52
Jack had lined up the twelve paint cans and tipped equal amounts in, careful of Ianto's reminder that one with more or less paint than the others might cause a riot.
Zane, Laurie, Darius, Gavin, Robyn, Jasmine, and the older kids Holly, Mica, David, Miranda and her brother Klingon… yeah don't judge, Ianto is trying desperately not to but those hippy folks are a bit mad… and Alice all lined up for their pots of red paint and big paint brush.
Soon each child had picked a spot and gone for it, swirls, pictures and one little boy calmly writing his name. Yes. Zane.
Alexander.
Now Jack was well impressed, especially since they always called him Zane. How did he know... oh right. This kid has Ianto's brain. Seen it written once, knows it. Holy shit, like a little mini-factotum. This boy was clearly the leader because he knew not only how to lead, but how to share. Care.
Sweet.
.
.
"Jack? Red right?"
Jack looked over in the direction Ianto was pointing to see the bright yellow slash starting on the door of the barn.
"Hey!"
"Red barn, yellow door" Zane said as he stepped between Jasmine and Jack, his head held high and arms folded. He looked so much like Ianto that Jack could not really argue.
"OK" Jack shrugged, "Fair call."
And so they painted the red and yellow barn.
It was later that Ianto got Jack to one side "Flowers. I saw a image of glowers with the yellow background. The girls want flowers and the boys want to paint animals and things on the red."
"Well that makes sense. He was so… stern"
"So, agreed?"
"I saw me" Jack laughed, "I saw you too."
"Their birthdays coming up, do you think UNIT will try something?" Ianto changed the subject "the kids are worried. They will not say but there is a child talking to them quite clearly. I am afraid to is another lure. The kids are unsure but not willing to put themselves out there. So far only two or three are answering him so he doesn't know how many are here but… he is pushy and constant."
"Do you think he's real?" Jack asked "Or is someone using the kids to poke us?"
"I think it's another poke with a sharp stick and I do not want to engage. The kids are still considering but it might go a long way if you have a talk with them. As a cop, tell them about how you were trained to know when someone is lying."
Jack nodded, heading off to do just that.
.
.
"He sort of sounds like us but sometimes not" Zane was explaining calmly to his Daddy "he talks about TV shows and stuff, then will ask what we are eating or how many plates are on the table. Like a game but, it's clever."
"Sometimes when questioning someone and wanting them to tell you something, you start with simple things like you are just having a conversation about nothing, then you slip in the important question and hope they slip up. It is definitely a trick used by law enforcement and no doubt UNIT" Jack agreed "Turn it back on him. As him what he is wearing, what he had for breakfast and if it's raining where he is."
Little heads nodded solemnly as they listened, Jack seeming to be the word of God right now with his Heddlu background.
"Daddy Jack?"
"Yes Dar?"
"Is it OK if we don't talk to him, just Zane?" Darius asked "He makes me feel sort of… itchy in my brain."
Ianto straightened in the chair nearby and turned to look over at them, calling out "Darius, is it like when a spider g4toan your arm and tickle itches?"
"YES!" all voices answered with glee, swinging to Ianto.
"Shit. I don't' know if it's a child at all. For that level of psychic residue on the thought waves this is like an adult with deep psych training and each time they talk he is trying to get into the other's minds too. Zane. I need to teach you to shield when talking to him to protect the others." Ianto rose and motioned "Come on. The other room, let's try a game where we hide… and thy seek. We have to make our brains go silent. Come on."
The kids lit up at the offer of a game even as Jack and Owen shared a look of concern.
Ianto was right, this was another level of attempted infiltration.
"Do you think… do you think that's how Ianto learned?" Owen asked after he got close to Jack "He seems to have so many masks and shields.. is he internally like that too?"
"Yeah, it took me months…months of leering and rude suggestions before I saw a glimmer of response. We were married and together before I first saw him have a full on laugh. A deep booming belly laugh that he NEVER does in public."
"Hew was always … well…."
"Empathic… maybe a touch psychic…. Yeah. Why the Green Caps wanted him. He has had training we can never even imagine. Beyond the Red Cap fools that think they are so clever."
"well, in a bum fight I know who I will stand behind, every time" Owen sniffed as he watched the kids racing about trying to find Zane.
"And it's a nice bum too" Jack agreed wistfully, getting the desired look of horror from Owen.
Ianto was right.
This was another trap only you can't trap this tiger in the cage so easily... not when he scents you on the breeze.
And Ianto has impeccable sense of smell.