Fic: Mysterious Footprints - Part 3-3
Title: Mysterious Footprints - Part 3-3
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Tosh, Owen, Gwen.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada
Summary: Now that Jack knows who’s responsible for the footprints, a solution to a tricky problem needs to be found.
Word Count: 1309
Written For: Challenge 206: Footprint at beattheblackdog.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
Part 2
Jack followed the trail of footprints back around the bank of lockers to where a slatted wooden bench stood, then seated himself. Automatically his eyes strayed to the silvery patch on the seat beside him.
Ianto’s voice came out of nowhere. “You’re staring at my arse print, aren’t you? Stop it!”
Guiltily tearing his gaze away, Jack shrugged. “Sorry, can’t help myself. It’s all there is to tell me where you are.”
“Any excuse,” Ianto muttered grumpily.
“So,” Jack quickly changed the subject. “You were going to tell me how you wound up like this.”
“Yes, right. So, I was out running errands this morning, as you know. I’d already picked up the dry cleaning and stowed it in my car, and then I parked just off High Street because I wanted to go to the Arcade and Central Market to pick up a few odds and ends.”
“Coffee beans?”
“Among other things. Anyway, I decided to do the market shopping first and I was almost there when this creature bolted out of Dhall Place and straight across St. Mary Street. It was obviously alien, sort of like a large lizard, but with pinkish skin and eight legs. I thought maybe it was what Gwen and Owen had gone out after, so I tried to intercept it, but when it saw me blocking its path it curled its tail up over its back and sprayed something at me from a blobby sort of stinger at the end. It was so sudden there was no way I could avoid it and when I tried to get out of the way, I skidded in the stuff and fell over. It was so slippery it took me several tries to get up again and while I was floundering around on the ground my clothes started to fall apart. When I did finally manage to stand up, everything I was wearing just fell off and dissolved, and there I was, stark naked in the middle of Cardiff. Good thing I wasn’t far from my car, but I don’t think I’ve ever run so fast in my life.”
“But you’re okay? Physically? I mean, aside from being invisible.”
“I seem to be. Whatever the stuff is, it doesn’t seem to be poisonous. At least it hasn’t damaged my skin or anything, and I haven’t gone bald. That’s something, I suppose. If my skin and hair had dissolved along with my clothes, that would’ve been bad.”
“That’s the understatement of the century. Did you happen to see where the creature went after it sprayed you?”
“Last I saw, it was heading for Cathays Park at high speed; I just hope it doesn’t encounter too many people along the way.”
“Mm, that could cause problems,” Jack agreed. “Naked, invisible people wandering around everywhere leaving snail trails…”
They sat silently for a few minutes, both men gloomily contemplating how they’d go about covering up something like that. Finally Ianto broke the silence.
“So now what?”
“Now? I should probably call Gwen and Owen, see if they’ve managed to catch our visitor yet, or if they’re naked and invisible now too.”
Ianto chuckled. “Is it bad of me to hope they’re out there somewhere hiding and wondering how they’re going to get back to the SUV without anyone seeing them?”
“Very bad.” Jack grinned. “I was just thinking exactly the same thing. I suppose I’d better find out right away, but first I’ll just see if Tosh can spare some time from whatever she’s doing. She can run scans, maybe analyse the residue from your footprints, see if she can determine what it is and figure out how to turn you visible again.” He winked. “Got to keep my priorities straight, deal with one problem at a time, and as you’re already here, your situation takes precedence.”
“Very sensible,” Ianto agreed. “I suppose we should go back upstairs.”
“We should. But you’d better not sit on the sofa, just in case the stuff that dissolved your clothes is still active; don’t want to risk that dissolving as well, leaving you tangled in the springs.”
“God, no!” The very thought of sensitive parts of his anatomy coming into contact with sofa springs was enough to make the colour drain from Ianto’s face, not that anyone could tell in his current state.
Leaving Ianto in the main Hub, Jack fetched Tosh and filled her in on what had happened. She found the situation a bit disconcerting, but nevertheless set to work immediately, trying to figure out why her friend was invisible and how to restore him to visibility.
“The liquid has very unusual refractive properties,” she told Ianto as she worked. “Somehow it’s catching light rays and bending them around you. It’s amazing! This substance could form the basis of a camouflage technology decades, maybe even centuries, ahead of anything we have!”
“That’s wonderful, and I hope you’ll enjoy experimenting with it, but right now I’d very much like to be visible again if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, of course. Sorry, Ianto.” Tosh blushed faintly. “It’s just really fascinating.”
“I’m sure it is, but all I want is to get it off me.”
“Have you tried washing it off?”
“I took a shower as soon as I got back here, but according to Jack, all that did was make my towel silvery. It’s odd that I can’t see the silvery traces I’m leaving everywhere, but I can see myself.”
“It’s as though the substance has enclosed you in a cloak of invisibility, so from your point of view everything looks normal, and from everyone else’s, you’re just… not there. I’m sure there must be something that’ll clean it off you though.”
In the end, making Ianto visible again turned out to be quite straightforward. All that was required was salt water and plenty of washing up liquid. Getting all of the stuff out of his hair proved to be the hardest part; it clung tenaciously, and he had to lather up four times before Jack finally assured him that the back of his head was completely visible again, along with the rest of him.
Meanwhile, Owen and Gwen returned from their hunt empty handed, having lost their quarry’s trail on the far side of the Taff. They thought the creature must have swum across the river, but although they’d searched along both banks for half a mile in each direction, they hadn’t been able to find any trace of it.
“We’ll all head out again after sunset and see if we can round it up,” Jack decided. “With any luck it won’t be as active after dark. Owen, I want you to work with Tosh. We’re going to need protective gear that won’t dissolve if the creature sprays us; either that or something that can neutralise the stuff, otherwise we all run the risk of winding up naked and invisible, which would be inconvenient.”
“Just to be safe, I suggest we all dress in expendable clothing,” Ianto added. “I’ve got overalls for everyone; not exactly stylish and some of you might have to turn up the legs and sleeves, but if they get dissolved or otherwise ruined, they’re easily replaceable.” Ianto handed out the packages; he was already wearing a set himself.
“You do know we won’t be going out after our friend for a few hours yet, right?” Jack asked, looking Ianto and his overalls up and down.
“I’m aware of that,” Ianto said, “but in case you’ve forgotten I have a lot of footprints and other… things to clean up so I thought I’d get on with that.” Arming himself with a bucket of seawater, a fresh bottle of washing up liquid, plenty of rags, and a big scrubbing brush, he set to work. He wouldn’t be happy until he’d erased every last trace of this undignified incident!
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Tosh, Owen, Gwen.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada
Summary: Now that Jack knows who’s responsible for the footprints, a solution to a tricky problem needs to be found.
Word Count: 1309
Written For: Challenge 206: Footprint at beattheblackdog.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
Part 2
Jack followed the trail of footprints back around the bank of lockers to where a slatted wooden bench stood, then seated himself. Automatically his eyes strayed to the silvery patch on the seat beside him.
Ianto’s voice came out of nowhere. “You’re staring at my arse print, aren’t you? Stop it!”
Guiltily tearing his gaze away, Jack shrugged. “Sorry, can’t help myself. It’s all there is to tell me where you are.”
“Any excuse,” Ianto muttered grumpily.
“So,” Jack quickly changed the subject. “You were going to tell me how you wound up like this.”
“Yes, right. So, I was out running errands this morning, as you know. I’d already picked up the dry cleaning and stowed it in my car, and then I parked just off High Street because I wanted to go to the Arcade and Central Market to pick up a few odds and ends.”
“Coffee beans?”
“Among other things. Anyway, I decided to do the market shopping first and I was almost there when this creature bolted out of Dhall Place and straight across St. Mary Street. It was obviously alien, sort of like a large lizard, but with pinkish skin and eight legs. I thought maybe it was what Gwen and Owen had gone out after, so I tried to intercept it, but when it saw me blocking its path it curled its tail up over its back and sprayed something at me from a blobby sort of stinger at the end. It was so sudden there was no way I could avoid it and when I tried to get out of the way, I skidded in the stuff and fell over. It was so slippery it took me several tries to get up again and while I was floundering around on the ground my clothes started to fall apart. When I did finally manage to stand up, everything I was wearing just fell off and dissolved, and there I was, stark naked in the middle of Cardiff. Good thing I wasn’t far from my car, but I don’t think I’ve ever run so fast in my life.”
“But you’re okay? Physically? I mean, aside from being invisible.”
“I seem to be. Whatever the stuff is, it doesn’t seem to be poisonous. At least it hasn’t damaged my skin or anything, and I haven’t gone bald. That’s something, I suppose. If my skin and hair had dissolved along with my clothes, that would’ve been bad.”
“That’s the understatement of the century. Did you happen to see where the creature went after it sprayed you?”
“Last I saw, it was heading for Cathays Park at high speed; I just hope it doesn’t encounter too many people along the way.”
“Mm, that could cause problems,” Jack agreed. “Naked, invisible people wandering around everywhere leaving snail trails…”
They sat silently for a few minutes, both men gloomily contemplating how they’d go about covering up something like that. Finally Ianto broke the silence.
“So now what?”
“Now? I should probably call Gwen and Owen, see if they’ve managed to catch our visitor yet, or if they’re naked and invisible now too.”
Ianto chuckled. “Is it bad of me to hope they’re out there somewhere hiding and wondering how they’re going to get back to the SUV without anyone seeing them?”
“Very bad.” Jack grinned. “I was just thinking exactly the same thing. I suppose I’d better find out right away, but first I’ll just see if Tosh can spare some time from whatever she’s doing. She can run scans, maybe analyse the residue from your footprints, see if she can determine what it is and figure out how to turn you visible again.” He winked. “Got to keep my priorities straight, deal with one problem at a time, and as you’re already here, your situation takes precedence.”
“Very sensible,” Ianto agreed. “I suppose we should go back upstairs.”
“We should. But you’d better not sit on the sofa, just in case the stuff that dissolved your clothes is still active; don’t want to risk that dissolving as well, leaving you tangled in the springs.”
“God, no!” The very thought of sensitive parts of his anatomy coming into contact with sofa springs was enough to make the colour drain from Ianto’s face, not that anyone could tell in his current state.
Leaving Ianto in the main Hub, Jack fetched Tosh and filled her in on what had happened. She found the situation a bit disconcerting, but nevertheless set to work immediately, trying to figure out why her friend was invisible and how to restore him to visibility.
“The liquid has very unusual refractive properties,” she told Ianto as she worked. “Somehow it’s catching light rays and bending them around you. It’s amazing! This substance could form the basis of a camouflage technology decades, maybe even centuries, ahead of anything we have!”
“That’s wonderful, and I hope you’ll enjoy experimenting with it, but right now I’d very much like to be visible again if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, of course. Sorry, Ianto.” Tosh blushed faintly. “It’s just really fascinating.”
“I’m sure it is, but all I want is to get it off me.”
“Have you tried washing it off?”
“I took a shower as soon as I got back here, but according to Jack, all that did was make my towel silvery. It’s odd that I can’t see the silvery traces I’m leaving everywhere, but I can see myself.”
“It’s as though the substance has enclosed you in a cloak of invisibility, so from your point of view everything looks normal, and from everyone else’s, you’re just… not there. I’m sure there must be something that’ll clean it off you though.”
In the end, making Ianto visible again turned out to be quite straightforward. All that was required was salt water and plenty of washing up liquid. Getting all of the stuff out of his hair proved to be the hardest part; it clung tenaciously, and he had to lather up four times before Jack finally assured him that the back of his head was completely visible again, along with the rest of him.
Meanwhile, Owen and Gwen returned from their hunt empty handed, having lost their quarry’s trail on the far side of the Taff. They thought the creature must have swum across the river, but although they’d searched along both banks for half a mile in each direction, they hadn’t been able to find any trace of it.
“We’ll all head out again after sunset and see if we can round it up,” Jack decided. “With any luck it won’t be as active after dark. Owen, I want you to work with Tosh. We’re going to need protective gear that won’t dissolve if the creature sprays us; either that or something that can neutralise the stuff, otherwise we all run the risk of winding up naked and invisible, which would be inconvenient.”
“Just to be safe, I suggest we all dress in expendable clothing,” Ianto added. “I’ve got overalls for everyone; not exactly stylish and some of you might have to turn up the legs and sleeves, but if they get dissolved or otherwise ruined, they’re easily replaceable.” Ianto handed out the packages; he was already wearing a set himself.
“You do know we won’t be going out after our friend for a few hours yet, right?” Jack asked, looking Ianto and his overalls up and down.
“I’m aware of that,” Ianto said, “but in case you’ve forgotten I have a lot of footprints and other… things to clean up so I thought I’d get on with that.” Arming himself with a bucket of seawater, a fresh bottle of washing up liquid, plenty of rags, and a big scrubbing brush, he set to work. He wouldn’t be happy until he’d erased every last trace of this undignified incident!
The End