10
They moved in relative silence, slightly freaked out by anything they perceived as movement outside but as the day grew in and the midday approached, along with the fire house, it became obvious that their hunch was right.
No bugs.
They entered the large forecourt and Jack hopped out, running to check the door and finding it unlocked, giving a thumbs up before disappearing in side to hit the button that lifted the roller doors. Then he remembered no power and laughed at himself as he grabbed the chain and rolled up the huge doors.
They drove inside and Jack rolled the doors back down before everyone got out and stretched.
"I am gonna take a piss" Rhys said without preamble and Mickey laughed before saying he wanted to check the food stores. Ianto accepted a bottle of water from Mickey, and then headed off. Jack was intent on finding the right engine to take so Ianto decided to check out the sleeping area for anything they might want.
This led him along the corridor and he paused in the doorway for the office that had been the Captain's. He felt something and stepped into the room, finding a jacket over a chair that looked waterproof and not as heavy as the Fire Gear. As he reached for the jacket he felt something else in the room and slowly turned to find… a bug.
A huge mother fucker the same height as him. Bigger than any he had ever seen. Right there. Mere feet away. Like… you could reach out and touch him close.
Fuck.
They stood there for a long time regarding one another and then Ianto moved. He flung the hand up holding the bottle of water, squeezing at the same time. The big made a weird screeching nose as it's hands scrabbled at its face and it staggered back.
Ianto reached for a fire axe that was leaning against the desk and hefted it, swinging like he was hitting a home run and it went through the thing's neck and lodged into the doorframe. Ianto swore as he kicked the body away from him, the head popping off to bounce across the room.
Jack ran in and hit the handle of the axe, going down hard as Ianto continued to watch the head of the Bug move, its jaws opening and closing like it was trying to speak or bite or something.
"Fuck" Rhys said from the doorway, gaping at the scene as Mickey pushed past and reached for Jack who was still stunned on the floor. Jack said he was OK, just felt stupid for that and they all laughed nervously.
Ianto knelt by the thing's body now, lifting an arm to look at it and feel it. He had never been close to one like this and he was surprised to find it soft. Skeletal. Not a bug. No exoskeleton. It had leathery skin but… it was not what it appeared at all.
Jack was OK, crawling over to reach out as well and the four men took time to feel it, inspect it as well as the severed head that had now gone still.
"So… they are… what? Humanoid?" Jack muttered as he took a knife and slid it up a limb, exposing bone. "Look… Jesus."
"But why do they look like bugs if they are not bugs. Damn… bug spray is out then" Rhys said and they all looked at him, and then started to chuckle softly. They spent some time taking photos with the digital camera they found in a drawer and basically exploring the thing's body.
"It has a heart" Jack said as they cracked the chest cavity, then all groaned at the stench.
"Smells rotten. Is it us?" Ianto asked as he considered "do you think… eating us like they do is not really conducive to their needed diet?"
"Can you hear yourself? God, you sound just like Martha" Mickey laughed.
"I think Ianto's right. They are eating us, eating meat in general. Cows, deer, dogs…. They are not used to the protein. Huh" Jack sat back, drumming his fingers on his thigh as he stared at the thing.
"So, do you think they tried to be the scariest thing possible and bugs made the grade or is this their natural image?" Ianto asked "also… this is the largest one I have ever seen and it does not seem to have any sort of… ah… reproductive bits."
Jack leaned over to check and nodded "No dick. No pussy either. Huh… that small slit must be to pee… shit? Ew. Both out the same hole like … a bird?"
"Ewww. Thank god Owen isn't here. He would want to shove his hand up there to see" Ianto quipped and they all laughed as they started to relax.
"OK…first of all… doors are shut. How did it get in here?" Ianto asked after they took a moment.
Let's not invite another in, right?
They started to double check all the doors and then windows "OVER HERE!"
Everyone followed Jack's yell and found a window not quite closed.
"Well… fuck. It found it open enough pull up all the way to get inside then had the brain power to close it again?" Mickey sighed "they are evolving."
"I was afraid of that" Ianto agreed "what else are they working out."
"One thing we don't want them to work out is that water doesn't hurt them. That head you splashed… uninjured from it" Jack turned to Ianto and they both knew the day those things realize water is not acid is the day they had major issues.
They have to get things done.