Torchwood - fic - New Blood, Jack & Tosh, PG, gen
This should have been for the undercover challenge at tw_flashfic, but I just missed the deadline! So you can have it here, first off, instead.
Title - New Blood
Rating - PG, gen
Characters - Jack & Tosh
Length - 510 words
Spoilers - just general for the series, and a Dr Who plot device
Summary - Torchwood Three needs more people
Disclaimer - none of these people are mine
Feedback is loved and appreciated :) Enjoy!
New Blood
by Laura
It was March, 2009. Out of the blue, Jack had decided to increase the Torchwood Three team by two people. He gave us no explanation, just trotted out the old line about everything changing, and having to be ready. So there we were, at a party full of Oxford science undergraduates, sizing up potential recruits.
As we stood out of sight and earshot of most people, Jack handed me a small, blank piece of paper. What was this? Was something meant to happen? I turned it over and over, but nothing particular happened.
“We don’t want to show our hand, and reveal ourselves as Torchwood, straightaway. Think of a legend for yourself, Tosh, and it’ll appear on here.”
Legend - spy-speak for alias, fake identity. Being someone-else, for whatever reason is necessary at the time. “I can be anyone at all?” I looked up at him, not quite believing his words. This was Jack, after all.
“Yep,” he said. But how would this legend appear? Jack apparently read my mind, as he then leaned close to whisper a secret in my ear, “It’s psychic paper. It knows exactly what you’re thinking.”
At just the concept, my thoughts weren’t entirely pure. The piece of paper then displayed these thoughts, of course.
“I knew you’d love it,” Jack said wickedly, quite blatantly looking very closely at the words. He chuckled. “C’mon, Tosh,” he brought us back to reality, clapping my shoulder with one of his big hands. “Legend?”
Yes, a legend. Who would Toshiko Sato be playing today? Who would Jack Harkness be playing, for that matter? “How many legends have you thought of, Jack?” I asked him.
“Far too many,” he said sadly, and took another piece of paper from his coat pocket.
I carefully blanked my mind. Closing my eyes, I thought of one. Re-opening them, "Legend," I said.
Jack squeezed my shoulder, and smiled at me. "Great! Let's go mingle!"
He took his hand away, and Dr Jane Nakamura of UNIT went to speak to her fellow geeks. I showed them a “business card”, to confirm Dr Nakamura’s identity, when they showed me their scepticism.
As I milled about, I overheard Jack introduce himself as Dr John Smith of MI5. At such a generic, completely fake name, and his RAF officer's greatcoat, he understandably received even more scepticism than I did. These kids were not stupid. Most of them could probably see us lying through our teeth, despite what the psychic paper might say.
“Find anyone?” Jack asked me, about an hour later, as we once again stood out of sight and earshot.
“Four people,” I replied. “Four really smart kids.”
“Me too.” Jack then reeled off a list of names. He also said when we’d bring them in, show them the base. And consequently retcon two of them.
“Same four that I considered, Jack.”
“They’re going to kill us for lying to them, aren’t they?” he asked.
“That’s a distinct possibility,” I said honestly.
Jack laughed, and slung an arm around my shoulders. “C’mon, Tosh. Let’s go home.”
-end-
Title - New Blood
Rating - PG, gen
Characters - Jack & Tosh
Length - 510 words
Spoilers - just general for the series, and a Dr Who plot device
Summary - Torchwood Three needs more people
Disclaimer - none of these people are mine
Feedback is loved and appreciated :) Enjoy!
New Blood
by Laura
It was March, 2009. Out of the blue, Jack had decided to increase the Torchwood Three team by two people. He gave us no explanation, just trotted out the old line about everything changing, and having to be ready. So there we were, at a party full of Oxford science undergraduates, sizing up potential recruits.
As we stood out of sight and earshot of most people, Jack handed me a small, blank piece of paper. What was this? Was something meant to happen? I turned it over and over, but nothing particular happened.
“We don’t want to show our hand, and reveal ourselves as Torchwood, straightaway. Think of a legend for yourself, Tosh, and it’ll appear on here.”
Legend - spy-speak for alias, fake identity. Being someone-else, for whatever reason is necessary at the time. “I can be anyone at all?” I looked up at him, not quite believing his words. This was Jack, after all.
“Yep,” he said. But how would this legend appear? Jack apparently read my mind, as he then leaned close to whisper a secret in my ear, “It’s psychic paper. It knows exactly what you’re thinking.”
At just the concept, my thoughts weren’t entirely pure. The piece of paper then displayed these thoughts, of course.
“I knew you’d love it,” Jack said wickedly, quite blatantly looking very closely at the words. He chuckled. “C’mon, Tosh,” he brought us back to reality, clapping my shoulder with one of his big hands. “Legend?”
Yes, a legend. Who would Toshiko Sato be playing today? Who would Jack Harkness be playing, for that matter? “How many legends have you thought of, Jack?” I asked him.
“Far too many,” he said sadly, and took another piece of paper from his coat pocket.
I carefully blanked my mind. Closing my eyes, I thought of one. Re-opening them, "Legend," I said.
Jack squeezed my shoulder, and smiled at me. "Great! Let's go mingle!"
He took his hand away, and Dr Jane Nakamura of UNIT went to speak to her fellow geeks. I showed them a “business card”, to confirm Dr Nakamura’s identity, when they showed me their scepticism.
As I milled about, I overheard Jack introduce himself as Dr John Smith of MI5. At such a generic, completely fake name, and his RAF officer's greatcoat, he understandably received even more scepticism than I did. These kids were not stupid. Most of them could probably see us lying through our teeth, despite what the psychic paper might say.
“Find anyone?” Jack asked me, about an hour later, as we once again stood out of sight and earshot.
“Four people,” I replied. “Four really smart kids.”
“Me too.” Jack then reeled off a list of names. He also said when we’d bring them in, show them the base. And consequently retcon two of them.
“Same four that I considered, Jack.”
“They’re going to kill us for lying to them, aren’t they?” he asked.
“That’s a distinct possibility,” I said honestly.
Jack laughed, and slung an arm around my shoulders. “C’mon, Tosh. Let’s go home.”
-end-