19
The three white lights were visible from serval vantage points in town, the back of the boatshed also a good pace to sit with some warm blankets and remote controls, the helicopters with their torch lights so far up that there was no sound, just the synchronized flying of big kids enjoying the black.
Of course… tell that to those scrambling on the ground to race for vehicles … shout mixed directions and send up their own drones that would no doubt not help anything.
Oh yes.
They were too busy for a town meeting.
.
.
"So this is what we have so far" the Mayor had handed the meeting over to Jack who stood at the front talking calmly as he outlined the problem starting at the beginning. "The pulse or whatever that caused the weather issues was manmade… we think by the Men in Black that are here now. It was a deliberate act to bring down anything flying. We were caught as collateral damage. They really wanted the spaceship… they really wanted Eddie."
There was silence, then one of the old timers stood "Are you telling me they killed all those people to get to the kid?"
"First of all… we don't know for a fact if ANY planes went down. We only know what we are being told. What if that is also a lie? After all, everyone else out there is living their lives. This power thing, this weather anomaly.. does not exist anywhere else. Cell phones, internet… all working out there." Toshiko said softly, knowing to keep Ianto's company out of it as she shyly added "We managed to get emails published with a Sat Phone the MIBs could not shut down. We have footage of life outside being… normal.
"We are all being held against our will for the purposes of hunting down a little green man that may or may not have even arrived with that ship. You heard them say it themselves… it might have bene unmanned." Gwen said as she added to the conversation "They are fixated on Eddie, we need to protect him. Protect all of us. If they discover an entity living here among us… do you think they will let us go? Tell me… how many people every really have proof of aliens? Is it not better for this town to have a little gas leak and booooom… oops? We are collateral damage remember? To get Eddie… they might be happy to mow through us to get to him. And to shut us up permanently."
"Right now, they are not sure if he is an ET or not. We are still managing to keep them at bay. All we are asking is to help bamboozle them a little longer" Ianto begged, the boy in question clinging to him with big eyes, looking verry little and sweet. The little black hockey puck Ianto had on the table not even noticeable as it scrambled anything in there so those pesky listening devices would not work.
"Bastards" someone said softly.
"What do you have in mind son?"
.
.
"OK sweetie, do you understand?" Ianto was crouching as he stroked the little face of the entity he had come to love as his own child. He would kill for him. Die for him. He knew this with all his heart.
"Excuse me."
Ianto looked up to find a middle-aged couple, clearly wanting to nervously speak and he rose "Hi. How can I help?"
"Actually…" they looked at one another with obvious discomfort "We might be able to help you."
"Oh?"
"Our son died a year ago… he was… sorry" the woman took a hitched breath.
The man continued for her "This way our first vacation since it all happened and… for some silly reason when we grabbed the wallets… we did not take out his passport from the travel pouch. You see… we found it and did not know what to do so… we were going to hand it in or something but…. James looked a little like Eddie so… their descriptions match, but the photo…"
Toshiko snatched it from the side and held it close, her eyes wide. She then said "I can do this."
"Toshiko! My god. Rude!" Ianto scolded, then turned to the coupe "Are you sure?"
"He died in an accident and was an organ donor. He saved so many lives… to save one more… he would have wanted it this way. He loves sci-fi and always wanted to meet a real alien. Maybe… maybe this is fate. Why we had the passport of a child we could not have with us… now we ensure yours can stay with you." The father sighed, taking his wife's hand "Jamie would have been ever so chuffed. We love the idea of an alien with his passport… who knows where it might go."
Ianto tuned to Toshiko "Can you make it happen?"
"I will need to go annoy Denver over at the Photo shop… yeah. I think so. The local DMV office… yeah" she was talking to herself as she took Eddie's hand and led him off, Ianto watching her go before turning back to see the people who ran the business she was talking about start to follow her. "REMMY, JOB"
"Takes a village to raise a child, but a Town to save an Alien" Ianto said with a soft smile, "God I love this place."
"And we love you dear" Estelle patted his hand "And we hope you never leave."
"Are you kidding? This is home now. Eddie belongs here, so do I. So do we all. But those black suited bastards can fuck right off!" Ianto said angrily.
Game on.