Not Another One.

[capj_harkness]

Who: Jack, Ianto and Toshiko
When: Immediately after Tosh detected some rift activity.
Where: Someplace in Cardiff.
What: Jack, Tosh and Ianto check out the rift activity and find something a little disturbing.
Status: Incomplete.

Comments

[tw_toshiko]

"Okay, hang on."

Toshiko settled herself, turned on the monitor and moved the keyboard into place. "I've got a reading at... grid ref: 317600,173900. It doesn't seem to be moving." Checking where the reference was for, she groaned when the answer appeared. "It's made it to the Retail Park."

[tea_boy_x]

With his usual stoic 'Yes, Sir', Ianto had followed Jack and Tosh. He'd climbed into the passenger seat and held onto the door since Jack was driving. Still drove like a mad man at times, that hadn't changed at all.

Of course the SUV was implacable and ready to go even after it's last use. Ianto Jones always made sure of that. As always he sat quietly while the others did their job. Ready and waiting to do his.

...Which, out on the field, he was never quite sure what that was.

[capj_harkness]

"Great," Jack said, glancing at his watch. It was just after four in the afternoon. "So you're telling me we're going to have a lot of witnesses."

He glanced at Ianto. "Can you check the computer and see if any reports have been called in yet?" He snorted lightly. "Either to police or the media, I don't care which. I'll take any information about the disturbance at this point."

[tw_toshiko]

"We've lost it again," Toshiko warned, then began to try and get the signal back.

[tea_boy_x]

"Yes, Sir," Ianto replied, pulling the things he needed out. Tosh could have done it while she was keeping an eye on the signal, he had no doubt. But at least this way he had something to do.

Or not...

"No reports yet, Sir. Can't be long though. I'll keep watching."

[capj_harkness]

Jack looked over in concern. "No reports?" he remarked. "It's a public place!"

He glanced at Tosh in the rearview mirror. "Signal?"

[tw_toshiko]

"Still nothing," she replied, starting a fresh scan in the hope of picking up something. she shook her head. "I don't understand it, there's no sign of Rift activity, it couldn't have gone back the way it came, but there's no signal, nothing at all." It was ridiculous, there had to be something.

Just when she thought they were going to have to sit and wait, a loud beep demanded her attention. "Got it!" She announced triumphantly. "That's odd- it's still in exactly the same place it was before... it hasn't moved."

[tea_boy_x]

A wince crossed his face at Jack's outcry. It wasn't his fault the people weren't more observant. Often of times they only saw what that wanted to see.

"I'm sorry, sir," he muttered, typing away frantically to see if he could find anything for the Captain. But just as Tosh had lost the signal, he couldn't... Oh, the signal was back.

That was at least something.

"Maybe it's hurt," Ianto suggested. What? It could be, couldn't it?

[capj_harkness]

"It could be," Jack agreed with Ianto. He sped up, though he was already speeding, concerned about losing the signal again.

"When we find out exactly where it is, maybe we'll find out why nobody's seen it. I suppose it could be in a storage room or a dumpster or something."

He glanced at Ianto. "Or maybe it looks enough like a human not to stand out."

[tw_toshiko]

It was more than likely, it wouldn't be the first time an alien hadn't been noticed simply because they looked even vaguely human.

The wail of a police siren as it passed them, made Toshiko look out of the side window of the SUV. "Looks like they've had a call about something."

[tea_boy_x]

"Not about this they haven't," Ianto said, glancing over his shoulder at Tosh. "Still no report." Why were they so anxious to have a report? It /not/ having been noticed would be a good thing wouldn't it?

Or maybe that was just his 'in the shadows' way of thinking. Unlike the others he still didn't get this rush of adrenaline when going out in the field. Oh, he could do the job and he could do it well. But he'd much rather stay at the hub and do what he was good at. Back up and clean-up.

[capj_harkness]

Jack laughed and gave Ianto a cheeky smile. "Maybe they heard about a maniac speeding through the city streets," he suggested, not slowing down in the least.

[tw_toshiko]

Toshiko sighed, staring at the screen in front of her, still hadn't moved, maybe it was dead or something.

"Which reminds me," she said, Jack's words about speeding jogging her memory. "Owen mentioned something had dropped off the dashboard again- think he said he put it in the glove box."

[tea_boy_x]

He was almost tempted to place bets. Was it humanoid or wounded? Or both? Wouldn't it be something they'd finally rushed in to /save/ an alien? Usually they went out to capture some nasty and sometimes had to terminate it.

It wasn't a fun part of the job.

Ianto smiled at Jack, one hand holding onto the door. "That might just be it," he agreed with a murmur. Jack did drive like a maniac at times, no one, not even Jack, could deny Jack. There were times he had the urge to remind that man that his passengers /could/, in fact, die.

"Did he?" Ianto briefly glanced at the glove box before turning his eyes back to the screen. Couldn't have been important or he'd have needed this 'it' by now.

[capj_harkness]

"Owen has no respect for the gizmos!" Jack declared. "You didn't let him drive while I was gone," he joked.

He glanced at Tosh in the rearview mirror. "We're coming up on the coordinates," he said, as the retail complex came into view in front of them. "Anything?" he asked, addressing both of his passengers. One more chance for information, then it was jumping in feet first, whether they knew what to expect or not.

[tw_toshiko]

"Not altogether sure what it was," she said, in reply to Ianto's comment. "Bit hard to tell with all the expletives."

"Take the next left, looks like it's in the loading bay behind Argos." She said, suddenly getting a more positive reading.