41

"I think I would have preferred the bloody serial killer slant" Owen said as he blanched and tried not to throw up at the thought of people getting high of the saliva of an alien, especially one that looked like that.

"So, it is a captive." Jack leaned back on his heels to stare up at the ceiling, knowing how it felt to be bled for the greater good. It made his skin crawl in a way he could not describe and although he was not voicing it Ianto felt it. His hair twitching and Owen watched with awe as Ianto's hair stood up on the top of his head like it was spiked with gel.

"Cool"

Into looked at Owen like he was nuts, not realizing how he looked and Owen motioned around his own head as he explained "Of you spray-paint it blue you can be a Yugioh character"

Ianto continued to stare at him. Finally Owen said with a grumpy glare "Damn, you don't watch ANY kid's anime? This is iconic. Everyone knows about it."

"Like everyone is human? Like everyone who cannot fly by flapping their arms? Ah… care to rethink that?" Ianto asked saccastically making Owen frown back.

"You really never saw it? No? God, where are my cards."

"Can we focus here? Play later?" Gwen asked as she glared at Owen and he pouted further as he pointed out that this was not all him, why was he the one getting blamed, treat him like a child. He's a grown up ya know, he can. Gwen snarled "Shut up Owen."

"So… we go in, kill 'em all and save the flyzilla… what's so hard about that?" Owen shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Flyzilla." Gwen repeated with a frown, "Really?"

"What?"

"For a start, I think it's female, not male. And for another, it is not a fly. More like a mosquito or something I think" Ianto corrected and Owen's look of revulsion increased as he did a yucky dance at the thought of a giant mozzie.

"Look, let's just focus on what we need to do. Ianto, get back in and try to make contact so it doesn't have a fucking conniption when we do enter" Jack instructed. "Let it know we are coming."

"And no mosquito replant in the SUV" Owen said with the same serous tone and glare that had Moses snorting in his lap with glee.

"Do I have to put you both into time out?" Jack asked with a glare in their direction that put Gwen's to shame and Owen closed his mouth so snort and snigger as the cat simply rose to all four feet and turned slowly to show it's arse. "Moses! I know what that means!"

Moses sat back don with wide eyes like he was astounded that Jack wound imply such a thing from an innocent little moggie.

"Can we do the thing later about the whatsit" Ianto said as he pulled a tablet closer "what is she is about to lay eggs or something. Imagine an entire clutch of them… or… flock? What it a lot of them? A swarm? Ewwww. That IS not a nice thought. They might already have more than one, this is the only room I looked in and there were more rooms."

Owen argued some more about his dislike for this one and their need to simply nuke the entire planet from orbit. Then Ianto said softly "A scourge. It's a scourge of mosquitoes."

"See?" Owen pointed at him "Nuke time!"

"It is an alien in a strange place, we need to save it and hopefully find it a way to it's home. Or a new home!" Gwen argued back.

"Yeah, in the lake district. Will fit right in, have you seen how big some of those bastards are out there?" Owen laughed.

"That's enough." Toshiko finally barked "Ianto is right. Our job is not to be bigots, but to help this thing home, or to somewhere safe for both it and all of us."

"Yeah, sorry Toshiko" Owen looked chastised as Moses went to make a noise of argument but Ianto was quicker.

"Imagine an alien race coming here and being treated like that. Chained and half starved, force to eat something it does not like so it can vomit it back up for their pleasure. One hell of a fur ball situation Moe" Ianto counselled softly "we were lucky. We were embraced, worshiped for a while even. What life does that thing have?"

Moses was chastened as he considered and knew Ianto was right. There but for the grace of the Gods and all that. Right. OK. Let's save the damned thing.

"Thank you" Into said as he turned back to the team "I will go back in, scout out ALL the rooms and plant some surveillance in there as well as try to find anything that can tell us what the hell their game really is."

"Rhys can help with that. They use a trucking firm to transport the honey that they sell legally from their hives and maybe they drop off the alien shit at one of the stops?" Gwen asked "He can approach them with a great deal for transport, get the route from them and we can see if there is an extra jar in one of the orders."

"Gwen, you star" Ianto clapped his hands as he agreed and Jack told her to go ring him for a consult. He then followed Ianto to the kitchen.

"Don't you think I should have given the go ahead for that idea? You are sort of taking over this exercise." Jack warned, then grimaced "sorry. Mission. Look… lately I've started to take a back foot here and I don't really like that. OK… I do. I do like not being the one in charge but…"

"Jack. I do not want your chair. No one can scoff down the phone at UNIT like you. You are the Captain of this ship, I just have the tiller sometimes. OK? We all look to you, always will. I am not taking over, I am simply stepped past your thought time. You know you were going to do the same thing, jut take a few more minutes to think it through and argue with yourself that the danger is necessary. You think I don't know how much you worry about putting anyone in danger? I love you for that, I do. My silly man" Ianto kissed him and stroked his cheek as Jack smiled back, knowing Ianto was right. This was not about a power play. He didn't want Ianto in that building and was trying to work out how to do in himself.

"You know me too well" he whispered as he kissed Ianto back.

"And it will never be enough. I want all of you, every morsel" Ianto winked before doing that Jones-Hit-n-run thing that always happens when he is brutally honest.

Jack followed him and the coffees with a wide grin. Watching that arse sashay.

He was right ya know.

Jack didn't want to endanger anyone but himself, especially this rare creature that had found his way into his heart.

Cats are like that.

Heart pirates.