18

"Ah… my man"

Mountain froze as the soft purr in his left ear from Captain Kitty Hawk was accompanied by a little hand on his thigh. Mountain was currently weeding and crouching at the prefect height for such an ambush and the little man knew he had him dead bang.

"Hello Cappy."

"My main man. When you are finished with those… ah… plants… can you come see me in my garbage?" the little boy asked, Mountain finally turning his head to look at him and the smear of black slimy stiff across his face was clearly not part of the black getup.

"Is that… oil?"

"It is a gunk"

"Gunk."

"Yes. Like the Blob but I fear… more sentienal. Ah… not the word… what is the word to intelligent thing?"

"you mean… sentient?"

"Yes. Yes, that' it. Good citizen. Yes… a sentienal being is in my garage and I may need back up to… ah… dispose of it before it eats Taddy's brains or something. He would be most displeased" the little boy said, his façade dropping for a moment to show real worry.

"Well… the weeds can wait, probably happy to. What say we go deal with this menace before Lunch, get an appetite up, eh?" Mountain rose and the little boy held out a gloved hand. He led the the man to his parent's garage and then sighed at the doors.

"I have to warn you… what you find in there might be constriveed as worrysome."

"Constructed? Or contrived?"

"Look man, I don't have time to correct your gramifications." The Captain warned "Gods save us, Babs would know exactly what I meant but her sweetness should never be shown in here… for a fair maiden such as herself might get eaten alive. You are the biggest thing I know that might actually get a hold of it."

Mountain struggled not to grin as the boy was back in play mode and so he hitched up his britches then nodded to the child. He crouched with his hands out like he was going to attack something and he little boy swung the door open. Mountain rushed in to look for the spillage on the floor only to collide with something slimy, oily and… oh shit no.

"Valley?" he said with horror as the little toddler stood there proudly covered from head to toe in black tarry engine oil from the last oil change Jack had forgotten to get rid of.

"I's a black man like me unca!" Valentine explained calmly "See? I am the black Panthah!"

"Oh shit me a new arsehole" Mountain said softly as the interior door to the garage opened and Ianto appeared in the doorway still in his 'old man' robe.

"Oh fuck."