14
I was terrified.
Wasn't ready for this, how the hell do you get ready for something like this?
I don't know how Jack can be so calm, I guess it's something a soldier learns but I was never supposed to be one … I wanted to be a farmer. Some sheep, goats or even chickens. Yeah. I could do chickens!
.
.
.
.
"Ianto?" Jack said, pulling Ianto back to the present, "Penny for them?"
"Chickens"
"Yum" Jack grinned.
Ianto smiled as he let his dream of chickens go, settling back in the seat to slide a blade into his ankle holster behind the gun.
"Nice" Jack said as he watched, "I didn't know you had that."
"Since blades pierce it's flesh I decided it was a good idea. Bullets just seem to piss it off" Ianto nodded, "The bleach syringe did seem to hurt it too though."
"Yeah, go Owen" Jack grinned, "But it would have eaten him alive if you were not choking it out."
"He did look pretty cool, just needed a little cape!"
Right, let's see here. Look at that intersection, is that a splash?" Jack asked, the SUV now following the trail as Toshiko monitored through the onboard cameras.
"Boys … go to the left. Down the alleyway you just passed, I saw a splash on the bins" she said and Jack slammed on the brakes, then slammed it into reverse, screaming back to slam to a halt again, Ianto hitting his seat with a grunt. Ianto silently swivelled his head to glare at Jack.
"Sorry" Jack grimaced as Ianto rubbed the back of his head where it had connected with the headrest.
"Calm down Jack, the blood will not run away. Honest" Ianto said slowly as Tosh giggled over the coms. "Come on, I know you wanna go first."
Jack grinned as he waggled his eyebrows, "Oh come on Ianto … I don't mind going in behind."
"You said this was not like a Weevil hunt!" Ianto accused as he pointed at him and Jack was pleased to see Ianto getting his head in the game, the banter between them the usual way to soothe the nerves as they waited for the inevitable boom. He was forgiving him? He knew there had to be a conversation still bit it might be easier now Ianto was ready to listen.
"Bring on the boom" Ianto whispered as if reading Jack's mind, the splash of luminescent blood smeared up a brick wall and into a dark building making them both crane their heads.
"Well .. at least it's not a bloody warehouse" Jack quipped as he leapt onto some bins and vaulted over the wall, Ianto rolling his eyes as he looked for a spot that did not cover him in glowing shit.
"No, not a warehouse. Even better. A haunted house" Ianto droned, "Joy. Oh, such excitement I might shit me dacks!"
Ianto Jones … you said shit!" Jack gasped, hand to heart, "You are getting such a potty mouth these days, and with those poor children exposed to you. Well I never."
Ianto snorted with amusement as he brushed down his clothing and motioned with his gun, "Go on then big boy!"
"Oooooo, Big Boy. I like that, might get a t-shirt made… or a hat. Ianto? How would I look with a hat?" Jack winked then fell silent as Ianto made a sound in his throat and changed his stance. Leaning down to examine a pool of the blood by his feet.
"Jack, this is still warm" Ianto hissed as he touched the pool of blood, "It's here."
"Shit" Jack breathed as he looked up at the rafters, "Look up. They always drop on you like fucking spiders or…"
Ianto was firing, dropping to a knee as he aimed for the glowing eyes, the creature coming low and fast. It didn't break stride as Ianto dropped the spent gun to remove his knife. Jack roared as he launched himself at the thing, hoping his death might slow it down and he knew his body weight even in death might be cumbersome to it, really just hoping to give Ianto a chance and Ianto landing in his back was a surprise. Of course he understood what Jack was doing, crushing the creature with both their weight, the knife flashing again and again. Ianto stabbed and screamed like that scene from psycho.
Finally there was silence as they panted and tried to calm down, then Ianto hissed, "Is it dead?"
It struggled some more, Ianto stabbed some more and Jack started laughing hysterically while holding on, the pain threshold breached as he felt his body failing. Ianto rolled off and lay panting at the ceiling, spent and fucked. Well fucked. He looked over at the creature who was in it's death throes and he sighed, rising unsteadily to drag Jack's body off it and settle him into a better position where he held him and rocked gently.
Jack came back with a soft gasp, not the roaring kind he used to have but a soft sound of surprise that Ianto always smiled at.
"Hey"
"Hey" Jack croaked back, sitting up and looking at the creature, "Is it dead?"
"No"
"Sorry, do you forgive me?"
"Dirty pool old man!" Ianto frowned, then nodded.
They rose and walked over to watch the thing twitch and Jack frowned, "well … that blade won't do it."
Ianto nodded, "I will get the SUV, bring it around and we can use the surgical saw?"
"Now you are talking" Jack smiled.
Owen might get a meat helmet yet.
