Without a Leg to Stand On

[chnarrator]

Characters: The helicopter pilot and anyone else present at the castle at that time.
Rating: PG 13

Time Period: Modern

Location: The lab beneath the grotto (upper level)

Relative Date: A day after the pilot's surgery

Status: Open

Below the earth, a servant of your enemies sleeps fitfully.

His surgery complete, he has lost a leg, but

Comments

[forever_jack]

Having seen to Donna, tried and failed to track down the Doctor, received news from the other two teams and heard nothing at all from anyone who'd been to see the pilot, Jack had got tired of waiting and trying (and failing) to sleep, and had come down to see what was going on and if he could be any use.

He was surprised to find only Isaack there, and instantly very glad that he'd decided to come along himself. He paused in the doorway, observing the scene and the fact that surgery had clearly taken place. For some reason, he hadn't quite expected that to be necessary, though why, he couldn't have said. Even his rather cursory look around the lab now showed that they didn't exactly have state of the art medical care here.

He watched Isaack offer the drink to the pilot and sauntered across to the pilot's bed, his hands deep in his greatcoat pockets and one eyebrow lifted slightly as he drawled, to the injured man, "I should take it, if I were you. He's a good doctor and he knows what he's about. And he's definitely right about that bitch of a headache you get from chlorphorm."

[chnarrator]

"Good butcher is more like it," he muttered sullenly. His voice carried a distinctive London accent, even through the damage of the smoke inhalation. He nevertheless accepted the drink, sipping at it thirstily. After several laboured swallows, he coughed a bit and lowered the drink. He looked at the two men with a combination of fear and wariness, his eyes darting back and forth between them.

"Has there been any word? From my bosses, I mean?" He paused, seeming not to be sure how to carry on, "I'm sure this is all just some sort of... mistake, or something."

[isaack_brierp]

"I think the radio was broken in the crash. I was a bit to occupied to save you then the dead guy and the radio." he said roughly, not acknowledge Jack at first. He felt the man's forehead, and smiled a bit. "You are not running a fever any more, and that is good. I know you hurt, but unless you get an infection, I think you will pull through fine." He lifted the blanket. "I need to change the bandage, but I managed to track up a injection needle, and I managed to make some tranquilizer. Its not much, but it will keep your leg from hurting too much." he spoke in a gentle tone.

Finally he looked up at Jack. "It was a rough operation, but it saved his life. By the looks of it, he will pull through, but I would be careful.Hello by the way..." he looked tired.

[forever_jack]

Jack nodded to Isaack, assimilating the information he'd given the pilot as well as what he could see for himself and trying to work out how to proceed.

He decided to try the straightforward approach first. Firm but friendly. The pilot knew he was alone here, after all. He was going to need a friend.

"Captain Jack Harkness," he introduced himself with a brief smile, pulling up a chair beside the bed and lowering himself onto it, his legs spread and his forearms resting on his thighs as he leaned forward. "And your surgeon is Doctor Isaack Brie. Can you remember your name?"

[chnarrator]

"'Course I do," he croaked, "I'm not daft. It's my bleeding leg that got ruined, not my head." His bitterness and anger were both obvious, and no small part of it directed as Isaack, who he kept glancing towards as he spoke. "Hell, I'm feeling more clear-headed than I have in ages," he said, looking away from the two uncomfortably. "Aside from the headache, of course," he reached over and took another sip of his drink.

Setting it back down on the table and clearing his throat, he addressed Jack. "Mark Robinson," he said.

[isaack_brierp]

"I just saved your life." he growled. "I could just have easily let you die, but I did not. And I am pretty sure you did not want to die either. By the looks of it you are just as much stuck here as we are." he carefully rearranged the other with more pillows, allowing him to sit up. He turned around, having seen the others thirst and apparent appetite, and brought forth a plate. "I have some food here if you are hungry. Its only tomato soup, but it fills some and have an al right taste..." He showed the salty smelling soup for the pilot, holding it up if he wanted some.

[forever_jack]

Jack inclined his head with a small, wry smile in response to the pilot's indignation. "Just checking," he murmured. "Good to meet you, Mark. And really interesting. D'you know, you're the first person we've had occasion to meet who wasn't supposed to be trapped here with the rest of us?"

Well, unless the pilot had been trapped here deliberately, of course, as a sort of red herring. But that was a risk they were just going to have to take.

[chnarrator]

"That's just it, don't you see," he asked plaintively, "I'm NOT supposed to be here. I gather that all you blokes've got some kind of... project here, I suppose?" He seemed uncertain of this as he spoke, but pressed on gamely. "And I get that once you're here, you're not supposed to leave, right? But me, I'm not a part of that, alright? I'm just... I'm just doing a job, you follow? And I can't very well do it from in here. I just... I'm sure you've some means of getting in touch with my employers." He looked over at Isaack, warding off what he knew was coming, "Not... Not the radio in the chopper. I know that's gone. But something, right? Whatever you chaps use?"

[isaack_brierp]

"Project?" Isaack looked confused up at Jack, then back at the pilot, his eyes glinting a bit cruely. "Using your 'job' as an excuse for making people supper don't justify your actions. Maybe I should have let you die a slow, painful death. And by the looks of it, your co-workers have decided to deem you unnecessary and blown up your helicopter and kill your friend." he growled almost, his eyes flashing in anger of the words of the man. He straightened up, his massive tall frame towering over the pilot on the bed. "And I would only let you use my phone if you make sure every single person on this place is alowed out too. Most here have loved ones waiting for them."

Did he himself? Isaack could not remember. De he have a family? A lover? a child? He looked over to jack, almost asking.

[forever_jack]

Raising his eyebrows slightly in response to Isaack’s questioning look, Jack laughed bitterly. “Oh no, I’m sorry, sweetheart, but it’s you who don’t get it. We don’t have any way of getting in touch with your employers - or anybody else at all outside this little compound. If we did, do you really think we’d still be here? It’s not a ‘project’ we’re here for. Each and every one of us was tricked into coming here and forced to stay here. We can’t get out, we can’t communicate with the outside world - we don’t even really know why we’re here.”

He tilted his head, watching the pilot coolly. “And now, as Isaack says, it looks like you’re stuck here too. You might want to think about exactly what that means for you. After all, Isaack’s not the only one who’s going to be angry with you.”

[chnarrator]

"Angry at me," he asked, an affronted look in his eyes. "If anyone has a cause to be upset, it's me. I'm the one missing a bloody leg!" He shouted angrily, his voice rising with fury.

"Listen, I'm sorry that this hasn't worked out the way you wanted, okay? Really, I am!" His eyes darted back and forth between the two men. "I didn't plan on falling from the bloody sky and winding up a fucking cripple, alright? I just... It was just a paycheque!" His voice became pleading, as though imploring them to understand. "I have a wife and two kids! I was out of work! I just... How was I to know it would... would all turn out like this?"

[isaack_brierp]

"As we wanted? We did not want this. we got tricked here!" Isaack snapped, fangs showing a second, before they vanished again. "So you justify people's pain and fear by the fact that its just a 'paycheck'?" people have vanished, been killed by monsters, tortured... all because you were to lazy to work as a postman or a wash help?" He growled, standing back, letting the plate almost drop on the floor. he shoved it too the table.

"You don't deserve my help."

[forever_jack]

Jack just sat back, folded his arms, and watched the pilot - Mark - with a tiny smile and one quirked eyebrow as he let Isaack have his say.

“The problem is,” he murmured, once Isaack had finished his rant, “that if you knew anything - anything at all - about what it was you were bringing people to here, then like Isaack they are going to blame you. And quite rightly so, I feel, since without you they might not have got stuck here.

“I’m sorry about your leg, and that you’re stuck here with us, but without Isaack’s help you’d probably have bled to death by now, so you might want to start according him a little respect.”

[chnarrator]

Mark covered his face with his hands, breathing deeply, plainly trying to get control of himself. Through his fingers, he spoke slowly, forcing the words from his mouth. "I appreciate your help... doctor," he said, "I'm sorry for being rude." He lowered his hands from his face, wearily, dragging his fingers down his cheeks before dropping his hands to his lap.

He looked to Jack, brows knitted together with consternation. "You want to know what I knew about this place? I'll tell you what. I would wake up in my cot some mornings, and there would be a folder by my head. I'd open it, and it'd tell me where to go, who to pick up, and the flight plan from there to the castle here." He spread his hands wide, imploringly. "I never even... It's like I was sleepwalking or something, mate. I never even spoke to any of them. Not the passengers. Not my bloody employers. It was like every day was a bloody dream. I don't even know how many days it was, I wouldn't get any instructions, an' I'd just spend the day starin' off into space like some kind of bleeding vegetable, or gettin' walked around in the exercise yard with other guys like me." Tears began to run down his cheeks as he spoke. "I don't even know... it's been... Months? Years?"

"I just want to go home."

[isaack_brierp]

"I thought you just said you had a wife and two kids." Isaack sneered, eyes glowing a second. He was definitely *not* happy at all, and had no problem showing it.

"I do not like being served lies..." he hissed.

[chnarrator]

"Fine, I HAD a wife and two kids, when I took this job," he shouted, angrily, through his tears. "For all I know they may think I'm dead by now, all the time I spent in... that place. But don't you dare suggest that they're not real! God, I just hope whatever I've been getting paid for all this has been getting back to them. Lord grant me that small mercy."