CHAPTER 11
Gwen pushed her empty coffee mug away with a dramatic flair and sat up straight in her chair. "So, what's the plan, Fred?" she quipped in a mocked American accent.
Ianto leant over the desk so that his chest rested on his folded hands. He deliberately whispered within Jack's earshot: "He still hasn't quite grasped popular culture."
"C'mon! Everyone knows Scooby Doo!"
"Yes, well, Jack's not everyone," he smiled. "Besides, considering the man in question, I think that Shaggy would be the more appropriate…"
"People! Again with the digression?!"
"Sorry," they said in unison, trying to stifle their giggling.
"For those who are interested, I think I've found a way of killing the Agniton."
"Really? But I thought you said there was nothing in the archives…?"
"So did I; but you know me, I'm not one to give up easily. Whilst you two were having fun in the office…"
"A dead body's not exactly what I'd call fun, Jack."
"Ooo, I dunno, better company than some people I've have dinner with. Anywho, as I was saying, there was nothing physically stored in the archives that could help so I went through the electronic database with a fine toothcomb and – thanks to good ol' Archie – found an Agniton sighting in Scotland in 1934! After hours of scrabbling, I managed to find a small one hundred word article – drabble, you might call it – written by ex-Torchwood employee Roger McGregor." He glanced down at his colleagues, "You still with me?" They nodded silently; still trying to keep up with their boss's excited pace.
"It had facts about the casualties, deaths etcetera etcetera, but then came the interesting bit." He paused.
"Don't leave us in suspense, sir. This is hardly the time for a dramatic effect!"
"Sorry. The paragraph mentions a journal kept by a survivor of an attack. You see, the Agniton apparently have an area at the base of their necks from which all their movements are controlled. Like a cell's nucleus, if you will. They don't have a brain, per say, just this little pulsing blob." Once again, Jack demonstrated with hand gestures. "The man survived because – more by luck than judgement – he lanced it with a piece of broken pipe. Severing this control box destroyed the Agniton, causing it to shrivel and, I quote, 'dissolve into a formless cloud of static cosmic light'."
"Very poetic."
"I thought you'd like that bit, Ianto," Jack winked.
"Right," said Gwen, a look of hard concentration in her eyes. "So we have a way to destroy the Scouts, now it's just a case of doing it. Any ideas?"
"We could try refining the Rift programme. Y'know, to give more warning when an attack's likely to happen." Ianto glanced between his two colleagues. "We managed it with the creature from the Silent Planet – sort of…" he trailed off. The three team members reflected on that particular mission; Ianto had posed as a musical bate, but the plan had gone belly up when the creature put in an unplanned appearance elsewhere.
"I guess it won't hurt to try," encouraged Gwen.
"Al'right then. That can be priority number two," nodded Jack.
"And number one…?"
"Carry your guns with you at all times. All times! Even if you're nipping off for a quick pee or to answer a phone call, take your gun. You can never be too careful, especially as we haven't got a proper strategy plan yet." Gwen unconsciously patted the gun in her belt holster; she feared that she'd become too dependant on it of late, but Jack was right, you can never be too careful.
"C'mon then, team. Cardiff needs us!" The Captain energetically rose from his seat and his two colleagues followed. Their chatting voices bounced off the tunnel walls and filled the walkway with a positive spirit. Since the deaths of Owen and Toshiko, Jack, Gwen and Ianto had grown closer as a team; though the empty chairs were a stark reminder that, in this job, death could be lurking in every corner and would not be afraid to strike at any moment.
As they walked into the main work area, it felt as though a tidal wave of pain crashed over them. Staggering slightly as it hit them, the smiles of the three colleagues faltered as they saw two forms looming beside the water tower; the artificial lighting of the Hub giving their alien bodies a peculiar iridescent glow. Ianto, Jack and Gwen, wincing at the pain fostering in their heads and behind their eyes, stopped abruptly; their hands tightening around their pocketed weapons.
"Oh," breathed Jack. "We're gonna need a plan a lot sooner than we thought…"
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A/N: Ooo, a cliffhanger! Sorry, but it just had to be left there! ;) Thanks to everyone who's reviewed - I really appriciate it! And, in the style of Brucie Forsyth: keeeeeeeep reading! :)
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