Torchwood: Divergence
Book Two: Adferiad
Chapter 46
Ianto volunteered to move Joan, knowing Janice and Judy would definitely hide form him and figuring it was a good way to judge if the third alien was showing signs of Jerry's illness. As he prepared to enter the cell with a hood, wrist clamps, and choke loop, the already sequestered trouble maker started ramming her door two stalls down.
"I'm going to take her straight across the corridor if you'll open the Perspex door and step back," the twenty-six-year-old warned, his hand on the latch of the metal blast door to the enclosure most of the Weevils were in.
"How can you tell them apart?" Gwen wondered aloud, knowing she could never decern one of the aliens from another.
"Joan's got a chewed hand," her friend explained simply. "And she has slightly lighter colouring than the rest. As for the other two, Janice is bigger than Judy but not as large as a bull, like the one we had to put down behind the Indian restaurant last month."
"Oh…" the raven-haired woman acknowledged with raised brows. "Right, well… be careful."
"Come stand behind me, Gwen," Jack instructed, only his eyes showing his amusement over the exchange. "I've got the door."
She did as she was told, waited while their companion keyed the lock and opened the door to step into the cell. The moaning and keening that erupted from the inmates was almost loud enough to drown out the horrific banging of their former roommate. In less than two minutes, Ianto was back out of the enclosure with a tethered, hooded, and howling Joan, Cooper quickly moving behind him to make sure the heavy door closed properly. The Welshman had the Weevil in the new cell, unhooded, unrestrained and choke loop free in no time, and exited the tiny room unmolested as the alien cowered in the far corner.
"Well, she seems okay for now," Ianto reported as his partner sealed the Perspex door. "Her hand looks to be healing and she's still scared to death of me. That one however, is acting even worse than she was when I fed them."
He went to peer into the small window in the blast door that the malcontent was still pounding on, his face losing all expression for a moment.
"Jesus," the young Guardian hissed sharply. "We need to tranq her fast. She's been clawing at her own face and neck, and now she's doing damage to her arms and chest every time she hits the door."
"Gwen, stay with Ianto and keep her occupied," their leader suggested, already heading for the door out of the corridor. "I'm going to go around, dart her through the vent holes in the Perspex."
"She's really cranked," Ianto called helpfully. "Use both darts we loaded, or she'll probably just shake it off."
The Weevil continued to roar and slam against the heavy metal door, desperately trying to reach the young man she could see on the other side of the little window. Then suddenly she moved away, apparently catching sight of Jack in the other corridor.
"She's going for the more visible target," Cooper complained. "What do we do now?"
"Jack," the young Welshman beside her called, using the headset he wore and pulling a can of Weevil spray from his trouser pocket. "Get ready. I'm going to step in from this side and hope the aerosol will hold her off for a few seconds so you can get a clear shot. Shoot fast, yeah?"
[Go,] Harkness replied, not sounding happy with the idea, but knowing they were low on options.
"Slam the door behind me," Ianto instructed the woman at his elbow, then keyed the lock, popped the door open and stepped inside the cell.
Joan whirled to face him; small, deep-set eyes aglow with anger and madness. The Weevil bellowed and charged, only to choke as the blast of the specialised chemical spray caught her full in the nose and mouth. She swiped at the can, missed, tried again… and managed to sink her claws into the back of her visitor's hand near the wrist and pull, even as a dart planted itself in the side of her neck. Ianto had let out a yelp of pain-laced surprise when his left hand was ripped open, but never released the aerosol can or took his finger off the trigger at the top. Jerry made another try for him, staggering slightly. He evaded the blow, kept the spray jetting at her face as the second dart slammed home. And as the tranquilisers started to take full effect, the alien suddenly realised who she was facing. Rage and bloodlust gave way to fear and she began to moan, cowering back against the clear panels on the far side of the cell. She slumped down to sit hunched over in terror, keening pitifully before lapsing into an unconscious state.
Ianto approached her cautiously, then nodded to his partner when he was sure that she was truly sedated. The older man unsealed the door in the Perspex, came inside to help move the injured Weevil to the "bed" so they could start to treat her wounds. Gwen appeared in the open doorway with the big medical kit and other equipment they'd brought down for taking samples. The first thing she did though, was pour disinfectant over the gouting slashes in the back of the Ianto's left hand and suggest they use the Bekaran Scanner later to check for debris. The young immortal cursed softly, but allowed the cuts to be irrigated a second time before being slathered with antiseptic cream and quickly gauze wrapped, after he'd taken off and pocketed his wristwatch.
It was already turning into one hell of a day, and Operation Weevil Weirdness had only just begun.
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AN: So… any bets on what exactly is wrong with Jerry? Is it contagious? Does Ianto need to worry about catching some form of cosmic rabies? (Cue evil chuckling…)
Thank you to those reading the story. And thank you to those who have followed, favourited, and reviewed. NM