one socket seems to roll to look at them.

Gwen's screams are enough to startle the gulls up on the top of the lighthouse.