26

They moved to the next house, closer to the road and Ianto was on edge now. Like the first house, this one was also derelict and sad feeling, the occupants had bugged out…. Pardon the pun… and it was left waiting for their return.

Three kids.

Two girls and what looked like a cherished boy. Thank god, also one of the kids was clearly a baby or toddler given the amount of baby things. A high chair was a boon, Martha would be pleased. And Toshiko, her own due in a few months or so. A good time to collect what they can, good thing Mark remembered this place had kids.

Jack had got a large tractor going that had a digger attachment on the back for their moat idea, the large trailer hooked on was clearly for collecting the bales of hay from the fields each season had sides so they could collect things and add them into the trailer. A good idea.

Ianto wondered if they had noticed and were just not saying anything or if it truly did not occur to any of them that it was not raining, they were working in soggy damp sunshine. It unnerved him and he found his way up to the little third story attic space, looking out the picture windows that saw in every direction. A sewing room. A little outfit half finished still in the claws of the machine.

"Hey, whatcha doing?"

"Looking. Look at this… the girls will be happy to have some of this stuff for crafts and such" Ianto said as he pated the sewing machine "I can sew too."

"Really?" Owen showed surprise, leaning over to inspect the machine "does it take much power?"

"If would be good for fixing clothing that is torn, the little ones will need clothes and such… I think it will take about the same as a light bulb."

Owen knelt and deftly unplugged the machine, hefting it to his hip to start carrying down as Ianto refocused on the road out past the field between them and the seal. He stood there for some time thinking as the room was pulled apart around him, only starting when he say movement coming from under the overhung trees that had obscured part of the road.

"A pack of Buggers."

Owen stopped moving, swinging back to look and then taking off with wild stage whispering to the others. Ianto watched as two of the bugs peeled off from the other two, moving along the road as the slower two stopped and pondered, then started down the driveway.

They got to the vehicles and reached out, one of them placing a 'hand' on the hood and Ianto felt his mouth go dry as he saw it detect heat from the engine and swing back towards the road, the other two bugs having stopped and quickly galloping back to join the first two.

They DO communicate in the field.

Ianto moved down to find everyone in the hallway, where there were no windows for the Bugs to see in.

"They know we are here" Ianto hissed "The engine of the Fire Truck is still hot."

"They feel it?"

"One touched it, yeah" Ianto whispered, "Maybe they will hunt about, and then leave but… I think we might be in a spot of bother. I mean… four. Have any of you taken on four at once?"

"We could just shoot them" Owen said, then blanched "Fuck. That arsenal you just found is in the Transporter."

"Yeah, but like father like son, right? There must be a gun safe here too" Ianto clapped Owen on the shoulder and they took off with Jack following, the others hunkering down to be as quiet as possible while the three of them moved about as a low crouch.

They found the office and it was nothing like the old man's. Everything sleek, high tech with two computers and a lot of mod cons. Even a damned photocopier. Ianto did not like it. He frowned as they searched and Jack clocked his fingers, kneeling by a mat he had lifted.

"Fuck. I hate floor safes" Ianto sighed, laying on the floor and placing his head on the safe. He then started spinning. He could not hear anything over Owen's breathing so he lifted his head "Owen, shimmy up top and see if they are surrounding us or still together. We need eyes on."

Owen took off and Jack smiled as he knew Owen was being annoying and Ianto would never tell him so. Ianto started to spin the dial again, making little noises as he heard the clicks. Then he pulled up the lever and the lid sort of slid sideways.

"What the fuck is all that?" Jack asked.

"Seeds. Well. Fuck. Genetically modified stock. Why they had those corn fields to the south" Ianto muttered, pulling out some jars of seeds and some ledgers to find the hand guns beneath as well as a lovely old Winchester pump action shotgun.

"Lovely" Jack reached for it and checked it, "Shells love?"

Ianto lifted out four boxes and slid them over, then started to look at the ledgers as Jack looked at him with surprise "What are you doing?"

"GE. This was a big money maker, no wonder they could afford the new house" Ianto said as a sheet fell from the stack he was flicking through. "They can't get in. We have time to relax and think. Let's not panic. Hmmmm."

"Stickers" Jack lifted the sheet "Barcodes?"

"For shipments. This stuff is top line, they will have …. Yeah… see?" Ianto had peeled one off to show Jack "This metallic strip… it's a tracker. So the shipment gets to the right place. No arrive… No pay. Right? They make sure the goods are not nicked or something and if they are they can tell the police the tracking number for trace it… like GPS on a phone. See the ledger entries? Shipments."

Jack reached out and stuck a sticker onto Ianto's vest "For important things you don't want to lose."

"You are a Twpsyn sometimes" Ianto snorted.

"A what?"

Rhys's soft laughter from the hallway as he held a hand over his mouth told Jack all he needed to know about the Welsh word he had never heard before. It was clearly derogatory.

Jack poked out his tongue.

This is when Owen chose to reappear "Hey… they are circling the fucking house while you lot play grab arse!"