112. Children
"There were four," Owen said to Ianto, his breath coming quickly after the long chase on foot. He turned in a slow circle, keeping his gun aimed at the shadows. "Where's the fourth?"
"I lost it," Tosh answered, baffled, from the Hub. "I'm going through all the nearby CCTV footage." She paused and Ianto could hear the steady taptaptap of her fingers on the keyboard, and then her quiet, frustrated swear. "But it's got to be there somewhere."
Owen lowered his gun but still searched for movement with his eyes. "No, Tosh, surely it went on holiday."
"Jamaica," Jack contributed over his shoulder, eyebrows raised, as he crouched down to examine the pair of fallen Weevils. "Nice this time of year." Everyone ignored him - or at least Ianto did - but he didn't seem to notice as he jostled one corpse to check for a pulse at the wrist, its other limbs sprawled limp and lifeless.
Ianto, as he knelt by the third body a few feet away, came to an uncomfortable conclusion. It had been impossible to tell from the distance, but now, looking at the obviously half-grown creature, he was sure they had been youths.
Jack lifted his head and told Gwen, who stood the closest to him and watched with an expectant gaze, "Both dead."
Grimly, Ianto pulled himself to his feet and said, "This one also."
"I wish we didn't have to do that," Jack commented quietly, almost to himself.
Gwen opened her mouth to speak, but just then Tosh interrupted over the comm. "Jack, I think I've got it. Due east-- take the first right."
"Owen, get them into the SUV," Jack said immediately, pointing toward the bodies. Owen scowled and reached for the plastic gloves in his pocket, and for a moment Jack did nothing but gaze into the night. Then, he sucked in a deep breath. "Right. Everyone else, let's go."
They found the fourth Weevil a few streets away, alone in the middle of an empty car park. In truth, they heard rather than saw it first: it was hunched over, as though in anguish, and howling an empty, echoing cry.
Gwen, a few seconds behind, skidded to a halt by Ianto's side, and observed the lonely creature for a few seconds. "What's it doing?"
Ianto cast a dark look Jack's way. He recognised the sound from Janet's cell some time ago. They had been guessing then, but that guess seemed to fit uncomfortably well. "Weeping," Jack said now, his jaw set.
"Wha--" She looked between them, then back at the Weevil, concerned. "Is it wounded?"
"She," Ianto corrected automatically. Most of the adult Weevils they'd found were female; it was just another baffling fact about them. When Gwen looked exasperated, he looked directly at her and began, "The others, the ones that were shot?" She nodded, waiting for an answer, and he exhaled slowly. "They were adolescents."
He could almost see her thinking about that, coming to all the most likely conclusions. Her eyes widened. "Her children?"
"We killed them," Jack answered, flatly. He must have decided that this particular Weevil wasn't a threat, because in that moment he holstered his weapon. "And unless I'm wrong, and I'm not, she felt every minute of it."
Gwen motioned toward the Weevil. "Aren't we going to...?" But when she seemed as if she was going to take a step forward, Jack put a hand on her arm and held her back.
"No," he said, and he shook his head. "No, we've done enough. Let her grieve."
Comment here, please.
"I lost it," Tosh answered, baffled, from the Hub. "I'm going through all the nearby CCTV footage." She paused and Ianto could hear the steady taptaptap of her fingers on the keyboard, and then her quiet, frustrated swear. "But it's got to be there somewhere."
Owen lowered his gun but still searched for movement with his eyes. "No, Tosh, surely it went on holiday."
"Jamaica," Jack contributed over his shoulder, eyebrows raised, as he crouched down to examine the pair of fallen Weevils. "Nice this time of year." Everyone ignored him - or at least Ianto did - but he didn't seem to notice as he jostled one corpse to check for a pulse at the wrist, its other limbs sprawled limp and lifeless.
Ianto, as he knelt by the third body a few feet away, came to an uncomfortable conclusion. It had been impossible to tell from the distance, but now, looking at the obviously half-grown creature, he was sure they had been youths.
Jack lifted his head and told Gwen, who stood the closest to him and watched with an expectant gaze, "Both dead."
Grimly, Ianto pulled himself to his feet and said, "This one also."
"I wish we didn't have to do that," Jack commented quietly, almost to himself.
Gwen opened her mouth to speak, but just then Tosh interrupted over the comm. "Jack, I think I've got it. Due east-- take the first right."
"Owen, get them into the SUV," Jack said immediately, pointing toward the bodies. Owen scowled and reached for the plastic gloves in his pocket, and for a moment Jack did nothing but gaze into the night. Then, he sucked in a deep breath. "Right. Everyone else, let's go."
They found the fourth Weevil a few streets away, alone in the middle of an empty car park. In truth, they heard rather than saw it first: it was hunched over, as though in anguish, and howling an empty, echoing cry.
Gwen, a few seconds behind, skidded to a halt by Ianto's side, and observed the lonely creature for a few seconds. "What's it doing?"
Ianto cast a dark look Jack's way. He recognised the sound from Janet's cell some time ago. They had been guessing then, but that guess seemed to fit uncomfortably well. "Weeping," Jack said now, his jaw set.
"Wha--" She looked between them, then back at the Weevil, concerned. "Is it wounded?"
"She," Ianto corrected automatically. Most of the adult Weevils they'd found were female; it was just another baffling fact about them. When Gwen looked exasperated, he looked directly at her and began, "The others, the ones that were shot?" She nodded, waiting for an answer, and he exhaled slowly. "They were adolescents."
He could almost see her thinking about that, coming to all the most likely conclusions. Her eyes widened. "Her children?"
"We killed them," Jack answered, flatly. He must have decided that this particular Weevil wasn't a threat, because in that moment he holstered his weapon. "And unless I'm wrong, and I'm not, she felt every minute of it."
Gwen motioned toward the Weevil. "Aren't we going to...?" But when she seemed as if she was going to take a step forward, Jack put a hand on her arm and held her back.
"No," he said, and he shook his head. "No, we've done enough. Let her grieve."
Comment here, please.