Blue Siofra (blue_siofra) wrote in butterfly_fics, @ 2010-02-26 02:12:00 |
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Current mood: | geeky |
The Trouble with Tribbles
Title: The Trouble with Tribbles
Author: blue_siofra
Rating: G
Characters: Torchwood, Tribbles
Beta: DLH
"Rift activity!" Tosh called out a split second before a white light flashed through the hub. When the team could see again, everything seemed just as it was before. When the internal scans came up negative, they didn't give it a second thought.
The following morning, when Ianto arrived to make the coffee, he was puzzled at the short, light brown hair in Jack's mug. And then the biscuits were missing. Nonplussed, he just made a mental note to pick up more at lunch.
Two days after the rift activity, Jack found the first one when it landed on his head. Myfanwy's screech followed the soft thud of the thing landing. The curiosity level rose as the thing softly trilled in Jack's hand.
"It's kind of cute, whatever it is," Tosh remarked, taking it from Jack. The fur puff trilled, almost like it was purring, as she stroked it.
Owen plucked it from Tosh, examining it. "It's odd, I'll give it that. I'll have to run more tests to see what it is." He headed to the autopsy bay with the small creature.
"You know, it looks familiar," Jack commented as he watched the doctor's back retreat. The spell broken, they all returned to work.
That afternoon, Jack came down to the autopsy bay to check on Owen's progress with the creature. On the autopsy table sat two of Owen's largest metal bowls, both over flowing with more puff balls.
"All I can ascertain is that they do two things. Eat and reproduce. I think they may be born pregnant even," he commented, staring at the balls as the creatures moved about and there seemed to be even more of them.
"Born pregnant...." Jack ran up the stairs to his office. Coming back down with a dvd case. "I know what these are!"
The team gathered around the bay as Jack held up the dvd. "They're called Tribbles. They're from the planet Iota Geminorum IV. We have to get rid of these and soon. They eat everything and reproduce faster than rabbits."
"We can't kill them, Jack. They're too cute and they haven't done any harm yet," Gwen picked up one and started petting it. "They're so calming too."
"Tosh, does the rift predictor show anything soon, within the next few hours?" Jack called over his shoulder as he started jogging to the workstations. He typed in a few parameters before standing back, allowing the internal scanners to do the work.
About 50 red dots showed up on the map, most of them in the autopsy bay and another large concentration in Myfanwy's nest.
"There, that's not too bad yet. They haven't found enough food to really multiply yet. Ianto! You're with me, we've got to collect these up, Tosh, anything yet on the predictor? Owen, Gwen - round up the strays. We're going to send these things back the way they came."
"There seems to be an anomaly starting near Cathays Park. It should take about an hour to fully manifest. I'll be able to pinpoint where exactly soon."
An hour later, nobody noticed as five people heaved two large cardboard boxes full of fluff balls into a bunch of glowing gases above the Redwood building.