22
"I can't believe they just… breed" Owen was again poking about at the corpse "But you're right. These don't have what looks like reproductive organs. Their heart is here, under the left hand side top arm."
Everyone leaned I to look, more than one holding a cloth over their nose as the smell was really bad now Owen was getting into it. In the stall three down a horse kicked at the stall door with anger, the smell permeating their space too.
"Owen… we need to get this done and out of here, it's freaking out the horse and the cows. We will never hear the end of it if Mama doesn't get milk" Tish warned, then made a noise of grossness and delight as Owen pushed out a claw.
"What was that" Ianto crouched and reached for the hand, then drew his hand back "Shit. Owen, you have gloves on. Give me some, I want to see what that moisture is and I have a suspicion."
"Moisture?" Owen asked handing over gloves to watch as Ianto lifted one of the appendages, squeezing out the claw and then he manipulated the paw before some liquid seemed to leak out.
"Blood?" Owen asked.
"Maybe. Or is it something else? I've not seen this before." Ianto frowned.
"We can take a sample" Owen said with glee, Jack turning to look back at the cattle stop through the open barn doors.
"Right, while you fuss over this, I am going to go over some ideas for this moat" Jack wandered off with Mickey following him like a faithful hound.
Ianto watched Owen as he cut each toe from the thing, each claw tinkling into the metal bowl.
Ianto did not like this new discovery.
These things were evolving alright.
.
.
Ianto entered the house to find Rhiannon in charge, the men moving furniture as she stood with her hands on her hips. Looks like the kids had made their minds up what they wanted and she was the sergeant major making sure they got it.
"Riha? What's the go?"
"The girls all want a room together so we are clearing out the dining room. They can all be in there together. You and Jack have the master with it's own ensuite, I have the other double room with it's own ensuite. David can have the room next to me and if we knock out the wall between two of the rooms then Rhys and Andy can have a large double room as well."
"Oh. We're knocking down walls now? Nice to let me know" Ianto huffed with fake annoyance.
"Well, you invited us in sweetheart you have no one to blame but yourself!" she sniffed as she spun to yell "Don't' move that. Are ya mad? That dresser is perfect for some of their shit! Just take out whatever shit is already in here for Fucksake!"
Rhys had frozen on the spot with wide eyes, Clive starting to giggle as Mickey made exaggerated motions of creeping towards the door.
"And where the fuck are you going?"
"Ah… to get the beds pulled apart so we can move them from upstairs?" Mickey replied, squeaking a little bit.
"Then get to it… come on. They will be back from their meal soon and I do not need their feckin fingers into everything just yet" she demanded, then turned to Ianto "And what do you want again?"
Ianto blinked slowly and then said "nothing. You got this sissy… I am exiting stage Left."
"Yeah yeah Snagglepuss" she smiled, watching him do the silly walk of their favorite childhood cartoon.
Mickey gaped as Ianto wandered off without any problem while he felt like he was being commanded by a fucking general or something.
The compound was really starting to be a home for them all.
.
.
The drone hummed softly as it rose, Owen standing with his feet apart like he was wrangling a wild animal and everyone was enjoying the glee on his face.
"Right… moving up…. Huh. We can see for miles…. There is a homestead… two. I see two homesteads to the left… ah… south?" he was muttering "One looks like it's a standard farmhouse but the one over the back, further along… maybe it's staff quarters or elderly parents? Older and smaller."
"The original farm's homestead and the kids took over the farm, building their own larger flash-as place" Clive agreed.
"So… it's a generational farm. There might be some old shit on those back barns" Jack leaned in "Maybe tractors and if we are lucky sa back hoe… a digger?"
"Looking at the tracks, something is big on tracks" Owen agreed.
"Worth a look" Ianto agreed as he leaned in, joining the huddle "and it's gonna rain if those clouds racing along the horizon come this way."
"Cool, I will prep the Transporter" Jack said as he turned to leave and then he added "and get out of Rhiannon's range. I swear she said something about repainting."
"I guess we are looking for paint too" Ianto shrugged.
Rhiannon was really sinking her teeth hint making that house her home.
Anything to get her mind of the horrors she now knew, the images of her husband's death that she can never truly know and the fact her babies were never going to know the world their patents had.
Busy, busy, busy.