Time Agency Hub: The fifty-first century
Jack woke up. Not unusual in and of itself.
He didn't know where he was. Also not unusual; many a morning after had started like that. What was unusual was the faintly antiseptic smell in the air. That smell was never a good sign.
It tickled his brain into waking up all the way and his eyes shot open. Small room, plain; small bed, also plain. Monitors and machines and he had no idea what they were, except they were far from plain, sleek and lethal looking as they mumbled to themselves in soft beeps.
Not able to move. Okay, that was a worry. He shut his eyes, wracking his memory to figure out how the hell he'd ended up here, which was when he hit a blank.
Last thing he remembered, he'd been on his way to see Kane. He'd been walking down the hall, generally pissed off at being summoned. After that...nothing.
"Shit," he muttered, jerking at the restraints holding him in place. There was no give in them and he sucked in a breath. Worry was rapidly turning into pissed off; buried way down deep under it was fear. Not again.
"Jack." The voice came out of nowhere, sudden and startling. Kane slowly moved into his field of vision, approached the side of the bed and folded his arms. "You're an idiot."
"I love you, too," he drawled, raising an eyebrow. "Come to get me out of here?"
Kane didn't move and his expression didn't change. Jack hid a flash of uncertainty. He didn't hate Kane anymore; didn't like him, either but, somewhere along the way, he'd started counting on him. Okay, sometimes it was counting on him to be a pain in the ass, but still.
"Where were you?"
Jack glared at him. "No clue. My turn. How'd I end up here? Where is here?"
"You're in the Hub. Found you in a time ship," he paused, giving him a sharp look, "one you apparently took without bothering to get clearance. Its route record's been wiped."
Yeah, it's not the only one. "Why'd they do it this time?"
Kane shook his head, opened his mouth to speak, but closed it abruptly when three men arrived. They were wearing uniforms Jack recognised as belonging to Internal Audit - so prosaic a name for the Time Agency bogeyman - and they looked at Kane with marked disapproval. Kane held up a hand. "Had to check on him. He's one of mine," he said, then shrugged one shoulder. "Was mine. They tell me he's yours now."
Jack went pale, not trying to hide it as he met Kane's eyes.
"I can't help you, Jack." Kane turned to go, pausing in the doorway to look back, something like regret in his eyes. "It's too soon, not how we wanted it, but one way or another, it had to happen."
And he was gone, leaving Jack alone with a hole in his mind and the ragged edge of fear, spiking into panic as one of the men leaned over him, unsmiling and with a syringe in hand. "Let's see what's been going in there, shall we?"
There was a sharp sting in his arm and panic chased him down into the darkness.
[ooc: NFI, NFB, OOC is like pie - always good, no matter what.]
He didn't know where he was. Also not unusual; many a morning after had started like that. What was unusual was the faintly antiseptic smell in the air. That smell was never a good sign.
It tickled his brain into waking up all the way and his eyes shot open. Small room, plain; small bed, also plain. Monitors and machines and he had no idea what they were, except they were far from plain, sleek and lethal looking as they mumbled to themselves in soft beeps.
Not able to move. Okay, that was a worry. He shut his eyes, wracking his memory to figure out how the hell he'd ended up here, which was when he hit a blank.
Last thing he remembered, he'd been on his way to see Kane. He'd been walking down the hall, generally pissed off at being summoned. After that...nothing.
"Shit," he muttered, jerking at the restraints holding him in place. There was no give in them and he sucked in a breath. Worry was rapidly turning into pissed off; buried way down deep under it was fear. Not again.
"Jack." The voice came out of nowhere, sudden and startling. Kane slowly moved into his field of vision, approached the side of the bed and folded his arms. "You're an idiot."
"I love you, too," he drawled, raising an eyebrow. "Come to get me out of here?"
Kane didn't move and his expression didn't change. Jack hid a flash of uncertainty. He didn't hate Kane anymore; didn't like him, either but, somewhere along the way, he'd started counting on him. Okay, sometimes it was counting on him to be a pain in the ass, but still.
"Where were you?"
Jack glared at him. "No clue. My turn. How'd I end up here? Where is here?"
"You're in the Hub. Found you in a time ship," he paused, giving him a sharp look, "one you apparently took without bothering to get clearance. Its route record's been wiped."
Yeah, it's not the only one. "Why'd they do it this time?"
Kane shook his head, opened his mouth to speak, but closed it abruptly when three men arrived. They were wearing uniforms Jack recognised as belonging to Internal Audit - so prosaic a name for the Time Agency bogeyman - and they looked at Kane with marked disapproval. Kane held up a hand. "Had to check on him. He's one of mine," he said, then shrugged one shoulder. "Was mine. They tell me he's yours now."
Jack went pale, not trying to hide it as he met Kane's eyes.
"I can't help you, Jack." Kane turned to go, pausing in the doorway to look back, something like regret in his eyes. "It's too soon, not how we wanted it, but one way or another, it had to happen."
And he was gone, leaving Jack alone with a hole in his mind and the ragged edge of fear, spiking into panic as one of the men leaned over him, unsmiling and with a syringe in hand. "Let's see what's been going in there, shall we?"
There was a sharp sting in his arm and panic chased him down into the darkness.
[ooc: NFI, NFB, OOC is like pie - always good, no matter what.]