thoughtformed | (no subject)

text message to Tim Drake and Jack Harkness

I figure you've seen this, so I figured I'd nip things at the bud so you both don't go following me. This is my gig, and I don't want to have babysitting duty. The thing is, I'm resigning from Torchwood. A cute kid last night inspired me to go my own way, so this is official.

But just to make things more interesting, since I know that wouldn't keep you off my back, you're gonna get coordinates tonight to buildings with bombs in them. When the coordinates arrive on your phones, you have twenty minutes to get there and use a piece of yourself to dismantle the bomb. Oh, and just so we're clear, it won't be the same thing every time. Or it might be the same thing every time. And it might be all of something from Tim or Jack or hell, it could be Dick, so you don't want to send him as your backup, Tim.

I have every bit of confidence that you two can stop this. And I'll play fair. There won't be more than one coordinate at any given period of time. My game will go on for three hours. And if you try to come after me, I have the switch to set them all off. The coordinates themselves will be set up through an automated system and each time it will trace back to a different location.

See, Tim. I can play smart, too.

It's been fun.

[Jason is nothing if not good for his word when he makes these types of threats. Thirty minutes before Lau's closes (Jason knows Tim will put it together—frankly, he doesn't give a damn), he sends out the first coordinates to both of them. And then another thirty-five minutes later ... and another. It goes on for at least four hours before Jason finishes the ending of the coordinates with a smiley face. That one traces to Jason's phone.

The scene for these is simple. It's an abandoned building, or maybe it's a building that specializes in food, or maybe it's a building that houses clothing that gets transferred to Juanes ...

Finding the bomb in them isn't difficult. Figuring out how to dismantle the bomb isn't difficult, either. There are explicit instructions. Show it your eye. Drop in your finger nail. Use your fingerprint. Drop in a little blood. There's always a fact, too. Sometimes, they're about Tim, sometimes they're about Jack. They're fairly simple to figure out, but the idea is, quite clearly, to keep Tim and Jack busy.

The last thing Jason wants is for someone to ruin his fun.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Jason]

If you wanted to go in unsupervised, Jason, you know what would have worked?

Asking.

Assuming you haven't deleted the app off your phone yet, I'm locking Vigilance until we discuss this.

[Jack]

He's not bluffing. Getting my gear together and awaiting the first co-ordinate set. We can talk more in person.

He doesn't seem the type to bluff. Coffee shop?

That works. I'll close early.

---

[Evening business was slow in any case, so shutting down the shop, locking up, and lowering the shutters took a matter of a few minutes, a few polite excuses and gift cards offered, and then he was alone. Assembling everything he would need took barely any longer; he kept as complete a back-up of his arsenal as he could in the back office.

Then, it was mostly a matter of taking deep, calming breaths. Why did he keep giving Jason second chances, if it only lead to this?]

[ Jack kept a close eye on the security cameras for the shop, and when it was fully locked down, Jack emerged from the back, already flipping through numbers on his mobile. He had his gun strapped to his hip and a serious look on his face. This wasn't fun anymore. ]

You know him better than I do, Tim. What the hell is going on?

He thinks he has a way to do things that we won't allow, so he's going his own way. And... I didn't make it a secret that he's not stable.

... I did make it a secret that this isn't his first lapse.

[ Jack pauses and puts his phone again. There's a look on his face that says, "you know how much I hate secrets", but he sighs and shakes his head, disappointed. ]

Is it relevant to what's going on now? If there's a pattern, it might be easier to deal with.

Last month he wired three abandoned buildings to blow. He and I had... kind of a less friendly private version of this game.

I thought it was just the shock of Dick being here messing with him, and that things would be... better. So I didn't say anything.

[ Jack looks stunned. ]

And you kept this from me? While he was working with Torchwood?

[ He folds his arms and breathes in deep, taking the moment to collect his thoughts. ]

Tim, the last time someone wired buildings in my town to explode, several of my team members got injured and nearly died. And then I ended up buried underground for nearly 2,000 years. I don't take these things lightly. Especially not when lives could potentially be at stake. I expected better of you.

I know.

At the time, I thought it was... a cry for help. He didn't intend anyone to be hurt, except, possibly, me. And he didn't injure anyone. I didn't want one isolated moment to ruin the trust he'd built here. To ruin his relationship with his brothers, or the support of a team that I thought might keep him on the level.

But that's an explanation, not an excuse. I knew what I was doing when I chose to keep things quiet. I'm sorry, Jack.

[ He sighs again and nods. ]

It's fine. We'll deal with it later. Unfortunately, now, we have much more important things to worry about. Is he likely to use the same materials that he used before?

No. I know how to disarm the explosives he used before. These sounds more complicated, and they're meant to keep us busy. He won't want me predicting what he's doing.

I don't expect you to find it any more flattering than I do, but he trusts us. To be professional, to be quick, not to take risks with people's lives. He's willing to cause collateral damage, but I don't think he's intending to. He trusts our priorities, Jack. He's expecting us to do this by the book and disarm the explosives successfully.

That tells me that he's got something he doesn't want us seeing him do. I'm sure he knows about your CCTV camera feed, so relying on that to get a location on him is out. He wants the two of us to work together, which I'm more than happy to do, but I want someone on him, getting us a feed of what he's doing, who he's speaking with, and whether or not he's going back on his word. I don't want you to get hurt should his mood shift. What do you think?

If he spots a tail, he might detonate the explosives. I wouldn't want to make a guarantee either way. Dick and Damian have the same training he and I do, so they're out.

And I only know one person here stealthier than us. If you think it's worth the risk, we could ask Miss Romanova if she wants to freelance. I don't know whether or not Jason could catch her. I just know that I can't.

Edited 2013-08-01 15:07 (UTC)

I was thinking the same thing. She's quiet, she's smart, and I don't think she'd be afraid to subdue him if it came down to it. I wouldn't want her to kill him, but I'm sure she could at least manage to knock him out, or at least get the detonator away from him.

I don't think she has any reason to betray us at this time, and she's got enough of her friends here that I could reason with them if she decides to go rogue as well.

Then it's a judgment call. Is the information worth the risk to you?

Absolutely. I don't want anyone getting hurt because of a decision that he decided to make on his own. More importantly, he's seen too much, and I don't want him getting out with any information out our location or operations. Do you remember that chemical compound I told you about when you were having problems with someone knowing your identity?

I remember.

I don't like it, Jack. Messing with people's heads... you've got more experience than I do, but in my experience it doesn't end well.

We.. only had a few hiccups, but those came mainly from overdosing.

[ He whips out his mobile again and begins furiously typing away. ]

In any case, I'll send her a message. What can you tell me about his behaviour that might help her get a scent?

He's good at misdirection. He's theatrical, but this is his theatrical gesture. He's been trained in stealth and evasion by world-class masters. Don't underestimate him.

I'm not done arguing about your 'hiccups' yet; but we can save it until after the last bomb is defused.

[His phone blinks.]

First co-ordinates. Let's move.

Edited 2013-08-02 18:19 (UTC)

(no subject)

[texts]

[Private text to Tim]

[Private text --> action]

[action]

[action]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject