"What is that?" Ianto looked up from where he stood at the autopsy table to where Jack stood, leaning on the railing. Looking back down, he cocked his head, grabbed the tarsus in front of him and waved it in Jack's direction.

"Meet George," he said, releasing the foot and nodding at Gwen. She raised the portable screen up above the body and helped him position it so they could get a good image on the display.

"George," Jack asked, a puzzled look on his face as he looked at the large insect splayed out on the table. It had to be at least five feet in length and a little over two feet wide. The antennae almost reached the floor from where they dropped off to either side of the insect's head. Ianto had retrieved it earlier after a small rift alarm had gone off and had just returned to the Hub.

"Well," Ianto said, pausing to check his handiwork as he angled the scanner and turned around to the computer to start the diagnostic program. "It's an alien beetle and seems to be dead. Hence, the name."

"Ah," Jack said with a look of comprehension on his face. "Now that was a time to remember. Young men in tight leather." He sighed, a grin on his face.

"Don't," Ianto said, putting up a hand to forestall another one of Jack's stories. "If you tell me you shagged one of the Beatles, I don't want to hear about it. No!" He said sternly as Jack opened his mouth. "Just… no."

Jack smirked, leaning on the railing and resting his chin on his hand. "Who said it was only one of them?" Ianto rolled his eyes and studiously ignored his boss as he turned back to look at the diagnostic display. "Uh oh."

"What?" Jack asked, all teasing forgotten as he tried to see whatever it was that Ianto caught on the monitor. He couldn't get a good view, since Gwen was standing next to him and peering closely at the display.

"Cryo for you, my friend. Quick, Gwen, help me out here." Ianto turned quickly, opening a door and pulling open the container. Together they lifted the insect down into the box and closed it. Gwen's fingers danced along the keyboard, triggering the cryogenic process. Ianto sighed, and then turned to file the image away for a later report.

"What happened?" Jack asked, concerned as neither of his staff spoke to him while they worked. "It wasn't dead?"

"No, it was dead all right," Ianto said with a sigh. "But the larvae inside were not." Gwen shuddered. "I think our friend was a host, and from the amount of activity inside, the kids were getting ready to break out. That was close." Gwen nodded in agreement. "All right, I'll go down and store it. Maybe at some point we can figure out what to do with it or send it back from wherever it came from."

Hitting the lift button which would send the casket down, he headed towards the sink to wash his hands. Gwen shivered. She couldn't get the moving image out of her mind. She had a feeling she'd be seeing that every time she closed her eyes.

Jack shrugged as they left the room, Ianto heading down to the morgue and Gwen off to her workstation…

~*~