Chatlog: Here we go again...
Njoki: [And so, Snape will get a short message: Harkness missing. Suspect Crane. Have a plan, but could use help tracking.]
Snape: [An owl finds its way to wherever you guys are. Madness. 'Open the door to the roof.']
* Njoki , in Cardiff, will be up on the roof with Ianto. She's got a bowl filled with water, and a straight pin, some oil, a bit of hair, etc. in the bottom.
* Jones stands alongside Njoki, trying not to look as restless as he obviously is, gloved hands shoved in the pockets of his overcoat. It's cold, all right?
* Snape arrives, on Murgatroyd. Thestral is helo. He goes off to find Myfanwy. Tremble, Cardiff. "Good evening. What is the situation?"
Njoki: "The short version: Crane said he was looking for Jack, Jack has gone off the map, and...okay, it's pretty nebulous at the moment, but he's not anywhere he ought to be." Yes, yes, Harkness is a flake but not to this extent.
Harkness: (Myfanwy is still nesting in the roof of a church somewhere in Cardiff. Improbable baby get!?)
Jones: "He's not answering his mobile," Ianto breaks in, "and that's not like him." He's obviously jumping to the more concerned side of things here. But given the past history of things that have happened to Jack, he's probably justified in it.
Snape: ((Holy shit. Yes.))
Snape: "Why in Merlin's name would Crane be looking for Harkness?" He has the jar here, however. Hair and even a small blood sample.
* Njoki is thankful for the blood. That'll work so much better. "Because Jack slept with Some?" Who knows?
* Grif PINpoints in. "Someone call for the Shaft theme?"
Snape: There is a particular expression that mention of Jack's sex life produces in Snape. It is the most annoyed sort of resigned possible. "...Well that would certainly do it, yes."
Jones: "It was a mistake," Ianto says, a little sharply, breath clouding the cold air.
Njoki: "Hey Grif, and yeah, the back-up'd be good." Njoki sets the bowl down and puts her PINpoint on 'scan' -- you know, like a car radio. "So, if I could have the supplies, this oughta work."
Snape: Here here, take it. "What steps have you taken against fear gas?"
* Jones raises an eyebrow. "No one said anything about fear gas." He, obviously, just isn't familiar enough with denizens of the Nexus.
Grif: "You obviously haven't read the memos on Crane, then." Grif's got his happy fun filtered/sealed-environment armor.
Snape: "We are discussing Jonathan Crane, more famously known as the supervillain the Scarecrow, yes?" Snape gives Ianto a 'tsk' sort of look.
* Njoki will get to work. Doot, doot, blood magic. Jack's blood goes in the bowl and adds to the layers -- water, oil, Jack's blood, (ow), hers, and a needle on top. It's going to start to slowly spin and help her pick out a PIN frequency. "Yes, and that's why I called Grif."
Jones: "I'm afraid I'm at a loss," Ianto admits, but obviously 'Ki has accounted for this!
Snape: "Or, it could be why you called me. He provided Eiko, some time ago, with antidotes, back when a certain Mr. Plaine was at large. They are, I am assured, broadly effective."
Grif: "I've also got a stash of gas masks, somewhere in the base..." He doesn't seem to be in the process of leaving, so much as trying to remember something. "Okay, yeah, there they are. How many we gonna need?"
Snape: "No reason not to be thorough. I suggest one for each of us."
* Njoki isn't paying attention to the gents. She's busy sorting out where they're going to go -- thank goodness it's so easy to latch on to a universal constant. ((In other words, whenever you're ready to PIN over to the library, they're good to go. ))
Grif: "True." A green portal opens up, and he reaches into it to pull out a small case for each of the people present other than himself. Inside each case is what may seem like a gas mask, if given hundreds of years of development into being more compactly efficient and comfortable.
* Snape also produces from his robes some...very advanced air injection capsules, actually, which he hands around. It takes him a moment of careful consideration before he figures out how to use his own.
* Jones is part of the whole fear gas prevention club. And mostly just impatient to be on with it. "May we, then?"
* Jonathan 's brought Jack to an abandoned building somewhere in the middle of nowhere, in a room where the doors are all sealed shut, with a large one-sided window along one wall. This is also where he brought Soze.
* Njoki is a little spacey when she talks, but she'll take the capsule and mask. "This way. Yeah. I....he's at these numbers." Off they go?
* Grif lets people sort out their air plans, and meanwhile draws his pistols, making sure one's loaded with live rounds, the other with tranqs, and that he's clear on which one's which. "Ready."
Snape: "Ready, if Mr. Jones will assent to include me in his jaunt." Snape and technology don't mix terribly well.
* Jones gives Snape a polite nod and offers his arm. What? He's a gentleman! And so they can PINpoint out to the coordinates specified.
* Snape cocks his eyebrow and gently grasps his upper arm.
Harkness: (( Horatio: ... that's my job, Mr. Jones. B| ))
Jones: (( Ianto: Relax and go polish his cauldron or something. :P ))
Njoki: [And off they go! With a *poit!* and a *narf!* our intrepid band of adventures is whisked away to a lovely abandoned building in the middle of nowhere.]
* Jones is hardly nauseated by the PINpoint this time, too much else to concern himself with. The building doesn't look like anywhere Jack would be lurking about voluntarily. Ianto checks his pockets for the stun gun's location, then draws his proper pistol. Never hurts to be prepared.
* Snape has his wand in his hand. He holds up his hand, signaling quiet, wanting to listen for a moment.
* Grif is pretty used to the teleport by now. He's got his pistols out, and one eye on the motion tracker in his helmet's display.
* Jonathan 's little abandoned building is hidden, but not especially large. The intruders might be able to hear him speaking, nearby.
* Njoki smoothly shifts into a shape that's considerably less human -- large, dark eyes and very bright teeth. She can -smell- that Crane has been here.
* Grif points. "I'm picking up motion and sound, in that direction."
* Snape moves forward quickly, motioning 'Ki and Ianto to the back. Ianto is an unkown quantity and he knows very well that shifers are sensitive. "Yes, very good. Proceed. Your goal is to get Harkness out swiftly and safely. I will stun Crane.
* Harkness is, by this time, well worn with screaming, throat too rough to make much more noise beyond ragged breathing and, when the hallucinations are quite bad, a choked sob. But that /is/ noise. (Hi, guys!)
* Jones draws in a breath to steady his nerves and wordlessly falls into step behind Snape. He must admit he's probably the most vulnerable in this situation, and he takes orders reflexively, even silent ones. Even so, it's not easy - he's impatient, anxious.
* Njoki nods and falls in line. As long as there's someone else to lead this, she's perfectly happy to be a good, lil' follower. (See Ianto? This all relates back to their earlier conversation.)
* Grif will take point, then, moving towards the building.
* Snape is perfectly happy to let Grif be point man (and distraction), trusting that his armor can take anything Crane can throw at it, which should give him the opening he needs.
* Grif does, indeed, expect this to be the plan.
* Jonathan has no idea what's about to happen, right now. He is so very happy.
* Jones has an itchy trigger finger and the desire to kick in a door. Or someone's face. Whichever works.
* Harkness is the exact opposite of so very happy! ._.
* Grif expects that happiness will last about until the point where Grif's boot kicks the door open. He's not really been much on Batman comics, but he'd expect that a huge orange-armored person bursting through the door can be just as shocking as a man dressed like a flying rodent.
* Jonathan jumps when the door bursts open, and his first reaction, armor or not, is to flood the room with the toxin. His second is to rush toward Jack, with the intent of pinpointing him out of here.
* Njoki giggle-howls while she tries to navigate past Crane and spot Jack. It's a very good thing that someone else had planned out how to deal with the toxin, don't you think?
* Harkness is just as equally started by the loud crash of the door bursting open - it's even louder, distorted by the assault on his system by the gas, when it breaks apart in his head - and the streak of bright color.
* Snape fires off a hex at Crane and, unthinking, a wild shove of magic to knock Harkness over. ...Hopefully he's not bolted to the floor or that could hurt.
* Harkness has the knocked over thing covered, actually. Being curled into a fetal position in a corner /does/ have its advantages, however embarrassing it might actually be in retrospect.
* Jones breaks off in the opposite direction that Njoki moves in, obviously thinking that taking it from both sides is a more logical option, intent now on finding Jack, gun at the ready - just in case.
* Grif shoots to discourage Jon's attempts to reach Jack while rushing forward to physically block the path between them. Njoki and Ianto can handle actually getting Jack free.
* Jonathan manages to get out of the way of the hex, shedding a copious amount of straw in the process. He doesn't get to Harkness, nor is he tied down. "I HAVE PERMISSION," he shouts, now that he can see who it is. He is quite indignant.
* Snape snarls and fires another binding hex at Crane. Honestly.
* Harkness makes a rather undignified sound, somewhere between a whimper and sob, and curls further into himself, hands over his ears to block out all the noise.
* Njoki will meet with Ianto and hopefully get one of Grif's masks on Jack and PIN him out? She won't eat Jon's face while there's company over. :3
* Jones flicks the safety back on the gun and holsters it once Jack is within sight. Permission to do /what/? he wants to demand, but won't be distracted from the most important part of the task, which is to get Jack out.
* Harkness isn't going to willingly let something looming out of the Darkness put something over his mouth and nose, now let's think about this logically. But he really isn't in any condition to actively fight, no matter what sort of frantic struggle he tries to front.
* Grif keeps himself between Jon and Jack, and now has his guns leveled pretty solidly on Jon. He'll shoot if he has to... but will limit himself to the tranq rounds unless absolutely necessary.
* Jonathan is hit by the second hex on account of trying to avoid the line of fire on those guns, and immediately freezes, unmoving, except for a few more pieces of straw, which slowly flutter to the ground. Erk.
* Jones kneels down alongside Jack, while trying to wrap his mind around what's going on. He doesn't know, really, but he can put the bits and pieces he's been told together. "Jack," he murmurs, brows knitting. Is there a point in the mask now that he's already dosed with the gas?
* Njoki crouches on all fours by Jack and Ianto. Hey, look, the PINpoint. Let's get him out of here as soon as we can?
Snape: "I have him, Griff." Snape looks around the rest of the room, just in case.
Grif: "We taking him anywhere, or we just going to leave him here while we take Jack?"
* Harkness makes a weak attempt at shifting away from Ianto and Njoki - he doesn't, can't, recognize either of them - only to be startled by his back hitting the wall. Being trapped sends him into a blind panic.
Grif: "And should I tranq him," -- he means Jack -- "or would that be a bad idea?"
* Snape walks around to look Crane in the eye. "We have no jail we can take him to...unless we alert the authorities on this world that there is a chemical terrorist squating in a shed in a cornfield. It's a viable option. But.." He reaches a hand out and very calmly and carefully plucks some of Crane's hair, "why inconvenience the uninvolved when we can track our friend anywhere he might go? And as for Harkness..."
Snape: "I would not risk him with more chemicals. Magic, until he is safe at the clinics." He looks at 'Ki. Would you like to, or should he?
Jones: "Don't," Ianto interjects, supposing he's the one most apt to be making the decision. "He has enough chemicals pumping in his bloodstream right now." Well, Snape said it better, but even still. He wraps a firm hand around Jack's wrist and offers the other arm to 'Ki, PINpoint in hand.
* Njoki can work a decent tracking spell and a couple of wards, but that's it when it comes to non-necromantic magic. She'll take Ianto's hand and nod. PINtime!
* Snape will not be knocking Harkness out the quick and dirty way then?
* Snape tugs Crane's mask off to get the hair. Pardon the mun's shaky details.
Harkness's violent, but weak, attempt at protesting being grabbed is verily cut off by the teleport.
* Jones is touchy on the matter of Jack getting knocked out, apparently. And he's also prepared for overreaction on Jack's part. But regardless - PINpointing away is had.
* Snape turns back to Crane. "Griff, would you mind terribly having a look around? We should make sure there are no other surprises tucked away."
* Jonathan doesn't have anything else in here, but his pockets are certainly loaded with evil drugs.
* Grif would've figured they were done, but Snape wouldn't ask without a reason, so he answers, reasonably, "Sure thing." He takes a quick moment to reload, then starts making a sweep of the building and environs, sensor suite active and looking.
* Snape steps a few paces back from Crane and, as soon as Grif is out of the room, "Now. I am going to release you, and you are going to explain yourself. If you attempt to harm me in any way I will bind you again, and it will be far less comfortable." A flick of his wand, and Crane is free.
* Jonathan slumps, almost toppling, when he's freed. He won't look Snape in the fact, not after his mask has been taken, but he does try to grab something from his pocket. "I t-t... I told you, I h-have permission, he -let- me!"
Snape: "Keep your hands where I can see them, Crane," Snape says in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "This being Harkness, I do believe you. I have full faith that, once he has calmed down, he will confirm that he came with you willingly and submitted to this willingly. However, this session is over, and I would suggest that you not pursue him again. You and I both know that issues of permission and just cause are not exactly written in stone, here."
Jonathan: "Let me put on my glasses," he says, and does put his hand in his pocket. "You have no right to interfere in my business, and interrupt my work, when I have permission. He -knows- what he did to me."
* Jonathan still stutters, but anger makes his voice clearer.
* Grif continues his sweep, as he will probably continue to do until he either encounters something or he hears some noise of calling or commotion from the room where Jon and Snape are. (He's not eavesdropping, but his hearing, like most of the rest of him, is pretty heavily augmented.)
Snape: "Let us not discuss rights, Crane. Not where torture is involved. Not where guilty consciences and jealousy are involved. We are all walking away from this. Let us not sully ourselves."
* Jonathan puts on his glasses. His hands drop to his sides. "N-no! You most certainly can't do this to me. You can't treat me like this. If you did this to -anyone else- in the Nexus, they'd go after you, and be justified in taking action to prevent you from interfering. This has nothing to do with you!"
Snape: "I most certainly can, Crane. And perhaps they would, but I am sorry to inform you that this is not some personal vendetta or conspiracy to rob you of whatever vindication you think you will have from this. Harkness is my employee and I am under an obligation to keep him as such. In all honesty, the only reason I am here is because I do not and cannot trust you to stop short of killing him."
* Jonathan clenches his fists. "He...he...no, listen. S-s-some..." Talking to Snape is -very difficult-, even in neutral circumstances. "You ruined it. He understands!"
Snape: "So it is true, then. Let me put it to you this way, Jonathan. If Some had been taken by Mr. Jones there, who is /married/ to Harkness, and tortured in some form of ritual penance, would Mr. Jones be dead by your hand at this time?"
Snape: "Ritual penance without your knowledge or consent, mind."
* Jonathan squeezes his fists, more, nails biting into his palms. "Everything was very nearly -ruined- by him. I can't let what happened before happen again, and he really does understand, I swear, he let me."
Snape: "And now Mr. Jones has taken him back, and that's the end of it. If you wish to argue the case to him, you may certainly do so, but his personal investment is far greater than mine, and you are more than likely to have your teeth smashed in."
* Jonathan bows his head and looks at his palm to see if he cut it. "I'm to do nothing about it?"
Snape: "I strongly suggest that as the wisest course. I can practically guarantee that your current protestations of permission are not going to mean much to others. He said you could, and you did. What more did you want out of this?"
Jonathan: "I didn't break my agreement with the Nexus," he says, sullen. "They'll say that I've broken my word. Also, I wasn't finished, and I don't think that it was necessary to intrude and force me to stop."
Snape: "He was out of his mind with fear, Crane, what more is there? A man at that point will promise you anything you ask, but by the gods, this is the nexus. One cannot walk through the bloody place without being assaulted by some effect that changes your sex, warps your libido or makes you forget everyone you loved. What would such a promise be worth?"
Jonathan: "He wasn't affected by anything. Some was. -He wasn't-. I wanted to keep him here until I felt that everything had been evened out. I can't fix anything. I may as well take what I can have... evidently I'll be policed for -that-, so... nothing..."
Snape: "So you have some sort of notched stick to measure when a situation is 'even'? Never mind, I do not care. Crane, you have not been -policed-. There is no such term in our lives anymore. You took someone, and you were not strong enough to keep him. If your personal belief that five more minutes with Harkness would somehow make up for the fact that your lover had sex with him, that is no one's affair but yours."
* Jonathan bites his lip. "I know. I wasn't strong enough. I try to fix things..." He doesn't really expect Snape to understand any of this, but he also still thinks he's going to be punished, and maybe talking will prevent trouble.
Snape: "But your idea of 'fixed' only applies to -you-. Go home, Jonathan. This is over."
* Grif hears that, and considers that as a possible prelude to departure. Just in case, though, as he heads back to the room, he activates his active camouflage, rendering him more or less invisible, and hangs back just outside the door.
Jonathan: "No, it doesn't just apply to me! It doesn't matter how I'm trying to fix something! It does not work! There wasn't anything I could do to keep Isobel from leaving and there's nothing I can do to chage this, and it is -not- something that 'only applies to me'! I don't even expect you to begin to understand. -You- think I'm an idiot! You don't even care."
* Snape 's eyes narrow. "Well. If attacking Harkness for being around when Some got smacked with the buckle end of the nexus is the only way to -fix- this situation, then I certainly do wash my hands of the nexus as a whole."
Jonathan: "The only way to fix the situation is to make myself feel better about it. Some just expects me to accept it, or -he- becomes upset. I think I would feel better, if you hadn't stopped me."
Snape: "Well. At least I haven't robbed you of a target for your ire. Crane, whatever you think would make you feel better, it would not change what happened, and it does not change the fact that it could easily happen again. Hate me for the bully I am, but don't pretend that what you were doing here was anything more than simian chest-thumping."
Jonathan: "Anything mor..." He tries to look angry but mostly looks wounded. "This is my -work-! My -work- is not 'simian chest-thumping'! Th-this is h-how I.. how... doesn't... matter, I know, it doesn't matter..."
Snape: "How you...make yourself feel better?"
Jonathan: "I can reach people..."
* Snape will wait for you to qualify that one, Crane. Go on.
Jonathan: "I can know exactly what they feel, and know that they are actually there. That's not simian, or brutish, not any of those things..."
Snape: "And what was it, that Harkness felt?"
Jonathan: "Only the chemicals made him afraid. He really wasn't afraid of me, and he did that for me."
Snape: "And that is not satisfaction enough?"
Jonathan: "It -was-. Then you and everyone else came here to stop me."
Snape: "How fleeting, satisfaction."
Jonathan: "N-no, I'd say it's a reasonable response to feel upset and angry at having something as significant as this interrupted."
Snape: "Certainly. Especially when it proves yet again that simply because something is significant to you does not mean that other people are willing to risk their loved ones so that you can feel better about the fact that life is uncontrollable."
Jonathan: "I know how much of this it takes to kill a man. I wasn't going to kill him."
Snape: "Good. It makes no difference."
Jonathan: "Why not?"
Snape: "Because torture is torture, with or without the intent to kill."
Jonathan: "He gave me permission. That makes the difference."
Snape: "He did not inform anyone of this, even his husband. Can you see what that implies?
Jonathan: "Evidently not."
Snape: "Think on it, then. I will go see to Jones and Njoki, and ensure that no further action will be taken in the heat of the moment."
Jonathan: "... B-but... don't..." He sighs, and sits down next to his mask. Fine, go, whatever.
* Snape pauses for half a moment, then walks from the room. He looks neither left nor right once outside, but says "When you are ready, Private."
* Grif quietly zips around a corner, shuts off the camo, and walks back normally. "All right, then."
* Jonathan doesn't say anything, and fidgets with dust on the floor.
* Snape does not acknowledge whether or not he noticed this, or noticed Grif listening in. Off they go?
* Grif nods, and PINs out.
Snape: [An owl finds its way to wherever you guys are. Madness. 'Open the door to the roof.']
* Njoki , in Cardiff, will be up on the roof with Ianto. She's got a bowl filled with water, and a straight pin, some oil, a bit of hair, etc. in the bottom.
* Jones stands alongside Njoki, trying not to look as restless as he obviously is, gloved hands shoved in the pockets of his overcoat. It's cold, all right?
* Snape arrives, on Murgatroyd. Thestral is helo. He goes off to find Myfanwy. Tremble, Cardiff. "Good evening. What is the situation?"
Njoki: "The short version: Crane said he was looking for Jack, Jack has gone off the map, and...okay, it's pretty nebulous at the moment, but he's not anywhere he ought to be." Yes, yes, Harkness is a flake but not to this extent.
Harkness: (Myfanwy is still nesting in the roof of a church somewhere in Cardiff. Improbable baby get!?)
Jones: "He's not answering his mobile," Ianto breaks in, "and that's not like him." He's obviously jumping to the more concerned side of things here. But given the past history of things that have happened to Jack, he's probably justified in it.
Snape: ((Holy shit. Yes.))
Snape: "Why in Merlin's name would Crane be looking for Harkness?" He has the jar here, however. Hair and even a small blood sample.
* Njoki is thankful for the blood. That'll work so much better. "Because Jack slept with Some?" Who knows?
* Grif PINpoints in. "Someone call for the Shaft theme?"
Snape: There is a particular expression that mention of Jack's sex life produces in Snape. It is the most annoyed sort of resigned possible. "...Well that would certainly do it, yes."
Jones: "It was a mistake," Ianto says, a little sharply, breath clouding the cold air.
Njoki: "Hey Grif, and yeah, the back-up'd be good." Njoki sets the bowl down and puts her PINpoint on 'scan' -- you know, like a car radio. "So, if I could have the supplies, this oughta work."
Snape: Here here, take it. "What steps have you taken against fear gas?"
* Jones raises an eyebrow. "No one said anything about fear gas." He, obviously, just isn't familiar enough with denizens of the Nexus.
Grif: "You obviously haven't read the memos on Crane, then." Grif's got his happy fun filtered/sealed-environment armor.
Snape: "We are discussing Jonathan Crane, more famously known as the supervillain the Scarecrow, yes?" Snape gives Ianto a 'tsk' sort of look.
* Njoki will get to work. Doot, doot, blood magic. Jack's blood goes in the bowl and adds to the layers -- water, oil, Jack's blood, (ow), hers, and a needle on top. It's going to start to slowly spin and help her pick out a PIN frequency. "Yes, and that's why I called Grif."
Jones: "I'm afraid I'm at a loss," Ianto admits, but obviously 'Ki has accounted for this!
Snape: "Or, it could be why you called me. He provided Eiko, some time ago, with antidotes, back when a certain Mr. Plaine was at large. They are, I am assured, broadly effective."
Grif: "I've also got a stash of gas masks, somewhere in the base..." He doesn't seem to be in the process of leaving, so much as trying to remember something. "Okay, yeah, there they are. How many we gonna need?"
Snape: "No reason not to be thorough. I suggest one for each of us."
* Njoki isn't paying attention to the gents. She's busy sorting out where they're going to go -- thank goodness it's so easy to latch on to a universal constant. ((In other words, whenever you're ready to PIN over to the library, they're good to go. ))
Grif: "True." A green portal opens up, and he reaches into it to pull out a small case for each of the people present other than himself. Inside each case is what may seem like a gas mask, if given hundreds of years of development into being more compactly efficient and comfortable.
* Snape also produces from his robes some...very advanced air injection capsules, actually, which he hands around. It takes him a moment of careful consideration before he figures out how to use his own.
* Jones is part of the whole fear gas prevention club. And mostly just impatient to be on with it. "May we, then?"
* Jonathan 's brought Jack to an abandoned building somewhere in the middle of nowhere, in a room where the doors are all sealed shut, with a large one-sided window along one wall. This is also where he brought Soze.
* Njoki is a little spacey when she talks, but she'll take the capsule and mask. "This way. Yeah. I....he's at these numbers." Off they go?
* Grif lets people sort out their air plans, and meanwhile draws his pistols, making sure one's loaded with live rounds, the other with tranqs, and that he's clear on which one's which. "Ready."
Snape: "Ready, if Mr. Jones will assent to include me in his jaunt." Snape and technology don't mix terribly well.
* Jones gives Snape a polite nod and offers his arm. What? He's a gentleman! And so they can PINpoint out to the coordinates specified.
* Snape cocks his eyebrow and gently grasps his upper arm.
Harkness: (( Horatio: ... that's my job, Mr. Jones. B| ))
Jones: (( Ianto: Relax and go polish his cauldron or something. :P ))
Njoki: [And off they go! With a *poit!* and a *narf!* our intrepid band of adventures is whisked away to a lovely abandoned building in the middle of nowhere.]
* Jones is hardly nauseated by the PINpoint this time, too much else to concern himself with. The building doesn't look like anywhere Jack would be lurking about voluntarily. Ianto checks his pockets for the stun gun's location, then draws his proper pistol. Never hurts to be prepared.
* Snape has his wand in his hand. He holds up his hand, signaling quiet, wanting to listen for a moment.
* Grif is pretty used to the teleport by now. He's got his pistols out, and one eye on the motion tracker in his helmet's display.
* Jonathan 's little abandoned building is hidden, but not especially large. The intruders might be able to hear him speaking, nearby.
* Njoki smoothly shifts into a shape that's considerably less human -- large, dark eyes and very bright teeth. She can -smell- that Crane has been here.
* Grif points. "I'm picking up motion and sound, in that direction."
* Snape moves forward quickly, motioning 'Ki and Ianto to the back. Ianto is an unkown quantity and he knows very well that shifers are sensitive. "Yes, very good. Proceed. Your goal is to get Harkness out swiftly and safely. I will stun Crane.
* Harkness is, by this time, well worn with screaming, throat too rough to make much more noise beyond ragged breathing and, when the hallucinations are quite bad, a choked sob. But that /is/ noise. (Hi, guys!)
* Jones draws in a breath to steady his nerves and wordlessly falls into step behind Snape. He must admit he's probably the most vulnerable in this situation, and he takes orders reflexively, even silent ones. Even so, it's not easy - he's impatient, anxious.
* Njoki nods and falls in line. As long as there's someone else to lead this, she's perfectly happy to be a good, lil' follower. (See Ianto? This all relates back to their earlier conversation.)
* Grif will take point, then, moving towards the building.
* Snape is perfectly happy to let Grif be point man (and distraction), trusting that his armor can take anything Crane can throw at it, which should give him the opening he needs.
* Grif does, indeed, expect this to be the plan.
* Jonathan has no idea what's about to happen, right now. He is so very happy.
* Jones has an itchy trigger finger and the desire to kick in a door. Or someone's face. Whichever works.
* Harkness is the exact opposite of so very happy! ._.
* Grif expects that happiness will last about until the point where Grif's boot kicks the door open. He's not really been much on Batman comics, but he'd expect that a huge orange-armored person bursting through the door can be just as shocking as a man dressed like a flying rodent.
* Jonathan jumps when the door bursts open, and his first reaction, armor or not, is to flood the room with the toxin. His second is to rush toward Jack, with the intent of pinpointing him out of here.
* Njoki giggle-howls while she tries to navigate past Crane and spot Jack. It's a very good thing that someone else had planned out how to deal with the toxin, don't you think?
* Harkness is just as equally started by the loud crash of the door bursting open - it's even louder, distorted by the assault on his system by the gas, when it breaks apart in his head - and the streak of bright color.
* Snape fires off a hex at Crane and, unthinking, a wild shove of magic to knock Harkness over. ...Hopefully he's not bolted to the floor or that could hurt.
* Harkness has the knocked over thing covered, actually. Being curled into a fetal position in a corner /does/ have its advantages, however embarrassing it might actually be in retrospect.
* Jones breaks off in the opposite direction that Njoki moves in, obviously thinking that taking it from both sides is a more logical option, intent now on finding Jack, gun at the ready - just in case.
* Grif shoots to discourage Jon's attempts to reach Jack while rushing forward to physically block the path between them. Njoki and Ianto can handle actually getting Jack free.
* Jonathan manages to get out of the way of the hex, shedding a copious amount of straw in the process. He doesn't get to Harkness, nor is he tied down. "I HAVE PERMISSION," he shouts, now that he can see who it is. He is quite indignant.
* Snape snarls and fires another binding hex at Crane. Honestly.
* Harkness makes a rather undignified sound, somewhere between a whimper and sob, and curls further into himself, hands over his ears to block out all the noise.
* Njoki will meet with Ianto and hopefully get one of Grif's masks on Jack and PIN him out? She won't eat Jon's face while there's company over. :3
* Jones flicks the safety back on the gun and holsters it once Jack is within sight. Permission to do /what/? he wants to demand, but won't be distracted from the most important part of the task, which is to get Jack out.
* Harkness isn't going to willingly let something looming out of the Darkness put something over his mouth and nose, now let's think about this logically. But he really isn't in any condition to actively fight, no matter what sort of frantic struggle he tries to front.
* Grif keeps himself between Jon and Jack, and now has his guns leveled pretty solidly on Jon. He'll shoot if he has to... but will limit himself to the tranq rounds unless absolutely necessary.
* Jonathan is hit by the second hex on account of trying to avoid the line of fire on those guns, and immediately freezes, unmoving, except for a few more pieces of straw, which slowly flutter to the ground. Erk.
* Jones kneels down alongside Jack, while trying to wrap his mind around what's going on. He doesn't know, really, but he can put the bits and pieces he's been told together. "Jack," he murmurs, brows knitting. Is there a point in the mask now that he's already dosed with the gas?
* Njoki crouches on all fours by Jack and Ianto. Hey, look, the PINpoint. Let's get him out of here as soon as we can?
Snape: "I have him, Griff." Snape looks around the rest of the room, just in case.
Grif: "We taking him anywhere, or we just going to leave him here while we take Jack?"
* Harkness makes a weak attempt at shifting away from Ianto and Njoki - he doesn't, can't, recognize either of them - only to be startled by his back hitting the wall. Being trapped sends him into a blind panic.
Grif: "And should I tranq him," -- he means Jack -- "or would that be a bad idea?"
* Snape walks around to look Crane in the eye. "We have no jail we can take him to...unless we alert the authorities on this world that there is a chemical terrorist squating in a shed in a cornfield. It's a viable option. But.." He reaches a hand out and very calmly and carefully plucks some of Crane's hair, "why inconvenience the uninvolved when we can track our friend anywhere he might go? And as for Harkness..."
Snape: "I would not risk him with more chemicals. Magic, until he is safe at the clinics." He looks at 'Ki. Would you like to, or should he?
Jones: "Don't," Ianto interjects, supposing he's the one most apt to be making the decision. "He has enough chemicals pumping in his bloodstream right now." Well, Snape said it better, but even still. He wraps a firm hand around Jack's wrist and offers the other arm to 'Ki, PINpoint in hand.
* Njoki can work a decent tracking spell and a couple of wards, but that's it when it comes to non-necromantic magic. She'll take Ianto's hand and nod. PINtime!
* Snape will not be knocking Harkness out the quick and dirty way then?
* Snape tugs Crane's mask off to get the hair. Pardon the mun's shaky details.
Harkness's violent, but weak, attempt at protesting being grabbed is verily cut off by the teleport.
* Jones is touchy on the matter of Jack getting knocked out, apparently. And he's also prepared for overreaction on Jack's part. But regardless - PINpointing away is had.
* Snape turns back to Crane. "Griff, would you mind terribly having a look around? We should make sure there are no other surprises tucked away."
* Jonathan doesn't have anything else in here, but his pockets are certainly loaded with evil drugs.
* Grif would've figured they were done, but Snape wouldn't ask without a reason, so he answers, reasonably, "Sure thing." He takes a quick moment to reload, then starts making a sweep of the building and environs, sensor suite active and looking.
* Snape steps a few paces back from Crane and, as soon as Grif is out of the room, "Now. I am going to release you, and you are going to explain yourself. If you attempt to harm me in any way I will bind you again, and it will be far less comfortable." A flick of his wand, and Crane is free.
* Jonathan slumps, almost toppling, when he's freed. He won't look Snape in the fact, not after his mask has been taken, but he does try to grab something from his pocket. "I t-t... I told you, I h-have permission, he -let- me!"
Snape: "Keep your hands where I can see them, Crane," Snape says in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "This being Harkness, I do believe you. I have full faith that, once he has calmed down, he will confirm that he came with you willingly and submitted to this willingly. However, this session is over, and I would suggest that you not pursue him again. You and I both know that issues of permission and just cause are not exactly written in stone, here."
Jonathan: "Let me put on my glasses," he says, and does put his hand in his pocket. "You have no right to interfere in my business, and interrupt my work, when I have permission. He -knows- what he did to me."
* Jonathan still stutters, but anger makes his voice clearer.
* Grif continues his sweep, as he will probably continue to do until he either encounters something or he hears some noise of calling or commotion from the room where Jon and Snape are. (He's not eavesdropping, but his hearing, like most of the rest of him, is pretty heavily augmented.)
Snape: "Let us not discuss rights, Crane. Not where torture is involved. Not where guilty consciences and jealousy are involved. We are all walking away from this. Let us not sully ourselves."
* Jonathan puts on his glasses. His hands drop to his sides. "N-no! You most certainly can't do this to me. You can't treat me like this. If you did this to -anyone else- in the Nexus, they'd go after you, and be justified in taking action to prevent you from interfering. This has nothing to do with you!"
Snape: "I most certainly can, Crane. And perhaps they would, but I am sorry to inform you that this is not some personal vendetta or conspiracy to rob you of whatever vindication you think you will have from this. Harkness is my employee and I am under an obligation to keep him as such. In all honesty, the only reason I am here is because I do not and cannot trust you to stop short of killing him."
* Jonathan clenches his fists. "He...he...no, listen. S-s-some..." Talking to Snape is -very difficult-, even in neutral circumstances. "You ruined it. He understands!"
Snape: "So it is true, then. Let me put it to you this way, Jonathan. If Some had been taken by Mr. Jones there, who is /married/ to Harkness, and tortured in some form of ritual penance, would Mr. Jones be dead by your hand at this time?"
Snape: "Ritual penance without your knowledge or consent, mind."
* Jonathan squeezes his fists, more, nails biting into his palms. "Everything was very nearly -ruined- by him. I can't let what happened before happen again, and he really does understand, I swear, he let me."
Snape: "And now Mr. Jones has taken him back, and that's the end of it. If you wish to argue the case to him, you may certainly do so, but his personal investment is far greater than mine, and you are more than likely to have your teeth smashed in."
* Jonathan bows his head and looks at his palm to see if he cut it. "I'm to do nothing about it?"
Snape: "I strongly suggest that as the wisest course. I can practically guarantee that your current protestations of permission are not going to mean much to others. He said you could, and you did. What more did you want out of this?"
Jonathan: "I didn't break my agreement with the Nexus," he says, sullen. "They'll say that I've broken my word. Also, I wasn't finished, and I don't think that it was necessary to intrude and force me to stop."
Snape: "He was out of his mind with fear, Crane, what more is there? A man at that point will promise you anything you ask, but by the gods, this is the nexus. One cannot walk through the bloody place without being assaulted by some effect that changes your sex, warps your libido or makes you forget everyone you loved. What would such a promise be worth?"
Jonathan: "He wasn't affected by anything. Some was. -He wasn't-. I wanted to keep him here until I felt that everything had been evened out. I can't fix anything. I may as well take what I can have... evidently I'll be policed for -that-, so... nothing..."
Snape: "So you have some sort of notched stick to measure when a situation is 'even'? Never mind, I do not care. Crane, you have not been -policed-. There is no such term in our lives anymore. You took someone, and you were not strong enough to keep him. If your personal belief that five more minutes with Harkness would somehow make up for the fact that your lover had sex with him, that is no one's affair but yours."
* Jonathan bites his lip. "I know. I wasn't strong enough. I try to fix things..." He doesn't really expect Snape to understand any of this, but he also still thinks he's going to be punished, and maybe talking will prevent trouble.
Snape: "But your idea of 'fixed' only applies to -you-. Go home, Jonathan. This is over."
* Grif hears that, and considers that as a possible prelude to departure. Just in case, though, as he heads back to the room, he activates his active camouflage, rendering him more or less invisible, and hangs back just outside the door.
Jonathan: "No, it doesn't just apply to me! It doesn't matter how I'm trying to fix something! It does not work! There wasn't anything I could do to keep Isobel from leaving and there's nothing I can do to chage this, and it is -not- something that 'only applies to me'! I don't even expect you to begin to understand. -You- think I'm an idiot! You don't even care."
* Snape 's eyes narrow. "Well. If attacking Harkness for being around when Some got smacked with the buckle end of the nexus is the only way to -fix- this situation, then I certainly do wash my hands of the nexus as a whole."
Jonathan: "The only way to fix the situation is to make myself feel better about it. Some just expects me to accept it, or -he- becomes upset. I think I would feel better, if you hadn't stopped me."
Snape: "Well. At least I haven't robbed you of a target for your ire. Crane, whatever you think would make you feel better, it would not change what happened, and it does not change the fact that it could easily happen again. Hate me for the bully I am, but don't pretend that what you were doing here was anything more than simian chest-thumping."
Jonathan: "Anything mor..." He tries to look angry but mostly looks wounded. "This is my -work-! My -work- is not 'simian chest-thumping'! Th-this is h-how I.. how... doesn't... matter, I know, it doesn't matter..."
Snape: "How you...make yourself feel better?"
Jonathan: "I can reach people..."
* Snape will wait for you to qualify that one, Crane. Go on.
Jonathan: "I can know exactly what they feel, and know that they are actually there. That's not simian, or brutish, not any of those things..."
Snape: "And what was it, that Harkness felt?"
Jonathan: "Only the chemicals made him afraid. He really wasn't afraid of me, and he did that for me."
Snape: "And that is not satisfaction enough?"
Jonathan: "It -was-. Then you and everyone else came here to stop me."
Snape: "How fleeting, satisfaction."
Jonathan: "N-no, I'd say it's a reasonable response to feel upset and angry at having something as significant as this interrupted."
Snape: "Certainly. Especially when it proves yet again that simply because something is significant to you does not mean that other people are willing to risk their loved ones so that you can feel better about the fact that life is uncontrollable."
Jonathan: "I know how much of this it takes to kill a man. I wasn't going to kill him."
Snape: "Good. It makes no difference."
Jonathan: "Why not?"
Snape: "Because torture is torture, with or without the intent to kill."
Jonathan: "He gave me permission. That makes the difference."
Snape: "He did not inform anyone of this, even his husband. Can you see what that implies?
Jonathan: "Evidently not."
Snape: "Think on it, then. I will go see to Jones and Njoki, and ensure that no further action will be taken in the heat of the moment."
Jonathan: "... B-but... don't..." He sighs, and sits down next to his mask. Fine, go, whatever.
* Snape pauses for half a moment, then walks from the room. He looks neither left nor right once outside, but says "When you are ready, Private."
* Grif quietly zips around a corner, shuts off the camo, and walks back normally. "All right, then."
* Jonathan doesn't say anything, and fidgets with dust on the floor.
* Snape does not acknowledge whether or not he noticed this, or noticed Grif listening in. Off they go?
* Grif nods, and PINs out.