Chap 3
"What? Slaughterhouse"?" the panellist asked as Ianto sat staid in the chair.
"That's the word Harper used." Ianto informed the panel as he tried to ignore the throbbing leg, "I didn't see it myself. According to what Commander Hallett told me right after we first arrived in Shining Cardiff, she and the two rookies headed towards the recreation facility."
"Me, I'm gonna get us squared away at the RecFac." Lisa said, turning to walk backwards as she addresses Ianto, "You and Sergeant Hart check in at the jail."
"Save some hot water for me." Ianto calls as they walk towards the Recreation Facility, where they are billeted.
.
Entering the RecFac they are greeted with a slaughter house. Like something out of the classic Predator Movies, bodies are hung bleeding and some are skinned.
"Harper, sweep left. Sato, stick with me." Lisa pants as she sweeps the room.
Tosh is shaking as Owen strides through the room with the commander, leaving the shell shocked girl glued to the doorway.
.
.
.
"Officer to Myfanwy, do you read?" Tosh frantically tries to reach their ride back at the jail where they have locked themselves in.
"The casino, the barracks, the dining hall, the rec centre. No one alive anywhere." Owen mutters as he checks the CCTV for the camp.
"Commander?" Tosh says timidly and Lisa turns.
"What?"
"I can't reach the train." Tosh knows her lip is wobbling and tries to be calm.
"Well, keep trying." Lisa orders then turns to Ianto who is leaning against the wall. Walking over she places a hand on his arm and he looks at her.
"What do you think?" she says softly and he shakes his head.
"How we doing?" he asks John who is fiddling with the inner lock.
"I don't know. This thing was built to stay locked." John grunts.
"And Harkness is still locked up?" Lisa demands.
"What do you mean?" Ianto swings back to frown at her as he realises she is hiding something.
With a sigh she gives it up, "Harkness was arrested on the suspicion of murdering six rail workers
and a payroll courier up at Klick 305 Hub Station. The bodies were hung and decapitated, just like the bodies found in the RecFac."
"So how did they pin that on the Captain?" Ianto asks.
"He showed up here with the courier's payroll. The cashier realized it was a stolen scrip. They made the arrest." Lisa supplied and reaches for Ianto again.
Ianto steps away and stares at the desk, "There's gotta be a day log here somewhere."
Lisa frowns and then looks around the room as well, "Sergeant's desk."
They rummage amongst the files, bits of paper, books and coffee cups
"Here." Ianto hold up a log book, "Last night the mine called in a work stoppage. Reported winds gusting up to 60 knots."
"Sixty?" Lisa raises her eyebrows.
"That's what it says."
"Anything else?" Lisa reads over Ianto's shoulder and tries to ignore the warm spicy smell.
"Arrest for theft..." Ianto is oblivious to his attractiveness, "Then nothing."
A metallic clunk warns everyone that John's administrations with the lock are working.
"Got it." John grins at Ianto.
They walk through the inner doors and the prisoners look up with relief as they see them. "What's the hell going on around here?"
"We haven't had a meal or a piss break in six hours." Another growls.
"Harper. Open the door." Lisa commands and she stands back with the log book, "All right, everybody. Answer "here" when I call your name. Akooshay."
"What?" a man grunts.
"Just answer "here."" Lisa rolls her eyes as Ianto steps closer to her.
"Yeah." Akooshay shrugs.
"Zimmerman."
"I'm right in front of you." An old man snorted.
Lisa frowns and loos at the book again, "Benchley."
"Who's that?" John motions at a blonde woman curled up on a cot ignoring them.
"She showed up last night." Akooshay tells them, "Checked herself in. insisted on being locked up here with us."
"Well, wake her up, sunshine." John leers as he swaggers into the cell, "Let's see what she has to say."
"Hey, hey. Somebody wants to talk to you." Akooshay shook her awake.
"Who are you?" John taps her knee with his rifle.
She gasps, sitting up and rubbing her arms. "Yvonne Hartman"
"What are you doing in the holding tank, Yvonne? John frowns and Lisa relaxes, letting him take the lead.
"It's the only safe place at the moment, okay?" Yvonne snaps. "Can I go back to sleep now?"
"No, you can't. I need answers." Ianto spoke for the first time. "What's going on out there? What's your ID?"
"Director Yvonne Hartman. I'm the Spec Six Project Director for the mine at Doctor's Ridge." She explains, "I left Doctor's about a week ago by means of a weather balloon I'd modified. There was a disturbance in town.
Seemed prudent to get out. Yeah, they said there was some sort of a riot, and the place destroyed. Yeah, something like that. I was adrift for several days. Ran out of food. I followed the rail road tracks until I got here. Ah, shit! Then the storm forced me too low. I hit a windmill and crashed. They were kind enough
to take me in here."
"Well, wasn't that nice of them?" John says sarcastically with a leer.
"Yan, John, go check out Harkness." Lisa orders, "See if he knows anything about this."