(no subject)
Title: What Happens Tomorrow
Characters/Pairing: Team
Warnings: None
Rating: G
Note: Written for round two of writerinardawer. The lyric prompt I chose was "These tiny lives mean everything".
The ship arrived in the middle of the night, their claims to the Earth broadcast on all frequencies. Immediately they were all action: Jack woke Ianto, Ianto phoned the team, and they met here, in the middle of a field outside the city limits.
When they arrived, there was no spaceship, no invading army: There was only a set of three very serious looking creatures-- tall, blue-skinned, each with a metallic uniform. And guns.
"You know," called Jack, striding toward them, "I was having a nice night. Slippers, a warm drink, infomercials on the telly--" He stopped about a foot away from the nearest alien and his demeanor changed completely. "--And then you showed up."
The alien stared at Jack a moment before extracting an oddly shaped device from one of its apparently numerous pockets. "A translator," Tosh informed the others in a quiet voice, as it flicked a switch and then said,
"This planet is ours. The atmosphere will be removed."
"Jack--" Gwen tried to surge forward, but Ianto held her back; it was her first invasion, yes, but Jack's expression was not that of a man who wanted help. "You can't do this," she protested to the strangers from her place at Ianto's side. "There's life here. Don't you care about that?"
The alien blinked and the movement was slow, fluid. "You are tiny. Your lives are insignificant."
Jack clenched his jaw; Ianto was close enough to see the muscle spasm that meant he was about to snap, and when he did it wouldn't be pretty. "That's where you're wrong," Jack said to the trio, his voice stretched tight and forceful, and stabbed at the air with a fingertip. "These tiny lives mean everything!"
"You are all insignificant," the alien repeated.
Jack moved a little closer and leaned in to what Ianto supposed might be the alien's ear. "You listen to me. You have messed with the wrong planet and the wrong guy. The Earth is defended, it's defended by me, and I have a Sdaxian wave generator I've been dying to try out." He lowered his voice. "Now, you will get back in your ship and go, or so help me god, I will shoot you down."
Then Jack stopped, stepped back, and smiled. "Capiche?"
The lead alien switched off the translator and spoke to the its cohorts in a language that resembled birdsongs. The second chirped, the third chirped back-- and promptly they all shimmered and disappeared in a flash of light.
For a moment, the entire team stood still. Behind him, Tosh let out a breath, and Ianto couldn't say he didn't share the sentiment.
"That's it?" Gwen took a step forward and this time, Ianto let her. She rounded on Jack. "Are they leaving, then? What did they say?"
"I don't know," Jack said, his arms crossed against his chest, his eyes still on the speck of light that only a Torchwood employee would identify as an alien spacecraft. Something about his voice, his face, his eyes-- was empty. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see if they take the hint."
"And hope," Tosh added mildly, tucking a bit of hair behind one ear.
Jack took a deep breath, but said nothing else. When he started to follow Tosh back to the SUV, Gwen caught him by the arm and held on tightly. "But how will we know?" she insisted, her voice thick with urgency.
"You wake up tomorrow," interjected Owen, as he stopped nearby to pick up a piece of equipment, "you'll know."
Characters/Pairing: Team
Warnings: None
Rating: G
Note: Written for round two of writerinardawer. The lyric prompt I chose was "These tiny lives mean everything".
The ship arrived in the middle of the night, their claims to the Earth broadcast on all frequencies. Immediately they were all action: Jack woke Ianto, Ianto phoned the team, and they met here, in the middle of a field outside the city limits.
When they arrived, there was no spaceship, no invading army: There was only a set of three very serious looking creatures-- tall, blue-skinned, each with a metallic uniform. And guns.
"You know," called Jack, striding toward them, "I was having a nice night. Slippers, a warm drink, infomercials on the telly--" He stopped about a foot away from the nearest alien and his demeanor changed completely. "--And then you showed up."
The alien stared at Jack a moment before extracting an oddly shaped device from one of its apparently numerous pockets. "A translator," Tosh informed the others in a quiet voice, as it flicked a switch and then said,
"This planet is ours. The atmosphere will be removed."
"Jack--" Gwen tried to surge forward, but Ianto held her back; it was her first invasion, yes, but Jack's expression was not that of a man who wanted help. "You can't do this," she protested to the strangers from her place at Ianto's side. "There's life here. Don't you care about that?"
The alien blinked and the movement was slow, fluid. "You are tiny. Your lives are insignificant."
Jack clenched his jaw; Ianto was close enough to see the muscle spasm that meant he was about to snap, and when he did it wouldn't be pretty. "That's where you're wrong," Jack said to the trio, his voice stretched tight and forceful, and stabbed at the air with a fingertip. "These tiny lives mean everything!"
"You are all insignificant," the alien repeated.
Jack moved a little closer and leaned in to what Ianto supposed might be the alien's ear. "You listen to me. You have messed with the wrong planet and the wrong guy. The Earth is defended, it's defended by me, and I have a Sdaxian wave generator I've been dying to try out." He lowered his voice. "Now, you will get back in your ship and go, or so help me god, I will shoot you down."
Then Jack stopped, stepped back, and smiled. "Capiche?"
The lead alien switched off the translator and spoke to the its cohorts in a language that resembled birdsongs. The second chirped, the third chirped back-- and promptly they all shimmered and disappeared in a flash of light.
For a moment, the entire team stood still. Behind him, Tosh let out a breath, and Ianto couldn't say he didn't share the sentiment.
"That's it?" Gwen took a step forward and this time, Ianto let her. She rounded on Jack. "Are they leaving, then? What did they say?"
"I don't know," Jack said, his arms crossed against his chest, his eyes still on the speck of light that only a Torchwood employee would identify as an alien spacecraft. Something about his voice, his face, his eyes-- was empty. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see if they take the hint."
"And hope," Tosh added mildly, tucking a bit of hair behind one ear.
Jack took a deep breath, but said nothing else. When he started to follow Tosh back to the SUV, Gwen caught him by the arm and held on tightly. "But how will we know?" she insisted, her voice thick with urgency.
"You wake up tomorrow," interjected Owen, as he stopped nearby to pick up a piece of equipment, "you'll know."