For theatrical_muse # 302 Answer a question that you're never asked.
“Are you alright?” A familiar voice broke through Lucas’ musings as he stared into space while standing on the roof of Thames House.
He turned to see Jo watching him closely. The question was one he wasn’t expecting. Firstly, given how busy things were, he didn’t think that anyone would look for him while he grabbed some fresh air. He’d gotten back from the hospital after they’d removed the bullet, stitched up his wound and told him to rest, which he’d completely ignored and gone straight back into work. Harry was missing, he could recover later.
Secondly, it was a question most people avoided round him, as if they were scared of the answer he’d give. Damaged goods, that was what they said about him. Don’t want to dig up memories of Russia. If it wasn’t to do with work, no one wanted to know, worried that he would say anything except fine. And yet here it was, the second time he’d been asked it within 24 hours.
“Pardon?” he said, turning to look at Jo, blinking slightly as he focused on the here and now. Jo walked towards him, leaning against the wall, pulling a cigarette out of a pocket.
“Do you mind?” she asked. Lucas shook his head. He personally wasn’t keen on smoking, but he was never going to stop anyone. “I asked if you were alright.”
“I’m fine,” Lucas said, giving the expected answer. After all, they were just passing the time. “The pain killers they give me are doing their job well.” Admittedly, after nearly 48 hours of constantly moving, the sudden stop meant that exhaustion was catching up on him quickly. There wasn’t much they could do till information, any information came in.
“Actually I meant about everything,” Jo said after a moment’s pause. She wasn’t looking at him, instead looking out over the London skyline, growing upwards by the day it seemed. Lucas felt like he was always double-taking when he saw it, so pronounced was the change from his time before at Thames House. “Ros reported the whole final conversation with Connie while you were at the hospital. She reported it to Dolby, but she made sure we heard it.” She said it quietly, almost scared to broach the subject.
Lucas looked at her profile for a moment. He and Jo hadn’t always had the best working relationship as he struggled to find his feet once again in the Grid, but he knew what it had taken for her to come up here and say the words. He turned and stood beside her, looking out towards the ostentatious building of MI6 headquarters and the rest of Vauxhall. London continued to move in its slow, constant way, never seeming to get anywhere. “Surviving,” he said eventually. “I... It’s a lot to take in.” It was all he’d say at the moment, but it was more than he thought he would ever say on the subject that morning. Ros’ gentle reaction to him at London Bridge had shocked him in the first place, now this.
Maybe he was fitting in once again, instead of being the one who’d returned after eight years, dragging mud on his shoes. Maybe he was once again becoming Lucas North, Senior Case Officer instead of Lucas North, former prisoner. Jo watched him silently, smoking her cigarette. She nodded once, as if she was aware of the change that had happened between them. “We could do with your help downstairs,” she said. “GCHQ have inundated us with reports.” She stubbed out the cigarette and moved towards the doorway.
Lucas limped after her. The painkillers had been strong, but they were wearing off now. Good. Time to focus on getting Harry back, on the future. “And I bet none of them have been useful,” he commented, wincing slightly as he started walking down the stairs.
“I miss Ruth,” Jo commented, moving the conversation to more normal topics.
“I never met her. Malcolm talks about her though.” A thawing. It was a start.
Lucas North
Spooks
Word Count: 671
He turned to see Jo watching him closely. The question was one he wasn’t expecting. Firstly, given how busy things were, he didn’t think that anyone would look for him while he grabbed some fresh air. He’d gotten back from the hospital after they’d removed the bullet, stitched up his wound and told him to rest, which he’d completely ignored and gone straight back into work. Harry was missing, he could recover later.
Secondly, it was a question most people avoided round him, as if they were scared of the answer he’d give. Damaged goods, that was what they said about him. Don’t want to dig up memories of Russia. If it wasn’t to do with work, no one wanted to know, worried that he would say anything except fine. And yet here it was, the second time he’d been asked it within 24 hours.
“Pardon?” he said, turning to look at Jo, blinking slightly as he focused on the here and now. Jo walked towards him, leaning against the wall, pulling a cigarette out of a pocket.
“Do you mind?” she asked. Lucas shook his head. He personally wasn’t keen on smoking, but he was never going to stop anyone. “I asked if you were alright.”
“I’m fine,” Lucas said, giving the expected answer. After all, they were just passing the time. “The pain killers they give me are doing their job well.” Admittedly, after nearly 48 hours of constantly moving, the sudden stop meant that exhaustion was catching up on him quickly. There wasn’t much they could do till information, any information came in.
“Actually I meant about everything,” Jo said after a moment’s pause. She wasn’t looking at him, instead looking out over the London skyline, growing upwards by the day it seemed. Lucas felt like he was always double-taking when he saw it, so pronounced was the change from his time before at Thames House. “Ros reported the whole final conversation with Connie while you were at the hospital. She reported it to Dolby, but she made sure we heard it.” She said it quietly, almost scared to broach the subject.
Lucas looked at her profile for a moment. He and Jo hadn’t always had the best working relationship as he struggled to find his feet once again in the Grid, but he knew what it had taken for her to come up here and say the words. He turned and stood beside her, looking out towards the ostentatious building of MI6 headquarters and the rest of Vauxhall. London continued to move in its slow, constant way, never seeming to get anywhere. “Surviving,” he said eventually. “I... It’s a lot to take in.” It was all he’d say at the moment, but it was more than he thought he would ever say on the subject that morning. Ros’ gentle reaction to him at London Bridge had shocked him in the first place, now this.
Maybe he was fitting in once again, instead of being the one who’d returned after eight years, dragging mud on his shoes. Maybe he was once again becoming Lucas North, Senior Case Officer instead of Lucas North, former prisoner. Jo watched him silently, smoking her cigarette. She nodded once, as if she was aware of the change that had happened between them. “We could do with your help downstairs,” she said. “GCHQ have inundated us with reports.” She stubbed out the cigarette and moved towards the doorway.
Lucas limped after her. The painkillers had been strong, but they were wearing off now. Good. Time to focus on getting Harry back, on the future. “And I bet none of them have been useful,” he commented, wincing slightly as he started walking down the stairs.
“I miss Ruth,” Jo commented, moving the conversation to more normal topics.
“I never met her. Malcolm talks about her though.” A thawing. It was a start.
Lucas North
Spooks
Word Count: 671