9
Ianto resurfaced with coffees to find Owen waiting with the girls.
"We've found four of them within the hub, see?" Owen informed them thumbing over his shoulder at pictures showing smudges.
"We thought it was one but then we checked the timecodes and realised these were taken about the same time." Tosh said as she swung in her chair.
"God, it reminds me of the ghost shifts." Ianto whispered, "Those bloody things."
"Yeah" Jack sighed as he arrived and Ianto wondered where he had been "Except these things are more bloody organised."
"I remember where I know them from, I read it on a screen. A background archive check being performed and the file pinged my attention, so I pulled it from the data stream" Ianto said as he looked at the picture of a smudge behind Tosh.
"At T1?" Jack asked.
"No" Ianto said shortly, leaving no confusion that he wasn't about to say.
"No more secrets" Jack warned, "Please don't lie to me or omit something important."
Ianto sighed and turned to face Jack fully, mirroring his body stance.
Owen was reminded of the Wild West Gunslingers and he had a silly notion of yelling 'draw.'
"On the Tardis"
Jack blinked, frowned and then laughed. A deep braying laugh, full of sarcasm.
"Right, you've been on the blue lady" Jack shook his head.
"She prefers sexy" Ianto deadpanned, "But you know that, you've spent time with the Doctor as well."
The team had gone quiet as they comprehended the argument/discussion and Ianto grinned at Jack, transforming from an upper crust butler to a handsome young man.
"Ianto?"
"It was just a short trip, I didn't spend much time on her at all. I wanted to talk to him, to ask him for help but I was too caught up in the terror of free flight.' Ianto smiled again and Jack melted.
"So? Where did he take you?"
"Um, about two days into the future and then … here I am."
"And while on board the Tardis you read about the Silence?" Jack asked.
"Yes, seems they are a bit like tricksters, they like to meddle" Ianto frowned as he tried to remember, "Like a cloaking device. They are everywhere, unseen. Hidden."
"So they use technology?" Tosh leaned forward.
"No, more like a form of telepathy, they tell you that you are seeing things." Ianto answered, "Like hypnosis."
Myfanwy swooped overhead and let out a roar, causing Ianto to look up.
"Oh my god" on the catwalk, stood two of the creatures.
Jack fired, one fell as the other winked away.
They ran to examine it and shuddered as it seemed to melt into the grating like smoke dissipating.
"Sound" Ianto said, "Sound caused us to refocus. It broke the mind control."
"Well, she is a bit of a noisy cow" Owen snorted.
"I have an idea" Tosh ran for her terminal, "Sound bursts, alternating irritating sounds at irregular intervals, without pattern. It may give us a headache but it should keep jarring us awake."
Good girl" Jack said as he gave Ianto a soft hug.
"Sir?" Ianto said softly.
"Yes Ianto?" Jack crooned.
"I'm hungry"
"Pizza!" Jack demanded with glee and Ianto reached for his phone then hesitated.
"Jubilee?"
"The other place delivers too" Jack said kindly, "I like their garlic bread a well.'
Ianto gave a grateful smile.
As they waited, Jack turned to Ianto again.
"So when did you travel with the Doctor?"
"Oh, um …." Ianto squirmed, "At Canary Warf. How do you think I got Lisa out?"