For oncoming_storms Prompt 95-1 Coldplay Lyrics
Coldplay: 42
They sat at their consoles, staring at the screens, but not really seeing what was on them. Occasionally, Ianto would walk past, either heading into Jack’s office with something for him to sign, or to deliver coffee or something equally as inane to them.
“How...?” Tosh started and stopped, glancing briefly at Owen, then back at her screen. Both of them were studiously avoiding looking at the area where Suzie worked.
“Gwen is starting properly tomorrow, remember,” Jack said, walking past, his greatcoat flowing out behind him. Tosh and Owen watched as he went through the rolling door outside, both of them staying silent.
Owen slammed his clipboard down on the desk. “Sod this. I’ve had enough. You. Me. Pint. Let’s go.”
Tosh looked up at him, surprised. Despite her feelings for him, there had always been an underlying friendship between them - one which Tosh relished. She nodded, starting to switch off her computer. “Just give me two minutes,” she said, gathering her things together.
Twenty minutes later, they’d found one of the quieter pubs in Cardiff, and were sitting facing each other at a table, both of them with pints in their hands. “What gets me,” Owen said, after downing about half of the pint quickly, “is that we’re supposed to just bloody well carry on as normal.”
Tosh paused, thinking. “I think for him, it has to,” she said, carefully. Owen gave her a quizzical look. “Remember Jeff?”
“Yeah. Here before Suzie. What’s that got to do with it?” Owen asked, bemused.
“Remember how he spent a day in the middle of Cardiff, yelling out that ‘Aliens were coming, the end of the world is nigh?’” Owen laughed slightly then nodded. Tosh leaned forward slightly. “He claimed that aliens told him to say that.”
“Oh for god’s sake,” Owen said. “Nut job.”
“Actually, apparently there were. Jack found evidence of them in his flat.”
“Why didn’t I know? I’m the medical officer, after all.”
“Owen, you’d been there two months. Apparently Jack decided to take matters into his own hands. And there was the incident at the millennium.”
“Tosh, I didn’t know you were the gossip amongst us,” Owen said, smirking.
Tosh flushed slightly. “Well, I’m the one who has to fill out reports - it gives me access to some of the buried files. Did you know that Jack’s boss killed everyone except him when the year 2000 came along?”
“No. And really, I don’t see what this has to do with Suzie killing people then using the glove!” Owen said, pointing out what he thought was obvious.
“Don’t you see?” Tosh said, showing insight into Jack. “He has to keep going. It’s one of those things he has to do. Bury the past, move onto the future. Suzie’s part of that. She’s one of those things he has to carry around with him - the fact that he couldn’t help her, couldn’t stop her. And god knows how many he’s had to carry around with him.”
Owen looked at Tosh and shook his head. “Okay, so Jack might not be human emotionally, but he’s gotta remember that we are. That we miss our colleagues, are shocked by what they do. How are we supposed to cope?”
Tosh sighed in response. “When you find out, let me know.”
Toshiko Sato
Torchwood
Word Count: 549
They sat at their consoles, staring at the screens, but not really seeing what was on them. Occasionally, Ianto would walk past, either heading into Jack’s office with something for him to sign, or to deliver coffee or something equally as inane to them.
“How...?” Tosh started and stopped, glancing briefly at Owen, then back at her screen. Both of them were studiously avoiding looking at the area where Suzie worked.
“Gwen is starting properly tomorrow, remember,” Jack said, walking past, his greatcoat flowing out behind him. Tosh and Owen watched as he went through the rolling door outside, both of them staying silent.
Owen slammed his clipboard down on the desk. “Sod this. I’ve had enough. You. Me. Pint. Let’s go.”
Tosh looked up at him, surprised. Despite her feelings for him, there had always been an underlying friendship between them - one which Tosh relished. She nodded, starting to switch off her computer. “Just give me two minutes,” she said, gathering her things together.
Twenty minutes later, they’d found one of the quieter pubs in Cardiff, and were sitting facing each other at a table, both of them with pints in their hands. “What gets me,” Owen said, after downing about half of the pint quickly, “is that we’re supposed to just bloody well carry on as normal.”
Tosh paused, thinking. “I think for him, it has to,” she said, carefully. Owen gave her a quizzical look. “Remember Jeff?”
“Yeah. Here before Suzie. What’s that got to do with it?” Owen asked, bemused.
“Remember how he spent a day in the middle of Cardiff, yelling out that ‘Aliens were coming, the end of the world is nigh?’” Owen laughed slightly then nodded. Tosh leaned forward slightly. “He claimed that aliens told him to say that.”
“Oh for god’s sake,” Owen said. “Nut job.”
“Actually, apparently there were. Jack found evidence of them in his flat.”
“Why didn’t I know? I’m the medical officer, after all.”
“Owen, you’d been there two months. Apparently Jack decided to take matters into his own hands. And there was the incident at the millennium.”
“Tosh, I didn’t know you were the gossip amongst us,” Owen said, smirking.
Tosh flushed slightly. “Well, I’m the one who has to fill out reports - it gives me access to some of the buried files. Did you know that Jack’s boss killed everyone except him when the year 2000 came along?”
“No. And really, I don’t see what this has to do with Suzie killing people then using the glove!” Owen said, pointing out what he thought was obvious.
“Don’t you see?” Tosh said, showing insight into Jack. “He has to keep going. It’s one of those things he has to do. Bury the past, move onto the future. Suzie’s part of that. She’s one of those things he has to carry around with him - the fact that he couldn’t help her, couldn’t stop her. And god knows how many he’s had to carry around with him.”
Owen looked at Tosh and shook his head. “Okay, so Jack might not be human emotionally, but he’s gotta remember that we are. That we miss our colleagues, are shocked by what they do. How are we supposed to cope?”
Tosh sighed in response. “When you find out, let me know.”
Toshiko Sato
Torchwood
Word Count: 549