Riddler 1/1
TITLE: Riddler
RATING: PG
SYNOPSIS: Death isn't always clear cut.
You can find all my stories here at my index.
This is Part of a series of missing scene fiction
(story 1) Flirtation
(story 2) Craving
(story 3) Cryptic coffee. part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
(story 4) Monster
(story 5) Choices
(story 6) Comfort
(stpry 7) Industrial Strength
Suzie glared at Jack from across the room, staring him out in an attempt to make him uncomfortable. Her eyes looked tired and her skin was drawn, but she still looked pretty good for someone who was supposed to be a corpse. She pushed the empty coffee cup to one side and pulled herself a little closer to the table, leaning over it.
“You should be dead,” she said, almost whispering to stop anyone from hearing, “why aren't you dead?”
“I could as you the same question. You know it's verging on rude to have a pulse when you're supposed to be a cadaver.”
“That doesn't answer my question.” She narrowed her eyes. “I shot you in the head.”
“Yeah, well I'm just full of surprises.” Jack let out a surprisingly wide smirk and sat back in his chair, folding his arms. “Nothing is ever simple in Torchwood, you should know that; you're living proof of that, we both are.”
“Are you immortal?” she asked.
“Are you?”
She licked her lips and gave up, slumping back in the chair and mirroring the Captain. “Who is it now?” she asked. “Who took my place?”
Jack said nothing, but glared through her as if she were made of glass. “Stop it.”
“Gwen?” she watched his reaction and his eyes. “Toshiko?” she watched him again and licked her lips. “I know it's not Owen.” She smirked just a little before pouting her lips. “Maybe it's Ianto.” Suzie smiled as Jack's eyes hardened and leant on the table. “You always did have a thing for him. It was the arse, or the suit, or the complete look of stoic innocence.”
“You know nothing.”
“Your eyes tell me everything, they always did. You can run, you can hide but you can't lie to save your life; not to me. I doubt you can lie to Ianto either, not when he's seen you at your most vulnerable.” She smiled. “That's what I always loved about it. Seeing Jack Harkness vulnerable, watching him loose all his fears and secrets, and all because you touch him in just the right way. Tell me, Captain, how weak is that?”
Jack leaned across the table and pulled her by her wrist to meet him. “You should hurry up and die, because I could take great pleasure it putting another hole in your head right about now.”
She locked her eyes with his, fearlessly gazing into his soul. “Does he know?” she asked, “did you tell him? Have you told him anything?”
“Ianto knows what he needs to know and no more.”
Suzie looked up at the CCTV. “Is he there? Is he watching?” She looked at the light underneath the camera; it was off, not blinking, the red light was absent. She turned back to him. “You really do want to keep some things a secret, don't you?”
“Everyone needs secrets Suzie,” Jack said, “don't forget yours. That was one hell of a secret you were hiding. I always knew you were shrewd, I guessed from the moment that I met you that you were capable of telling big lies, but even I didn't suspect you could ever be a killer.”
“I wasn't a killer Jack.” Suzie pulled away from his grasp a little. “I was a preserver. I was trying to preserve life, and if I had to take a few people away from the world to figure out how to bring more people back than it was a worthy sacrifice.”
“You didn't do it for the greater good; you just went mad with power Suzie. There's no glory there; there's no excuse for killing.”
“And how many people have you killed, Jack?” She pointed to his gun. “How much blood do you have on your hands? How many lives do you have on your conscience? No wonder you don't sleep; I couldn't sleep either if I had done the things you have.”
“What do you want Suzie?” Jack hardened his glare. “Why are you here, why won't you just die?”
“I don't know! Do you think I chose to be like this, do you really think that I wanted to come back to this shitty world with a hole through my head?”
“You're here for a reason. I don't know if you're conscious of it but this is no coincidence.”
“You brought me back,” she argued, “you and your little team brought me back, you cant blame me if I won't go.”
Jack pushed himself out of the chair and stood up, leaning across the table and forcing her backwards in her wheelchair. “I used to trust you with my life, we all did, now I just want you gone. So if you know of a way that I can get rid of you then I want to know.”
Suzie smiled. “A wounded deer leaps highest, I’ve heard the hunter tell; ’t is but the ecstasy of death, and then the brake is still.” She spoke slowly and Jack backed away. “The smitten rock that gushes, the trampled steel that springs: A cheek is always redder Just where the hectic stings!” She forced herself up to her feet, leaning on the table, coming almost nose-to-nose with him. “Mirth is the mail of anguish, in which it caution arm. Lest anybody spy the blood And 'You’re hurt' exclaim!”
Jack backed away a little, his eyebrows knitted with confusion. “What?”
“You just hate things you don't understand, don't you Jack, things that you just cant figure out?”
“I want you to die.”
“That's your answer for everything, isn't it?” she said, “if you can't figure someone out you kill them or shag them.” Suzie sat back down. “You couldn't bring yourself to kill him, so you shag him instead and get inside his head that way.”
“You know nothing about me and him.”
“I know that we're similar; that you see the same things in both of us.”
“He's nothing like the monster you are.”
“We're both quiet,” she said, “we blend it to the background. We like to solve things, hide things, and give nothing away. We hide from you Jack, and you just need to try an break people like us; get inside our minds when you won't let us inside of yours. It's hardly fair.”
Jack walked towards the stairway, leaving her behind. “You know nothing.”
“I’m nobody!” Suzie said. “Who are you?”
Jack turned to face her.
“Are you nobody too?” She asked. “Then there's a pair of us.” Suzie held her finger to her lips and looked around as though she were telling a secret. “Don't tell. They'd banish us you know.”
Jack turned away again. “I don't have time for your games.”
“How dreary to be somebody,” she continued, “how public, like a frog. To tell your name the lifelong day, to an admiring bog.”
Jack continued to walk, climbing the stairs, enabling the CCTV as he did.
“Life is a riddle Jack,” she shouted, “one that we will never solve.”
He walked out of the door and shut it behind him, taking a deep breath before continuing along the corridor, meeting Ianto halfway.
“The CCTV went off,” Ianto said.
“I disabled it.” His voice sounded empty and his eyes looked distracted. “It's back on now.”
“Are you all right?”
“Fine.”
Ianto smiled. “Good.” He walked towards him, pressing him gently against the wall; he touched his face with the palm of his hand. “She plays mind games Jack, don't let her get to you.”
“She makes no sense.”
“Jack, she never did.”
Jack wrapped his hand around the back of the Welshman's neck, and pulled him towards him. He kissed him softly, wrapping his arms around his back, then rested his head on Ianto's shoulder. Ianto hugged him back, cradling his had against his body.
“You're not okay,” he said.
“It's just a very long, very hard, very confusing day.”
Ianto smiled a little. “I'll need a stiff one after this.”
“Funny you should say that,” Jack smirked against his shoulder, “I could go for one of those right about now.”
“Somehow I don't think we're talking about the same thing.”
“We're not?”
“I was talking about a drink” Ianto said. Jack pulled away to arms length and straightened up the Welshman's tie.
“So was I.” Jack smirked.
“You're such an awful liar.”
Jack's face dropped. “Why do you say that?”
“You just are; I see right through you.”
“You do?”
“Always.” Ianto removed himself from Jack's grasp. “I have to go and sort out the armoury,” he said, “I'm banning Owen from going in there without supervision; there are stun guns mixed in with the laser tazers again.”
RATING: PG
SYNOPSIS: Death isn't always clear cut.
You can find all my stories here at my index.
This is Part of a series of missing scene fiction
(story 1) Flirtation
(story 2) Craving
(story 3) Cryptic coffee. part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
(story 4) Monster
(story 5) Choices
(story 6) Comfort
(stpry 7) Industrial Strength
Suzie glared at Jack from across the room, staring him out in an attempt to make him uncomfortable. Her eyes looked tired and her skin was drawn, but she still looked pretty good for someone who was supposed to be a corpse. She pushed the empty coffee cup to one side and pulled herself a little closer to the table, leaning over it.
“You should be dead,” she said, almost whispering to stop anyone from hearing, “why aren't you dead?”
“I could as you the same question. You know it's verging on rude to have a pulse when you're supposed to be a cadaver.”
“That doesn't answer my question.” She narrowed her eyes. “I shot you in the head.”
“Yeah, well I'm just full of surprises.” Jack let out a surprisingly wide smirk and sat back in his chair, folding his arms. “Nothing is ever simple in Torchwood, you should know that; you're living proof of that, we both are.”
“Are you immortal?” she asked.
“Are you?”
She licked her lips and gave up, slumping back in the chair and mirroring the Captain. “Who is it now?” she asked. “Who took my place?”
Jack said nothing, but glared through her as if she were made of glass. “Stop it.”
“Gwen?” she watched his reaction and his eyes. “Toshiko?” she watched him again and licked her lips. “I know it's not Owen.” She smirked just a little before pouting her lips. “Maybe it's Ianto.” Suzie smiled as Jack's eyes hardened and leant on the table. “You always did have a thing for him. It was the arse, or the suit, or the complete look of stoic innocence.”
“You know nothing.”
“Your eyes tell me everything, they always did. You can run, you can hide but you can't lie to save your life; not to me. I doubt you can lie to Ianto either, not when he's seen you at your most vulnerable.” She smiled. “That's what I always loved about it. Seeing Jack Harkness vulnerable, watching him loose all his fears and secrets, and all because you touch him in just the right way. Tell me, Captain, how weak is that?”
Jack leaned across the table and pulled her by her wrist to meet him. “You should hurry up and die, because I could take great pleasure it putting another hole in your head right about now.”
She locked her eyes with his, fearlessly gazing into his soul. “Does he know?” she asked, “did you tell him? Have you told him anything?”
“Ianto knows what he needs to know and no more.”
Suzie looked up at the CCTV. “Is he there? Is he watching?” She looked at the light underneath the camera; it was off, not blinking, the red light was absent. She turned back to him. “You really do want to keep some things a secret, don't you?”
“Everyone needs secrets Suzie,” Jack said, “don't forget yours. That was one hell of a secret you were hiding. I always knew you were shrewd, I guessed from the moment that I met you that you were capable of telling big lies, but even I didn't suspect you could ever be a killer.”
“I wasn't a killer Jack.” Suzie pulled away from his grasp a little. “I was a preserver. I was trying to preserve life, and if I had to take a few people away from the world to figure out how to bring more people back than it was a worthy sacrifice.”
“You didn't do it for the greater good; you just went mad with power Suzie. There's no glory there; there's no excuse for killing.”
“And how many people have you killed, Jack?” She pointed to his gun. “How much blood do you have on your hands? How many lives do you have on your conscience? No wonder you don't sleep; I couldn't sleep either if I had done the things you have.”
“What do you want Suzie?” Jack hardened his glare. “Why are you here, why won't you just die?”
“I don't know! Do you think I chose to be like this, do you really think that I wanted to come back to this shitty world with a hole through my head?”
“You're here for a reason. I don't know if you're conscious of it but this is no coincidence.”
“You brought me back,” she argued, “you and your little team brought me back, you cant blame me if I won't go.”
Jack pushed himself out of the chair and stood up, leaning across the table and forcing her backwards in her wheelchair. “I used to trust you with my life, we all did, now I just want you gone. So if you know of a way that I can get rid of you then I want to know.”
Suzie smiled. “A wounded deer leaps highest, I’ve heard the hunter tell; ’t is but the ecstasy of death, and then the brake is still.” She spoke slowly and Jack backed away. “The smitten rock that gushes, the trampled steel that springs: A cheek is always redder Just where the hectic stings!” She forced herself up to her feet, leaning on the table, coming almost nose-to-nose with him. “Mirth is the mail of anguish, in which it caution arm. Lest anybody spy the blood And 'You’re hurt' exclaim!”
Jack backed away a little, his eyebrows knitted with confusion. “What?”
“You just hate things you don't understand, don't you Jack, things that you just cant figure out?”
“I want you to die.”
“That's your answer for everything, isn't it?” she said, “if you can't figure someone out you kill them or shag them.” Suzie sat back down. “You couldn't bring yourself to kill him, so you shag him instead and get inside his head that way.”
“You know nothing about me and him.”
“I know that we're similar; that you see the same things in both of us.”
“He's nothing like the monster you are.”
“We're both quiet,” she said, “we blend it to the background. We like to solve things, hide things, and give nothing away. We hide from you Jack, and you just need to try an break people like us; get inside our minds when you won't let us inside of yours. It's hardly fair.”
Jack walked towards the stairway, leaving her behind. “You know nothing.”
“I’m nobody!” Suzie said. “Who are you?”
Jack turned to face her.
“Are you nobody too?” She asked. “Then there's a pair of us.” Suzie held her finger to her lips and looked around as though she were telling a secret. “Don't tell. They'd banish us you know.”
Jack turned away again. “I don't have time for your games.”
“How dreary to be somebody,” she continued, “how public, like a frog. To tell your name the lifelong day, to an admiring bog.”
Jack continued to walk, climbing the stairs, enabling the CCTV as he did.
“Life is a riddle Jack,” she shouted, “one that we will never solve.”
He walked out of the door and shut it behind him, taking a deep breath before continuing along the corridor, meeting Ianto halfway.
“The CCTV went off,” Ianto said.
“I disabled it.” His voice sounded empty and his eyes looked distracted. “It's back on now.”
“Are you all right?”
“Fine.”
Ianto smiled. “Good.” He walked towards him, pressing him gently against the wall; he touched his face with the palm of his hand. “She plays mind games Jack, don't let her get to you.”
“She makes no sense.”
“Jack, she never did.”
Jack wrapped his hand around the back of the Welshman's neck, and pulled him towards him. He kissed him softly, wrapping his arms around his back, then rested his head on Ianto's shoulder. Ianto hugged him back, cradling his had against his body.
“You're not okay,” he said.
“It's just a very long, very hard, very confusing day.”
Ianto smiled a little. “I'll need a stiff one after this.”
“Funny you should say that,” Jack smirked against his shoulder, “I could go for one of those right about now.”
“Somehow I don't think we're talking about the same thing.”
“We're not?”
“I was talking about a drink” Ianto said. Jack pulled away to arms length and straightened up the Welshman's tie.
“So was I.” Jack smirked.
“You're such an awful liar.”
Jack's face dropped. “Why do you say that?”
“You just are; I see right through you.”
“You do?”
“Always.” Ianto removed himself from Jack's grasp. “I have to go and sort out the armoury,” he said, “I'm banning Owen from going in there without supervision; there are stun guns mixed in with the laser tazers again.”