Advent day 2
Dec. 2nd, 2006 11:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anotherusedpageOk. Right. Warnings for implied m/m. Also, angst.
The light is dim in the office. It unnerves people, puts them off guard. Reminds them of how he operates, out of the shadows, so to speak. Anyone in this office has already stepped well into the shadows, and ought to know well how he operates. Still, sometimes the effect is still important.
The conversation goes a little like this:
‘You think I should deal with it personally?’
‘I think that might be best sir.’
‘He’s some sort of a threat?’
Eyes on the wall above his right shoulder, fixed and focussed.
‘Hard to say, sir.’ A careful answer, which pleases him almost as much as it irritates him.
‘The questioning is of a – delicate nature? He is someone well known?’
‘No sir. Not that. Never heard of him before.’
He raises an eyebrow. The guardsman quails.
‘He says he’s from the future, sir.’
‘He’s insane?’
‘Not… not so’s you’d notice, sir. Not babbling, anyway.’
‘Then you believed him?’
‘Couldn’t say, sir.’ A pause. ‘Thought you might want to talk to him personally.’
‘I see.’ He smiles, slightly. It’s not supposed to be reassuring.
‘Is he … interesting?’ he says.
‘Couldn’t possibly comment, sir.’
*
The man is unintimidated. This suggests that he is a fool, or insane. He’s undecided as to which, so far.
Or, perhaps, he truly does not know where he is and who this is who’s been called in to speak to him; and how much trouble he might be in. This too is an option, and all options must be explored.
His face is open and smiling, as if there are no secrets to hide. This must be a lie; some secrets are best hidden in the open.
‘Captain Jack Harkness?’
‘That’s right.’
‘Captain of what, exactly?’
‘Nothing that you’ll have heard of,’ Jack says.
‘There is not much anywhere within the White City or without that I haven’t heard of.’
Jack shrugs.
‘I was a Time Agent,’ he says. ‘And in the American army for a while. I like the title. It just sort of stuck.’
These are things that he has not heard of, and this worries him.
‘From the future?’ he says.
‘The future. Or the past. Somewhere out of time.’ Jack frowns. ‘To tell the truth, I’m not exactly sure where I am, or how I got here. Out of the realm of dream, I believe.
Dream. That is territory that he is vaguely familiar at least. A good excuse. Plausible. Possibly even true.
‘And what do you want here?’
‘I’m just passing through.’
‘On your way South? Or East?’
‘No particular destination,’ Jack says.
‘You may have to stay for a while. You understand.’
‘Oh, I’m in no hurry. I’ve got all the time in the world.’
Carlos stands to leave.
‘I would suggest that you had better give that back whatever it is you have taken from me,’ he says.
Jack shrugs.
‘I could say the same to you,’ he says. Carlos smiles.
‘You are not in any position to do so,’ he says.
‘Perhaps not.’ Jack smiles back. ‘Still, it would be courteous.’
‘I could merely have you searched for it.’
‘Are you sure you would find it? You are not even sure what I have taken.’
‘And you are not sure of what I have taken.’
‘We could both assume that it is nothing of consequence, then,’ Jack says. ‘Or we could shake hands and part as friends.’
Carlos hesitates, and then holds out his hand.
The weight in his pockets returns to comforting familiarity. The metallic object that had felt so strange in the palm of his hand, he returns to its original owner – or at least it’s most recent previous owner.
‘You must have concealed it well from the guards who searched you earlier,’ Carlos says.
‘You have no idea,’ Jack says.
‘I think I might,’ Carlos says, and then shakes his head. ‘If it turns out to be some sort of a weapon, I shall be most disappointed in you. Painfully disappointed, you might say.’
‘I promise,’ Jack says, ‘That if it is a weapon, you will never know about it.’
*
He talks in a whisper. Moves with a casual swagger that looks as though it might once have been effortlessly seductive. Now, there’s something else behind the eyes.
It looks put on. Not an act. Something more than an act.
Jack finds himself wishing he could meet the younger man, the man whose face and manners are still visible now beneath the surface. That man would not have left him in his cell, unmolested.
If something is going to be done, Jack realises, it will have to be him who begins it.
*
‘What sort of a world worships a goddess of betrayal and broken love?’ Jack asks, aghast.
Carlos shrugs.
‘Few worship her. But I cannot imagine a world in which she has no power.’
Jack does not yet agree. That will come later.
*
Afterwards comes silence. That is what Jack remembers. The way the silence descended.
**
Fandom: White City
Dislcaimer: Jack is going to belong to Russel T every day this month, but I suspect I'm going to need to write the disclaimer on him anyway. I'll send him back when I've finished with them.
The White City world belongs to a great number of people. My thanks (and appologies) tojoe_smoke for the loan of Carlos.
AN: This one's at the request ofchains_of_irony. I think she was hoping for something more steamy. She may or may not get it later in the month.
The light is dim in the office. It unnerves people, puts them off guard. Reminds them of how he operates, out of the shadows, so to speak. Anyone in this office has already stepped well into the shadows, and ought to know well how he operates. Still, sometimes the effect is still important.
The conversation goes a little like this:
‘You think I should deal with it personally?’
‘I think that might be best sir.’
‘He’s some sort of a threat?’
Eyes on the wall above his right shoulder, fixed and focussed.
‘Hard to say, sir.’ A careful answer, which pleases him almost as much as it irritates him.
‘The questioning is of a – delicate nature? He is someone well known?’
‘No sir. Not that. Never heard of him before.’
He raises an eyebrow. The guardsman quails.
‘He says he’s from the future, sir.’
‘He’s insane?’
‘Not… not so’s you’d notice, sir. Not babbling, anyway.’
‘Then you believed him?’
‘Couldn’t say, sir.’ A pause. ‘Thought you might want to talk to him personally.’
‘I see.’ He smiles, slightly. It’s not supposed to be reassuring.
‘Is he … interesting?’ he says.
‘Couldn’t possibly comment, sir.’
*
The man is unintimidated. This suggests that he is a fool, or insane. He’s undecided as to which, so far.
Or, perhaps, he truly does not know where he is and who this is who’s been called in to speak to him; and how much trouble he might be in. This too is an option, and all options must be explored.
His face is open and smiling, as if there are no secrets to hide. This must be a lie; some secrets are best hidden in the open.
‘Captain Jack Harkness?’
‘That’s right.’
‘Captain of what, exactly?’
‘Nothing that you’ll have heard of,’ Jack says.
‘There is not much anywhere within the White City or without that I haven’t heard of.’
Jack shrugs.
‘I was a Time Agent,’ he says. ‘And in the American army for a while. I like the title. It just sort of stuck.’
These are things that he has not heard of, and this worries him.
‘From the future?’ he says.
‘The future. Or the past. Somewhere out of time.’ Jack frowns. ‘To tell the truth, I’m not exactly sure where I am, or how I got here. Out of the realm of dream, I believe.
Dream. That is territory that he is vaguely familiar at least. A good excuse. Plausible. Possibly even true.
‘And what do you want here?’
‘I’m just passing through.’
‘On your way South? Or East?’
‘No particular destination,’ Jack says.
‘You may have to stay for a while. You understand.’
‘Oh, I’m in no hurry. I’ve got all the time in the world.’
Carlos stands to leave.
‘I would suggest that you had better give that back whatever it is you have taken from me,’ he says.
Jack shrugs.
‘I could say the same to you,’ he says. Carlos smiles.
‘You are not in any position to do so,’ he says.
‘Perhaps not.’ Jack smiles back. ‘Still, it would be courteous.’
‘I could merely have you searched for it.’
‘Are you sure you would find it? You are not even sure what I have taken.’
‘And you are not sure of what I have taken.’
‘We could both assume that it is nothing of consequence, then,’ Jack says. ‘Or we could shake hands and part as friends.’
Carlos hesitates, and then holds out his hand.
The weight in his pockets returns to comforting familiarity. The metallic object that had felt so strange in the palm of his hand, he returns to its original owner – or at least it’s most recent previous owner.
‘You must have concealed it well from the guards who searched you earlier,’ Carlos says.
‘You have no idea,’ Jack says.
‘I think I might,’ Carlos says, and then shakes his head. ‘If it turns out to be some sort of a weapon, I shall be most disappointed in you. Painfully disappointed, you might say.’
‘I promise,’ Jack says, ‘That if it is a weapon, you will never know about it.’
*
He talks in a whisper. Moves with a casual swagger that looks as though it might once have been effortlessly seductive. Now, there’s something else behind the eyes.
It looks put on. Not an act. Something more than an act.
Jack finds himself wishing he could meet the younger man, the man whose face and manners are still visible now beneath the surface. That man would not have left him in his cell, unmolested.
If something is going to be done, Jack realises, it will have to be him who begins it.
*
‘What sort of a world worships a goddess of betrayal and broken love?’ Jack asks, aghast.
Carlos shrugs.
‘Few worship her. But I cannot imagine a world in which she has no power.’
Jack does not yet agree. That will come later.
*
Afterwards comes silence. That is what Jack remembers. The way the silence descended.
**
Fandom: White City
Dislcaimer: Jack is going to belong to Russel T every day this month, but I suspect I'm going to need to write the disclaimer on him anyway. I'll send him back when I've finished with them.
The White City world belongs to a great number of people. My thanks (and appologies) to
joe_smoke for the loan of Carlos. AN: This one's at the request of
chains_of_irony. I think she was hoping for something more steamy. She may or may not get it later in the month.![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-12-02 11:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 12:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 12:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 12:23 am (UTC)m/m is two men in a (usually) sexual (or implied to be sexual) or romantic relationship. Also known as 'slash', for the the / used to denote pairings. This pairing would be Carlos/Jack.
f/f would be two women. Het (or m/f, but I don't think I ever use that terminology) would be a man and a woman.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 12:08 am (UTC)So to speak ;)
Fun fic tho, I enjoyed it muchly!
no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 12:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 03:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 01:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 01:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 02:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 03:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 04:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 11:56 pm (UTC)