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Fandomweekly Challenge 182 - Make or break
Title: Make or break
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Kathy Swanson, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,000 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 182 - Investigation at![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomweekly
Summary: DI Kathy Swanson has been given a case that could make or break her career.
Detective Inspector Kathy Swanson tapped the end of her pen on the desk repeatedly, almost oblivious to the constant clicking sound it was making. She didn't even know where to begin on a case like this. It wasn't as if this was the most difficult case she'd ever had, but it was new that she immediately felt out of her depth.
She didn't like to get too involved with what Torchwood did. She'd seen enough just from standing on the fringes to finally understand that they weren’t just here to make her life hell. Some of the things they dealt with boggled her mind, and that was just the stuff she knew about - weevils and drug-addled serial killers, odd bits of supposedly alien technology that appeared in the city, which the everyday man innocently picked up and suffered the consequences. She wouldn't ever swap her job for theirs.
This however wasn't alien – at last she didn't think so – and it strangely wasn't something that Torchwood wanted her to keep her nose out of. “We’ll take it from here,” were the standard words that grated on her.
On the contrary, Jack had specifically asked her to get involved. It seemed strange to hear him ask her for help. Harkness didn’t strike her as a man who ever asked for help. What could she do that Torchwood couldn't? Why couldn't they investigate this? Perhaps they were, she thought, feeling that old bitterness return. Perhaps she was just another arm of their investigations, chasing down leads they felt were too unimportant to consider, covering all bases. If that was the case, then they could just sod off.
Her phone buzzed and an unknown number flashed across the screen. ‘DI Swanson,’ she answered.
‘Detective, it's Jack Harkness.’
‘Oh, I was just thinking about you.’
‘My ears are burning,’ he quipped. ‘Hope it was only good things.’
‘Not likely,’ she replied, hoping it didn't sound too standoffish given he’d turned on his usual charm. She decided to go for the direct approach. ‘About this investigation…’
‘You've got something?’
‘I haven't even started.’ She'd only had the case for five whole minutes, and yet she couldn’t help but observe the way his interest piqued immediately.
‘Oh, sorry. I was just hoping maybe…’ Jack sounded furtive, and a little disappointed. All that earlier charm and showmanship fell away in an instant.
Kathy leaned forward over her desk, gripping her pen more tightly, poised to note down anything usual Harkness had to say. ‘You're serious? You really want me investigating this?’
‘Of course I do. Why else would I have asked you?’
‘I don't know. I just assumed this was the kind of thing you did to coppers, making them feel like they were doing something important only to find out you're having a laugh at our expense.’
‘When it comes to the safety of my team, Detective, I take that very seriously.’
Kathy tried not to let her surprise show, giving how steely and determined the reply had been. ‘And Jones? How is he?’ She didn't think now was the time to mention that some of the officers who’d stayed overnight to finish cleaning up the scene had spotted people placing flowers and candles by the crushed stone fence where Torchwood's vehicle had slammed sideways into it, narrowly avoiding piling directly through the house at the end of the T-junction, and somehow also missing a collision with any cars travelling along the road at the time. Enough damage had been done for locals to assume there’d been fatalities. Their assumptions should have been correct. You didn't walk away from a car with damaged brake lines careening down the steepest hill in Cardiff. Not unless you were damn lucky.
There was a pregnant pause before Jack replied, as if just thinking about it was upsetting. ‘They kept him overnight on concussion watch, but he should be able to come home this afternoon. Apart from a dislocated shoulder, and a few cuts and bruises, he should be fine. I was just on my way over there now to pick him up and take him home.’
‘Without a car?’ Kathy queried.
‘I take taxis just like everybody else,’ Jack replied. ‘Speaking of the SUV, when can I send Tosh down there to supervise your SOCO people in their analysis?’
And there it was; Torchwood imposing themselves on the investigation again. ‘The car is still at the impound. I can hold off their review for a couple of hours at most. Either way, they're not going to like having a civilian potentially hampering their efforts.’
‘Tosh has maximum security clearance. Your team will basically be working for her without breaking any sort of chain of evidence type protocols you have. Just tell her where the boundaries are. I don't want any evidence being jeopardised if it comes down to that.’
Jack’s response surprised her yet again. ‘You think we're going to have someone to prosecute?’
‘We're afforded the same rights to justice under the law as everybody else. I don't see why not.’
‘Assumed you'd just make them disappear.’
‘We don't operate like that, much as people might think so. My boyfriend was nearly killed by someone who wanted one of us, or maybe all of us, dead. I can't live with that. My team shouldn't have to live with that. Whoever it is, and whatever their agenda, they need to be found and stopped. Maybe it was a one off, but maybe they'll try again. Either way, my team has enough to deal with without looking over their shoulders thinking someone is out to get them.’
Kathy chewed her lip and considered it for a moment. ‘So, this is my investigation, and Torchwood aren’t going to involve themselves, apart from forensic analysis on the car?’
‘We'll provide statements and a list of anyone who might hold a grudge, but yes. We’re victims in this. I expect the police to do their job and find out who did this and why.’
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Kathy Swanson, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,000 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 182 - Investigation at
fandomweekly Summary: DI Kathy Swanson has been given a case that could make or break her career.
Detective Inspector Kathy Swanson tapped the end of her pen on the desk repeatedly, almost oblivious to the constant clicking sound it was making. She didn't even know where to begin on a case like this. It wasn't as if this was the most difficult case she'd ever had, but it was new that she immediately felt out of her depth.
She didn't like to get too involved with what Torchwood did. She'd seen enough just from standing on the fringes to finally understand that they weren’t just here to make her life hell. Some of the things they dealt with boggled her mind, and that was just the stuff she knew about - weevils and drug-addled serial killers, odd bits of supposedly alien technology that appeared in the city, which the everyday man innocently picked up and suffered the consequences. She wouldn't ever swap her job for theirs.
This however wasn't alien – at last she didn't think so – and it strangely wasn't something that Torchwood wanted her to keep her nose out of. “We’ll take it from here,” were the standard words that grated on her.
On the contrary, Jack had specifically asked her to get involved. It seemed strange to hear him ask her for help. Harkness didn’t strike her as a man who ever asked for help. What could she do that Torchwood couldn't? Why couldn't they investigate this? Perhaps they were, she thought, feeling that old bitterness return. Perhaps she was just another arm of their investigations, chasing down leads they felt were too unimportant to consider, covering all bases. If that was the case, then they could just sod off.
Her phone buzzed and an unknown number flashed across the screen. ‘DI Swanson,’ she answered.
‘Detective, it's Jack Harkness.’
‘Oh, I was just thinking about you.’
‘My ears are burning,’ he quipped. ‘Hope it was only good things.’
‘Not likely,’ she replied, hoping it didn't sound too standoffish given he’d turned on his usual charm. She decided to go for the direct approach. ‘About this investigation…’
‘You've got something?’
‘I haven't even started.’ She'd only had the case for five whole minutes, and yet she couldn’t help but observe the way his interest piqued immediately.
‘Oh, sorry. I was just hoping maybe…’ Jack sounded furtive, and a little disappointed. All that earlier charm and showmanship fell away in an instant.
Kathy leaned forward over her desk, gripping her pen more tightly, poised to note down anything usual Harkness had to say. ‘You're serious? You really want me investigating this?’
‘Of course I do. Why else would I have asked you?’
‘I don't know. I just assumed this was the kind of thing you did to coppers, making them feel like they were doing something important only to find out you're having a laugh at our expense.’
‘When it comes to the safety of my team, Detective, I take that very seriously.’
Kathy tried not to let her surprise show, giving how steely and determined the reply had been. ‘And Jones? How is he?’ She didn't think now was the time to mention that some of the officers who’d stayed overnight to finish cleaning up the scene had spotted people placing flowers and candles by the crushed stone fence where Torchwood's vehicle had slammed sideways into it, narrowly avoiding piling directly through the house at the end of the T-junction, and somehow also missing a collision with any cars travelling along the road at the time. Enough damage had been done for locals to assume there’d been fatalities. Their assumptions should have been correct. You didn't walk away from a car with damaged brake lines careening down the steepest hill in Cardiff. Not unless you were damn lucky.
There was a pregnant pause before Jack replied, as if just thinking about it was upsetting. ‘They kept him overnight on concussion watch, but he should be able to come home this afternoon. Apart from a dislocated shoulder, and a few cuts and bruises, he should be fine. I was just on my way over there now to pick him up and take him home.’
‘Without a car?’ Kathy queried.
‘I take taxis just like everybody else,’ Jack replied. ‘Speaking of the SUV, when can I send Tosh down there to supervise your SOCO people in their analysis?’
And there it was; Torchwood imposing themselves on the investigation again. ‘The car is still at the impound. I can hold off their review for a couple of hours at most. Either way, they're not going to like having a civilian potentially hampering their efforts.’
‘Tosh has maximum security clearance. Your team will basically be working for her without breaking any sort of chain of evidence type protocols you have. Just tell her where the boundaries are. I don't want any evidence being jeopardised if it comes down to that.’
Jack’s response surprised her yet again. ‘You think we're going to have someone to prosecute?’
‘We're afforded the same rights to justice under the law as everybody else. I don't see why not.’
‘Assumed you'd just make them disappear.’
‘We don't operate like that, much as people might think so. My boyfriend was nearly killed by someone who wanted one of us, or maybe all of us, dead. I can't live with that. My team shouldn't have to live with that. Whoever it is, and whatever their agenda, they need to be found and stopped. Maybe it was a one off, but maybe they'll try again. Either way, my team has enough to deal with without looking over their shoulders thinking someone is out to get them.’
Kathy chewed her lip and considered it for a moment. ‘So, this is my investigation, and Torchwood aren’t going to involve themselves, apart from forensic analysis on the car?’
‘We'll provide statements and a list of anyone who might hold a grudge, but yes. We’re victims in this. I expect the police to do their job and find out who did this and why.’