Disclaimer: I own nothing from Torchwood. This is unbeta'd, so any and all mistakes are mine.
Ianto was slowly growing accustom to the his new life owning a pet. He had always wanted a dog, but having his cat was no work at all. Considering how tight his work hours are, this was very convenient for both the cat and himself. He enjoyed having something to come home to everyday. Before, his home had felt empty and bereft without Jack's 'larger-than-life' presence; now, however, his little Tangerine would greet him every day as he got home with a mewl and a flickering tail.
Ianto would be lying if he said he wasn't a little obsessed with the small orange cat. It really was too cute, not that he would tell anyone that. He liked to talk to Tangerine when he came home, especially if he had had a bad day at work; knowing how Torchwood was, that was quite often for him. He always felt like Tangerine was actually listening to him speak. It was a little strange if he were to be honest.
He felt embarrassed entrusting all of his bitterness and grief in his cat. He knew he could very well go to Tosh; she would actually be able to talk back and would listen just as well, but he knew he would feel uncomfortable working with her if he explained all of his troubles. Especially the troubles concerning Jack.
He winced. He didn't even like to think about the man anymore. His cold shoulder was both irritating and a little hurtful. So was his blatant flirting with Gwen. Ianto was aware the team knew about their relationship; he also knew they were beginning to pick up on the tension between them. He was determined not to let it effect his work, however. He was a professional man, and it really was his own fault he got involved with his flirtatious, immortal boss. His personal affairs, really shouldn't be shared in the work place anyways, and that is a big reason why he was so grateful to have Tangerine with him.
His relationship with is animal was different. He fed the tom and allowed him out of the house whenever he wanted in exchange for someone to talk to. He really was such a strange cat.
Ianto never did get around to actually feeding Tangerine cat food. The cat never even tried anything that was made for cats. That both infuriated and amused Ianto. For a while, Ianto was afraid the tom would get ill, Tangerine being a cat and all, but the cat had no difficulties digesting the foods and seemed much happier to eat any meal Ianto made or ordered then to even look at the dry pellets.
The orange cat had also picked up the habit of leaving in the evening and coming back inside to cuddle up to Ianto in the middle of the night. The first night Tangerine had slipped out through the open window and into the night was stressful for him. He had went to bed depressed, only to be pleasantly surprised in the middle of the night when the orange tom jumped up to cuddle up to him. He started to let the cat out every evening, for it seemed urgent to him.
Ianto didn't mind it really, but sometimes he wondered what exactly that cat was doing for those few hours. Speaking of which...
Ianto looked up from the book he was reading as Tangerine hopped off his lap and pranced to the open window. His tail shivered as he jumped up onto the window sill. He looked towards Ianto for a moment, before he hopped outside. Ianto settled back into his seat and picked up his book, sighing contently through his nose. He knew that cat would be back soon enough with his cold paws; Ianto wasn't going to waste one of his free nights worrying about Tangerine.
"Such a strange cat," Ianto said aloud as he stared reading once more.
Tangerine jumped down from the window and bounded down the fire escape, loving the feel of the wind ruffling his fur. He had definitely gotten used to both being in this form and being owned by one Ianto Jones. He didn't mind the latter so much; Ianto was kind to him, and was most definitely easy on the made his impromptu mission both exciting and pleasurable. Ianto's life was very interesting as well, and the more he told him, the more Tangerine believed he could trust him.
His heart ached for the Welshman, who confided in him quite frequently. At first he had listened so closely to the man because he wanted to find out what was happening to the Globe and potentially the others, but as time went by, he began to listen because he wanted to. The man was too bitter for someone so young, and Tangerine was actually concerned. Weird, honestly. It was supposed to be a mission and he ended up having a lot of fun. He couldn't wait to truly speak to Ianto when he was himself again; oh the things they could talk about.
His cheerful thoughts made his gait bouncy, but still cautious. He headed down the alley, sticking to the shadows. He wanted to avoid a potential run in with a stray cat or dog. He never wanted to go through that again; he was very lucky he was good at running in any form. 'Those dogs are the worst... I really would hate to go that way...'
He crept along, smiling as his ears picked up a soft chatter at the end of the ally. He picked up his pace, his little tail curling gently with glee. Tangerine was able to see the others when Ianto let him out. It was a true pity Ianto only let him out when he was around, but knew it was only because the man cared. Still, considering Ianto's work schedule, he didn't get out often, which meant he wasn't able to see the rest of the survivors very often. He bounded up towards where the rest of the group, all of them sprawled out across cardboard boxes and among dirty cans.
Tangerine wrinkled his nose; he wished they didn't have to hide all the time, but knew they couldn't risk being spotted by either the locals or any Slanerians who may have come through the Rift after them. Yes, he had found that out from Ianto as well. The man often had nightmares about the facility on Flat Holm Island, and found a little comfort by turning his face into Tangerine's warm pelt in the middle of the night. Tangerine shuttered; they were very lucky they had the Globe to protect them, he honestly couldn't imagine what could've possible happened to them if the Globe wasn't there.
He shook the thoughts away as he padded over to the dark-haired she-cat. They had all grown so much closer over the course of their undercover mission. The mutual want to survive made the complete strangers almost as close as family, and Tangerine loved it. He grinned toothily at the she-cat, sitting on his haunches and licking his paw before running it over his ear. He didn't have to say a word to gather the group.
As soon as he sat, the twins, who were tussling, broke apart and quickly bounced over.
"Oooo! Look who's back!"
The other two toms looked up at the all the noise the twins were making and perked up slightly, both getting to their feet. The bluish cat slunk over and seated himself beside the dark she-cat, and the cat with black splotches over his eyes laid down beside the twin tom, his tail curling over his hind feet.
Tangerine beamed at the group of survivors. They were all so brave and strong, especially considering they were civilians at the time of the attack. He didn't think they'd find him after he had left with Ianto, but he never completely lost hope.
When he first began to live with Ianto, he would go out every night to search for them. Surprisingly, they had found him first... in the middle of the day. He nearly had a heart attack when one of the twins threw their body against the window to get his attention. Opening the window as interesting, but he knew he could never do that to Ianto again. The half-hearted scolding he got when he got back was so pitiful, he swore he'd never sneak out again. Despite that minor set back, thought, he had been so relieved to find them, and thanked the Globe profusely for helping them along. Knowing she had given the others directions was soothing; she was still connected to her minds, which meant she was safe.
Tangerine sat up a little straighter, his tail twitching as he began the brief meetings they had when he had the chance to report back to them. "Good evening! Or... night, I suppose. Before we get started on the really important stuff, I'd like to talk a little about how you all have been holding up. Are you eating alright?"
The dark she-cat cocked her head to the side, falling into her leading position. "We aren't dead yet, obviously, but it would be nice to actually have a meal and a warm bed to sleep in; these dumpsters and cardboard boxes just aren't cutting it." The twin she-cat nodded harshly, and her twin bumped her to shut her up.
Tangerine felt a little guilty for having such a relaxed life while the others were out here to fend for themselves on an alien planet. He knew it wasn't fair, and he was ready to change that for them. His excitement returned as he surveyed his tired team.
"Well, that's about to change," he said confidently. "As you all know, I'm currently staying with Ianto Jones, the Archivist of Torchwood Three. For the past three months, I've stayed with Ianto and I've learned a lot about what they do there," he smiled to himself, thinking of all the things he had also learned about the man personally. "They help aliens; we know that. We also know they have the Globe and have yet to harm it, which reveals a lot about the establishment and how they run it." He paused, knowing the next part was crucial.
"I believe it's time we reveal ourselves. Ianto Jones has proven himself to be trustworthy, and with his and Torchwood's help, we might be able to start a life here where we aren't just common Earth pets,"Tangerine looked a little sad for a moment. "We all know we can't go back, but perhaps we can start again here, all fresh and new with the Globe. We could even get protection." Tangerine held his breath as he waited for the others to speak. The twins spoke first. They looked at each other with glee, before quickly back to the orange tom.
"It's about time! We were thinking-"
"That'd you'd never get their help, that we'd be-"
"Stuck like this forever so we don't stick out in society and that would be-"
"Just awful!" they finished in unison, their backs quivering with excitement as they leaned forward towards Tangerine with an intense gleam in their eyes. The dark-haired she-cat eyed them with exasperation before turning back and nodding her head at Tangerine.
"Do what you have to. We'll be here to back you up, all of us," she turned to the other two toms, and they both nodded in agreement. The she-cat turned back to Tangerine. "Do you have a plan?" The orange tom smiled. She always was the practical one. He puffed his chest out slightly.
"Don't you worry about a plan; I have it all figured out. What we do have to worry about are our names. Our original names will be too hard for the human tongue to pronounce, so we'll just have to use the human translation," Tangerine said, smiling. "We're used to changing our names though, so that shouldn't be so difficult." He turned his thoughts inwards to the spark in the back of his mind. "A tiny bit of help Globe?"
He felt the orb chuckle in his mind, before sending out the information to the others as he had asked. She had been the one to explain their predicament about the language barrier to him in the first place. Tangerine turned to the survivors, waiting for them to speak their new names. The dark-haired she-cat was the first to speak, her face intrigued.
"Cide," she said softly, her tail flicking curiously.
"Four," said the cat with the black splotches over his eyes.
"Harmony," the bluish cat said quietly.
"Flare!" cried the twin she-cat as she jumped to her feet.
"Flame!" cried the twin tom with just as much excitement, his tail shivering with glee as he stared at his twin.
Tangerine nodded and grinned, waiting for the Globe to give him his new name. When she murmured his new name to his mind, he made a face.
"Really? Jason? That's what it means? That's a really generic name on Earth! And it doesn't take after my gifts at all!" Tangerine, now Jason, said, twitching his ears with irritation. The Globe seemed to beam at him in his mind.
Names aren't important, Jason. I couldn't find a direct translation. Besides, you're name was rather generic back at home, so I picked a common name from this time period.
"I suppose that's because my gift's so generic too. That's so boring," Jason grumbled, his tail curling with distaste as he rolled his eyes. Cide's eyes smirked, and Flare giggled. Jason glared at the two she-cats, before he rose to his feet. They didn't have time to dwell; he did promise they would be out of this form by tomorrow. He might as well get a good nights sleep and prepare for the explaining he had to do tomorrow. He shook himself.
"Whatever, as the Globe said, it's not important. I'll go through with my plan tomorrow when Ianto gets home. One more day of this form guys, I promise," Jason vowed. He touched noses with each of the newly-names survivors, before turning and prancing back down the alley. He heard the others erupt with chatter as soon as he turned and he chuckled fondly; they really were a good set of Tupani. Right now, though, they weren't important. He had a Welshman to get back to! He smiled to himself as he padded along.
"I hope he's in the shower by the time I get back!"
The captain of the Slanerian fleet steered his ship closer to the crackling storm. Another storm had been picked up almost immediately after the other faded. He had ordered his crew to scan the storm and was surprised when they picked up traces of the Tupani in the storm. This was a completely different storm, and he was wary of what may lay within. He eyed it speculatively, now wondering if perhaps the Tupani never made it through alive. He paused; he wanted to see the Globe with his own eyes, dying now would destroy that dream. He made his decision.
"Send out the Crep'vls and one fourth of our fleet," he barked sharply, his eyes still focused on the storm. The crew behind him looked at each other uneasily for a moment, before they nodded. They both began to type away rapidly at their panels, concentration scrunching up their faces. There was a slight hiss as the locks attaching the pods to the underside of the ship clicked back. He heard another one of his crew shouting orders to part of the fleet. He smiled when a large swarm of ship got into formation in front of the Mother ship. The captain watched as thousands of the slimy creatures and their cases were paired up with the ships.
The captain leaned forward on the panel in front of him. "Go." The all clear was given behind him and he watched as one forth of his fleet flew right into most likely certain death. He grimaced, his yellow eyes dim. He knew that was no ordinary storm, even if he didn't know exactly what it was. He knew most of them wouldn't make it, but he had to try; that ship couldn't have disappeared into thin air with that storm.
"Keep an eye on their tracking devices. If they pick up any signs of those Tupani, let me know. We don't advance until we know exactly what we're dealing with," he said firmly to the crew behind him, before he turned sharply, turning his back to the storm. He had sent hundreds, thousands in; he figured at least one of them would land where the Tupani were and alert them to their whereabouts.
He hoped they were on the right track; he could almost feel the power of the Globe settling in his hands. He smiled blissfully to himself, pushing the loss out of his mind..
"Not long now. Not long at all."
A/N: Thanks for the feedback I've gotten! It's a little short and it's not really my best work, so I'd really like to hear what you guys thought of it. This may be the last chapter I post for a while. My computer has been acting up lately and I won't be able to write for a little bit. Thanks for reading!