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Fandomweekly Challenge 154 - Set in stone
Title: Set in stone
Fandom: Torchwood
Jack’s eyes stared through the amber haze. There was a beautiful sepia-toned calmness to it. Beyond it, the world appeared to swirl and shift in ways that made it seem totally unreal. That was how he felt right now – disconnected from any kind of reality that made any sense. It was nice to think that he could just drift aimlessly through this swirling, discoloured place without having to latch onto any one thing.
‘Jack?’ The voice that called to him was faint but he sensed he should recognise it. He heard it but he didn’t want to connect with what it was saying. It was threatening to pull him away from the numbing altered state in which he found himself.
‘Jack!’ This time the voice was more insistent and the sharp feminine sound of it was enough to break through the dull haze. Fingers snapped in front of his face and when he blinked, there was a mass of flame red hair obstructing his view, bringing the world back into more than one colour. Llinos demanded his attention, and without realising it, he’d given it to her.
‘Jack, do you know Brennan’s security override code?’ Llinos asked.
He blinked again and this time she frowned directly at him. ‘The code,’ she repeated. ‘The one that gives us access to all the secure archive files.’
Jack dumbly shook his head. He should know it, or could have hacked it fairly easily. Mind you, Tilda Breannan was the kind of woman who probably had it written down in a diary full of things like that. She liked diaries, it turned out. It wouldn’t be hard to find. Right now though, he couldn’t get his brain going enough to worry about things like that. How could he care about security codes when he’d lost something so much more valuable?
There was a hand on his shoulder, Llinos kneeling in front of him as he sat there in the uncomfortable vinyl chair staring emptily at the glass in front of him. ‘Jack, I need you to drink that,’ she instructed.
For a moment he woke up to where he was. Perhaps she was trying to retcon him. He didn’t want that; didn't want to forget.
‘No.’
‘Just drink the damn scotch, Jack,’ Llinos demanded. ‘I need you clear-headed.’
‘I’ve put the body in the morgue,’ Rhydian said, interrupting them.
‘Not now, Rhydian.’ Then Llinos chewed her lip and turned to the young man in his naval attire. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have been so snappy with you.’
‘It's okay. How’s your head?’
‘Okay. How's yours?’
‘Yeah, I'm okay,’ he said, reflecting on the fact they'd both been drugged by the person who'd supposed to have been leading their team.
Jack slowly reached for the glass in front of him, hand shaking more than he liked as he raised it to his lips. He could smell the oak. It made his stomach clench as he remembered where Llinos had found the bottle. It had been a gift from Jack to Greg. Greg who would never know just how fine a scotch it was. Through trembling lips he forced it down, burning his throat as tears tried to sting in his eyes.
‘Jack? ‘Llinos had her attention turned back to him. ‘I'm so sorry about Greg. But it's just the three of us for now and we need you.’
They needed Jack. It felt like such a hollow thing. Jack wanted only one thing and right now and that was for Greg to be here where he could have held him in his arms.
‘I need to understand what happened down there,’ Llinos said. ‘What do we do to fix it?’
Jack's head shook slowly. ‘What's it worth to you? Torchwood is dead. He'd never wanted to walk away from it as much as he did now. Without Greg here what was the point?
‘Brennan. She had a diary,’ Llinos persisted. ‘You said it was blank. Just a few words.’
“Revenge for the future.” Four little words that had ripped Jack's world apart. They'd gotten their revenge by stealing Greg from him in a flash of agonising white light. Revenge for something Jack hadn't yet done. His beautiful Greg just stolen away. Gone forever. They’d used Brennan as a way to get inside, not that he cared much for the fact that she was now dead thanks to a bullet from his own gun. Then they'd taken what mattered most.
‘We can fix this, right?’ Llinos asked. ‘If they're from the future then we can do something about it; leave a locked file for Torchwood to find them and stop them. Bring Greg back.’
Jack slammed the glass down on the table so hard that it cracked in two, slicing his hand, though he kept a grip on it despite the blood mixing in with the burning alcohol, making it sting painfully. ‘Don’t you understand? Actions of the past can change the future, but you can’t use the future to change the past. I can't atone for this, no matter how much I want to.’
‘Don't you understand, Jack?’ she countered. ‘Do you think Greg would want you just sitting there staring off into space? He'd want you to do something about it. Maybe we can't bring him back, but we've still got a job to do. Brennan was a bad apple - that much you were right about.’
He sighed. ‘What do you want me to do?’
‘Isn't it obvious? You run Torchwood. Do it for us, Rhydian and me. Or if not, do it for Greg. He always said this place would be better off with you in charge. Doesn't that go some way towards atoning for something you haven't even done yet?’
‘I don't know.’
Llinos took the bottle and filled a fresh glass all the way to the rim without it spilling over. ‘Then drink yourself into a stupor and let Torchwood London send us another Brennan to run this place. It's your choice.’
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Llinos King, Rhydian Roberts
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG.
Length: 1,000 words
Content notes: Spoilers for Torchwood book “The Twilight Streets”
Author notes: Written for Challenge 154 - Atonement at ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomweekly
fandomweeklySummary: Jack has to face up to the fact that he can’t change the future.
Jack’s eyes stared through the amber haze. There was a beautiful sepia-toned calmness to it. Beyond it, the world appeared to swirl and shift in ways that made it seem totally unreal. That was how he felt right now – disconnected from any kind of reality that made any sense. It was nice to think that he could just drift aimlessly through this swirling, discoloured place without having to latch onto any one thing.
‘Jack?’ The voice that called to him was faint but he sensed he should recognise it. He heard it but he didn’t want to connect with what it was saying. It was threatening to pull him away from the numbing altered state in which he found himself.
‘Jack!’ This time the voice was more insistent and the sharp feminine sound of it was enough to break through the dull haze. Fingers snapped in front of his face and when he blinked, there was a mass of flame red hair obstructing his view, bringing the world back into more than one colour. Llinos demanded his attention, and without realising it, he’d given it to her.
‘Jack, do you know Brennan’s security override code?’ Llinos asked.
He blinked again and this time she frowned directly at him. ‘The code,’ she repeated. ‘The one that gives us access to all the secure archive files.’
Jack dumbly shook his head. He should know it, or could have hacked it fairly easily. Mind you, Tilda Breannan was the kind of woman who probably had it written down in a diary full of things like that. She liked diaries, it turned out. It wouldn’t be hard to find. Right now though, he couldn’t get his brain going enough to worry about things like that. How could he care about security codes when he’d lost something so much more valuable?
There was a hand on his shoulder, Llinos kneeling in front of him as he sat there in the uncomfortable vinyl chair staring emptily at the glass in front of him. ‘Jack, I need you to drink that,’ she instructed.
For a moment he woke up to where he was. Perhaps she was trying to retcon him. He didn’t want that; didn't want to forget.
‘No.’
‘Just drink the damn scotch, Jack,’ Llinos demanded. ‘I need you clear-headed.’
‘I’ve put the body in the morgue,’ Rhydian said, interrupting them.
‘Not now, Rhydian.’ Then Llinos chewed her lip and turned to the young man in his naval attire. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have been so snappy with you.’
‘It's okay. How’s your head?’
‘Okay. How's yours?’
‘Yeah, I'm okay,’ he said, reflecting on the fact they'd both been drugged by the person who'd supposed to have been leading their team.
Jack slowly reached for the glass in front of him, hand shaking more than he liked as he raised it to his lips. He could smell the oak. It made his stomach clench as he remembered where Llinos had found the bottle. It had been a gift from Jack to Greg. Greg who would never know just how fine a scotch it was. Through trembling lips he forced it down, burning his throat as tears tried to sting in his eyes.
‘Jack? ‘Llinos had her attention turned back to him. ‘I'm so sorry about Greg. But it's just the three of us for now and we need you.’
They needed Jack. It felt like such a hollow thing. Jack wanted only one thing and right now and that was for Greg to be here where he could have held him in his arms.
‘I need to understand what happened down there,’ Llinos said. ‘What do we do to fix it?’
Jack's head shook slowly. ‘What's it worth to you? Torchwood is dead. He'd never wanted to walk away from it as much as he did now. Without Greg here what was the point?
‘Brennan. She had a diary,’ Llinos persisted. ‘You said it was blank. Just a few words.’
“Revenge for the future.” Four little words that had ripped Jack's world apart. They'd gotten their revenge by stealing Greg from him in a flash of agonising white light. Revenge for something Jack hadn't yet done. His beautiful Greg just stolen away. Gone forever. They’d used Brennan as a way to get inside, not that he cared much for the fact that she was now dead thanks to a bullet from his own gun. Then they'd taken what mattered most.
‘We can fix this, right?’ Llinos asked. ‘If they're from the future then we can do something about it; leave a locked file for Torchwood to find them and stop them. Bring Greg back.’
Jack slammed the glass down on the table so hard that it cracked in two, slicing his hand, though he kept a grip on it despite the blood mixing in with the burning alcohol, making it sting painfully. ‘Don’t you understand? Actions of the past can change the future, but you can’t use the future to change the past. I can't atone for this, no matter how much I want to.’
‘Don't you understand, Jack?’ she countered. ‘Do you think Greg would want you just sitting there staring off into space? He'd want you to do something about it. Maybe we can't bring him back, but we've still got a job to do. Brennan was a bad apple - that much you were right about.’
He sighed. ‘What do you want me to do?’
‘Isn't it obvious? You run Torchwood. Do it for us, Rhydian and me. Or if not, do it for Greg. He always said this place would be better off with you in charge. Doesn't that go some way towards atoning for something you haven't even done yet?’
‘I don't know.’
Llinos took the bottle and filled a fresh glass all the way to the rim without it spilling over. ‘Then drink yourself into a stupor and let Torchwood London send us another Brennan to run this place. It's your choice.’