fractured_agent | Captain Jack and Captain Jack [for slayers

"The Captain just needs a little push... but it would only be right if he did it for himself." April at least concentrates, projecting the music into the room where the two Captains are alone.

Under normal circumstances, Jack would notice April's subtle attempt to play matchmaker. But he's sufficiently distracted tonight that it doesn't strike him as unusual.

Captain Harkness, too, does not notice a sudden increase in music in the room. It seems natural and expected, even. And it's appropriate that April has chosen to do this during a song for slow-dancing between couples.

"I might have to leave before the night is over," Jack says, half-hoping that it takes a little longer for his team to open the Rift, and knowing that it won't be.

Captain Harkness calls on all his courage, feeling like he's doing something even more brave than flying sorties against the Germans. He takes a breath, and reaches over to hold Jack's hand. "Then make the most of now."

((bedtime))

"They are having one last dance..." April whispers to Tosh.

They are indeed. Captain Harkness takes a chance, glad for this moment alone in private, although after tonight he might have thrown caution to the wind and danced with his fellow captain in front of everyone. And Jack... he knows that the captain can't possibly know what he's done, but here in each other's arms, it feels an awful lot like forgiveness. And his heart breaks all the more for this beautiful man, that tonight is his last night alive.

April finds a sit and wait, for that is all she can do right now. She has given the Captains their moment alone. And guided Tosh to the electrical box. She is not sure how long before the portal will open, but stays hopefully that they won't have to wait for long.

Jack takes a chance and moves in for a kiss...

And that's when the portal opens. A blazing blue-white light, drowning out almost everything else, coming from the doorway into the main dance hall. Most people in the dance hall don't seem to notice, despite the brilliance.

Tosh grabs her laptop bag immediately. "Come on, we need to go!"

Jack! The portal is here! She hates to interrupt him at this moment, but April doesn't know how long the portal will remain open.

The captains look at each other, neither one wanting the moment to end. "I have to go," Jack says, reluctantly. "It's my duty."

The captain nods, not understanding, but accepting it all the same. There's a shared moment of regret as Jack turns to go with Tosh and April.

Hell with it. If he doesn't do this now, he'll regret it forever. Jack turns back around and kisses the captain, wishing it could last longer, glad that they got the chance to at least let Captain Harkness know that he will be loved and remembered. One last kiss for the dying man.

April can sense the passion and Jack's intent behind the kiss. It almost takes her breath away.

"He is coming... let's go..." She tells Tosh, heading for the portal.

Tosh hurries through, unsure how long it will stay open. To her, the room around her fades until it's empty of people, and the room is derelict and dusty.

Jack heads for the portal, but turns around one last time before heading through. Captain Harkness snaps to attention and salutes in farewell, the best gesture of respect he can give for his fellow captain. Then he too fades from sight, bringing all three of them back to the present day.

And just like that they are back in the present. April figures that Jack's team must be nearby, since they must have found the equations and opened the portal.

She moves to stand by Jack, not sure how he might be feeling right now.

On this side of the Rift, no light appeared except as a brief moment when they came through. So Gwen doesn't immediately realize that anything has happened.

As soon as they walk out the front door, however, she spots them and runs up to Tosh to hug her, then Jack, and April. "You made it! Oh, you made it!" She's stressed but mostly happy, and a bit worried for what she heard over the comms back at the Hub during all this.

Jack figures that must be where Ianto and Owen are still, since they don't seem to be here. It's hard, getting back into Torchwood mode after leaving the Captain behind in 1941. He looks back at the building for a few moments, not sure how to feel.

"Did something happen back at the Hub?" Jack seems distracted, so April will ask Gwen the question. After all she can sense the stress from the young woman.

Gwen reminds herself about her shields, having forgotten them in the heat of the moment. Something April probably expects most of them will be doing this early in their lessons. "Ah, Owen and Ianto had a bit of a... disagreement about whether to use the mainpulator without the full equations." Calling it a disagreement is an understatement. She heard gunshots.

That gets Jack's attention immediately. As well as Tosh's. "Without the full equations? I wrote down everything they should've needed," Tosh protests.

"We found your note, but... someone scratched out the last set of numbers," Gwen says nervously.

"There must have been a reason for someone to do that..." And she has a pretty good feeling who it was.

"Gwen, did you run into Bilis Manger while you were here?"

Edited 2014-03-18 17:48 (UTC)

"You mean the caretaker? Yes, he let me in," Gwen says, slightly confused. "Why?"

Jack doesn't like where this is going. "We need to get back to the Hub," he says, striding towards the SUV. "Tosh, I'm sorry but it looks like your party might have to wait a little longer."

April frowns slightly. But knows Jack has good reason to rush back to the Hub. She is not sure what Bilis had planned, but she definitely wants to find out quickly.

"When we get back, you need to start taking readings of the Rift," Jack says to Tosh. "Gwen, you're on Weevil watch. We might not see effects right away, but the Rift is volatile enough that this might be a disaster in the making."

Gwen bites her lip and nods. "I still don't understand what the caretaker has to do with this."

"What do you want me to do?" April is not going to let them face this problem alone. Not if she could help.

"Help Gwen keep an eye out for any unusual activity in the city. Strange music, upset Weevils, Celtic druids showing up, anything. Messing with the Rift is dangerous; that's why we don't use the manipulator," Jack explains as they get underway. "If it was opened without all the equations needed, that's like trying to fly a passenger jet when all you know how to fly is a Spitfire. You might be able to figure it out but you're far more likely to crash."

"Sure thing." April already sets her mind to sensing unusual activity, projecting out with her voices. She doesn't need physical readings to get warnings about what might be important to note.

She also taps into the Weevil mindhive, to get a good feeling for how they might be reacting to the situation.

There's nothing yet, but it feels like the calm before the storm. Something big is brewing, like the foreshocks of a major earthquake. Something big is going to happen. Perhaps not today, maybe not tomorrow, but definitely very soon.

The Weevils are agitated, disturbed by the strange ripples in time that no one else can sense. They aren't ready to come out and attack anyone just yet, but they're definitely unsettled.

Jack drives like a madman to get back to the Torchwood garage, leaning on the horn and speeding through intersections with little regard for traffic laws. Ianto is not there to greet them.

April closes her eyes during the drive. Not only to get a better sense of what she is feeling... but also to block out the erratic driving.

"Jack. I sense a calm before the storm. Something is on the horizon..."

It is unsettling not to see Ianto there. But if he (or Owen) are injured, April should be able to sniff out the blood.

She won't smell the blood until the Hub door rolls open. Owen is pressing a wad of cloth to his shoulder to stem the bleeding from a bullethole in his shoulder. Ianto has his sidearm unholstered, but he isn't pointing it at Owen anymore. He only glances over when he hears the door. "Welcome back, sir," he says in a tense, clipped voice.

"What the hell happened?" Jack demands.

"Your bloody tea boy shot me," Owen complains.

April flinches. Of course only Jack will know it is not because she is squeamish, but the others might assume.

"Why did he do that?"

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