49
They rolled out at first light, Ianto, Jack, John and Mickey. Owen was pissy about staying behind until he was handed a gun and told he was to defend the homestead. It sounded silly and definitely wild west cowboy bullshit but the way John said it, so convincingly, that Toshiko mouthed her thanks as he strutted like a little bantam rooster. She was due soon, her little bundle about a month away and she wanted him home.
They reached the small township that, as predicted, was cleared out. The flyers flapping in the breeze, warning everyone of the cut off times for the last buses out to 'safety' on every street's amp posts. Silly bastards, would have been a smorgasbord for the Bugs as each bus rolled into an ambush.
Bugs exploding from the sides of the road, smashing through the windows as mothers tried to cover their babies, some men defending valiantly while other cower behind the women and children. Blood splattering the roof of the bus and the cries of death fading as the bugs tore them apart like papier-mâché.
Jesus… God, stop.
Ianto stood there feeling quite sick as the vision assaulted him and he staggered, Jack gabbing for him like he was spinning him around as he called out "we are looking in the police station for stuff, you two do the quarry offices."
Once he had Ianto somewhere quiet he watched as Ianto struggled to breathe, his hand at his side where the scar was.
"Ianto?" he softly reached out to touch Ianto's shoulder "you Ok Tiger?"
"I see… I see…" Ianto swallowed thickly and let his head fall back, trying to clear his mind "I see things. Things I don't want to."
"Why."
"I… my gram had the gift of sight, she often foretold things and had visions and stuff but me Mam poo pooed it as silly nonsense. I didn't have anything like this… I mean… I did have thoughts, and my mind would roam… hence some of my papers and breakthroughs in my career but… silly. Since that Bug attacked me it's like… like… I see things. Things that he did? Things they do?" Ianto shrugged "Maybe it's all in me head, ya know?"
"No, you are too correct about things, too on the ball… if you already had a modicum of telepathic or empathic ability, maybe it was enhanced. After all… you dream so vividly. I am slightly telepathic too… or is it empathic… I know I feel your fear and worry sometimes from another room. Like we are connected" Jack leaned back to let Ianto have space "Does it work both ways? Do they see you?"
"No, no … it's like I am seeing it as a flashback kinda thing, like… a memory or… a delayed message. No, they don't know I can see and it's only random moments, snippets like… on the breeze. Fuck, I think they DO communicate telepathically and I catch these... random messages in the wind or something." Ianto shrugged, "If they had any idea, they would have attacked us. No, they don't know that I see them."
"Could there be others? Like you I mean?"
"Maybe, I don't know. Not like there is a secret society with a cool mood ring or something" Ianto huffed, then stopped as Jack started to laugh, joining in for a moment as the tension evaporated.
"come on, we are here now, let's find a safe" Jack clapped his hands together and they searched in silence until they had gathered assorted weapons and such they had found, Ianto proving to be a pretty good safe cracker as he opened the large gun safe behind the chief's desk, then he lifted the stature of a deer on the desk to show the code underneath it to Jack who had seemed stunned. OH, Jack laughed hard at that obvious dickhead thought the cop must have had there.
"How did you know?" he finally choked out.
"See it in spy movies all the time" Ianto replied with an eye roll, "do keep up. Don't keep me waiting"
More laughter as they emptied it, then looked up as John entered the room and hissed at them that they found the mother-load at the quarry office but …. Oh. A safe. He stood staring at the open safe and then swung around to lead the way along the street.
Ianto stood in the office as Jack told everyone to stand still and let the man think things through. Mickey huffed "Good luck. We tried everything, even went through the diary for his kid's birthdays… everything!"
Ianto looked at the desk, but then looked away. Nope, he felt this man was not as stupid as the police chief. No… a code … a code…. A…. Ianto stared at the horse in the photo on the wall, then sighed softly.
He swung to the safe and punched in a code with ease.
It swung open.
"OK… what the actual fuck!" John spluttered.
Ianto pointed at the horse "that there is Blakbo. Winner of the derby three years in a row. See the little emblem in the corner? The man in this office was a part owner. Blakbo. 252526. "
"Huh?"
Ianto pointed at the phone on the desk "Look. The numbers and the letters on the number pad. B is 2… see?"
"You jammy bastard" John laughed "Of course. Shit, your mind caught that pretty quick."
"He watches a lot of spy movies" Jack said with a sniff, then knelt to look inside the safe "Bingo."
They drove towards the nearest tunnel system with a feeling of triumph, even as Ianto felt strange in confessing his visions to Jack. Even if Jack did act like it was no big deal, it's not everyday you find out your boyfriend is a fucking freak.
Boyfriend.
Is he? What exactly ARE they now.
Ianto hoped that really, truly they might be a bit more than JUST that.
Maybe he should ask for some clarification there.
While they are all sharing and shit.