28

"Ianto, you got a minute?"

Ianto turned from the men he was talking to and acknowledged Eugene, one of their nerds who scuttled around the edges like a bug. Owen called them that. Bugs. Ianto knew they were highly intelligent… almost as much as him, and their mutant powers made them see things others didn't. Patterns in things, like someone high on the autism spectrum, so high there was no ceiling.

"Eugene, how are you buddy?" Ianto smiled, the baby asleep on his chest jerking a foot as Ianto spoke and Eugene's eyes slid to the baby with interest. "Here, want a hold?"

The young man loked horrified at the notion, even as he reached out hands hesitantly to accept the bindle so easily unclipped and handed over. She now flopped back in his arms like a little doll.

"Awwwwwww…. She has his mouth."

"I am afraid of that, I believe she will have his gob. Maybe a bit of Doctor Harper in there, enough to make me cringe and blush while apologising to people once she starts speaking" Ianto laughed.

Eugene gave a rare chuckle crooning at the baby with undisguised affection, then he sighed "We found something weird in the northern sector. Over by Obama Mountain. We hadn't noticed it before with the wind and sand storms but now it's all died down… something was uncovered during the storm."

"A good or a bad thing buddy?" Ianto asked accepting the limp baby back and swinging to hand he off the eager hands, now his workers enjoying a good look at her as Ianto squared off with Eugene again.

"Not sure… unsettling we would say. It is… not usual."

"OK, I have to offload this one to her father, or Rhiannon and I will meet you back there" Ianto nodded, turning to find the baby some distance away now as others took turns crowning and drinking in the goodness of new life. "And… she's gone."

"Like a bunch of Magpieerts." Eugene giggled and Ianto laughed as he rarely saw the humour of this one but enjoyed it when it came out.

Eugne grinned sheepishly and shuttled off.

.

.

He had been unable to find Rhiannon or Jack, something that did not concern him. They were all busy lately, with the winter season due, the days about to become bleak and unsavoury for a few months. Toshiko was happy to take the bundle of sleepiness, settling back into her book as if Ianto had delivered a loaf of bread.

He chose his all-terrain Hover and clambered up, belting in as this bitch went fast. Oh so fast.

"Whatcha doing?"

Ianto looked over the side to find Rhys looking up at him with wonder "Hey Rhys. Going for a blatt out to Obama Mountain."

"This beast is yours?"

"Yeah."

"I have bene drooling over this… really?" Rhys loked up at Ianto with unabashed wanting and Ianto grinned as he saw a fellow speed demon. The Hover twice the size and higher than usual. Like… a Hover version of a Big Foot Truck.

"Come on then, better get a coat if you are coming with" Ianto said as he turned back to start the preflight checks. Yes. Rhys had no idea did he. Head Surveyor meant perks.

"OK, we are five by five" Ianto muttered, then touched his earpiece with two sharp taps "This is Ianto Jones onboard the Baby Betty Boop, I am leaving the hanger and heading for the mountain ranges. Do I have clearance Control?"

"Baby Betty Boop, you have clearance. Good flight sir."

"Lovely" Ianto settled back and saw that Rhys was clipping the last clip to secure himself into the seat. He grinned at Ianto and sniggered as he slapped at the harness.

"Tighten it buddy, pull the two straps at your hips to snug yourself" Ianto said as he flipped the final switch and a soft purring started "You are gonna want to make sure you are not tossed about when she corners. She swings her arse like a hooker."

Rhys complied and was about to sat something else when the purr faded to silence. Both men started at one another, Rhys with concern and Ianto with glee…. then a huge boom before a roar filled the area. Ianto whooped as he hit the power throttle and the big bitch started to rise further, taking are so she was now hovering above the ground.

"Is it supposed to sound like that?" Rhys yelled over the engine and Ianto laughed.

"And we are flying" Ianto said to himself with that childlike wonder that had never and maybe will never fade.

He pushed the throttle forward and she took off, Rhys screaming as they immediately hit G-force and Into laughed as he swing her toward the mountain, Rhys's knuckles white as he clutched the seat's armrests, trying to stay calm. Like a fun ride at an amusement park… where the man in charge is on crack cocaine or something. It was so much fun in a scary almost feels like dying kinda way. By the time they came to a screaming halt that had them thrown forward in the harnesses and then slammed back into the seats Rhy was laughing so much he could barely breathe.

He had no idea Ianto was so skilled… or fun. Fuck… he was fun.

Eugene waved a hand at them like this arrival was no big deal. Ianto must regularly drive it like he stole it. Rhys staggered from the Hover on wobbly legs, following Ianto over to peer at a creek bed. Eugene crouched and pointed a shaky finger "See?"

Ianto crouched, squinting at something in the water "How many have you seen?"

"Harver is our counter. He has counted 3496 so far."

Ianto seemed to stall out, then look at the huge man on his hands and knees, zeroing in on the water with wide eyes. The man said in a deep rumble "3497."

"What is it?" Rhys could not see anything, but he knew whatever mutant power these ones share, there was something in the water.

"Little fishes. Little wriggly fishes" Harver crooned "3498…9…oooooo 3500."

Everyone cheered around him like it was a game, Rhys looked around then back at the one who had not cheered. Ianto pursed his lips "Come on. Let's scoop some out for Owen to poke at. I've not seen them before. Maybe a fissure has opened from a meteorite strike that has released them from an underground lake or something… but they are new. We have no idea if they are OK in our water or not."

"Our water?" Rhys asked.

"Yeah, the water for the colony comes from the same water source you see here… it goes under the rocks there going the ground which acts as a filtering system, and we have the well near the pumping station. Shit, these might get clogged in the pipes. Or go to the underground river source. We need to know if they are going all the way."

"Shit. Jack is not here. Should I make a sexual innuendo?" Rhys asked.

Ianto turned to look at him with a bland face then he burst out laughing.

Rhys grinned "So… Home Jeeves?"

"Come on. Wanna have a go?"

Rhys gasped, his hands clasped under his chin as he jigged on the spot, then he ran for the Mega Hover.

"Excitable" Eugene said softly.

"Yeah, but a good bloke." Ianto nodded "And out here he can't hit anything."

Eugene gave a rare smile and then turned back to the other mutants waiting for their instructions.

Ianto accepted the container of little fish and walked slowly towards the Hover, raising the container to peer at the tiny see through fish inside.

He was not sure about this at all.

This was their planet first, were they taking precious water these things need? Was it right? Were the colonists endangering them… or were they endangering the colony?

Ianto hated the unknown.