m_findlow

Title: Mr Blobby
Fandom: Torchwood
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Word Count: 500 words
Characters/Pairings: Jack, Gwen, Ianto
Author notes: Written for Challenge #017 - Conundrum at

vocab_drabbles
Summary: No one is quite sure what to do with Torchwood’s latest guest.

Gwen turned her head as her two teammates could be head clomping down the stairs, one in polished dress shoes, the other in heavy boots. ‘Any update?’ she asked as Ianto was the first to join her in front of the cell door, studying the large orange blob currently occupying it.

‘Nope.’ They both turned their gaze to Jack as he came to stand beside them.

‘I don't know why you're both looking at me,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what it is. Never seen one before in my life.’

Gwen revealed the gap between her teeth as she smiled at him. ‘And here I was thinking you’d shagged everything in the known universe.’ She made sure she enjoyed Ianto’s amused little smirk. Jokes about Jack and Ianto’s sex life may have been off limits, but jokes about Jack’s sex life in general were fair game and regularly exploited.

Jack didn't let the comment bait him. ‘I'm immortal, not completely without scruples. There are some things you just wouldn't.’

‘Good to know you have standards,’ Ianto teased.

Jack shrugged, enjoying the banter. ‘What can I say? You set the bar.’

Gwen tried to turn the conversation back to the problem at hand. ‘Still, you've no idea what it is? Not even the slightest idea what or where we should be looking?’ It wasn’t as if they could ask it what it was or where it had come from.

Jack gave another shrug as they continued to watch the creature for any signs that it might reveal its own identity. ‘Orange, blobby and highly electrified,’ Jack replied. ‘Not something I recommend getting close to.’

‘Yes, well I think we gathered that.’ Gwen frowned and cocked her head sideways. ‘Strange though. It came along peacefully enough, but it hasn't tried to make any attempts at communication.’

‘That we can discern,’ Ianto clarified. ‘It could be emitting some sort of electrical signals that we can’t detect. Not sure that trying to plug it into our mainframe is a good idea, though.’

‘Agreed.’ Jack said, nodding. ‘It could just be waiting for us to try something like that. Next thing you know, it’s shut down all our systems, or sent out a message to its friends that the invasion is good to proceed.’

‘It can’t stay here forever,’ Gwen said. She didn’t like the idea of anything emitting a deadly dose of electrical charge being inside the hub.

‘God knows how you expect me to figure out what it eats,’ Ianto added. ‘Assuming it even eats food at all. Perhaps it fancies something more energising. Alternating current or direct?’

‘There must be some way to communicate with it,’ Gwen insisted. ‘We just haven’t figured out what that is yet. Not without getting closer.’

‘Don’t,’ Ianto quickly said, giving Jack a stern blue-eyed glare. ‘I know what you’re thinking. Just don’t. It’ll kill you.’

Jack threw his hands up. ‘As a last resort only, I swear. Until then, happy for us to keep puzzling away.’