Human Rights 2
Gene, who generally did not like his territory being invaded by charming men in long coats, and especially American ones with chiselled jawlines, was very reluctant to allow Jack to see Jago Princep. He was just in the middle of a tirade concerning yanks who swan around thinking they own the place when Jack raised his hands in the air with a look of resignation.
“Are you giving up?” Gene asked suspiciously.
“No, but don’t you worry, Gene Hunt, it’s all fine. I’ll just go and get permission from your Superintendent.” His voice began to rise. “I only came here first because you were the arresting officer and I didn’t want to be rude! What is wrong with the 1970s?”
Sam watched as he turned with a swish of his coat and strode out of the office. Everyone in the outer room stopped their work for a few moments as they watched him pass by. There was something annoying about men who can command so much attention so easily.
“What the bloody hell is he up to, Sam?”
Sam shrugged. “No idea, gov. But I might go and ask him about Jago Princep. He must know something if he’s come here especially to see him.”
Before Gene could put any objection into words, Sam was out of the office and following in Jack’s footsteps. He needed to talk to him, but he wasn’t sure why. Just a little thought niggling at the back of Sam’s mind. Gene was shouting something as he walked away, but he did not stop to find out what.
---
“Wait a minute!” Sam called as Jack was about to disappear into the lift. He ran to catch up and joined him. “The Super’s on the next floor up.”
Jack raised an eyebrow and pushed the button marked ‘2’. After a few moments the lift lurched into action. “Why are you helping me?” Jack asked. Not that he would object to help from such a cute guy.
“Why do you want to speak to Jago Princep?” Sam retaliated, holding Jack’s gaze.
After a very short Mexican stand-off, Jack laughed, feeling a sort of affection for the stubborn DI. “I’m sorry, I wish I could tell you more. But Torchwood deals with... classified information.”
The lift gave a ding as it arrived at the next floor and the doors opened. They stepped out into a corridor that was very similar to that on the floor below. Sam pointed Jack to the Superintendent’s office without saying much more, but then he waited in the corridor. Ten minutes later, the frosted glass door opened again and Jack reappeared. He was amused but unsurprised to see Sam standing there.
“I really am sorry,” Jack said with a shrug of the shoulders. “I can’t tell you anything.”
“Will Princep talk to you?” Sam asked, following as Jack tried to walk away.
“I don’t know yet.”
“I think he’ll take one look at you and decide he can’t trust you. But he’s already spoken to me.”
Jack sighed and turned to look at Sam. “And I’m guessing you’re only going to tell me what he said if you can tag along.”
---
Jack looked through the peephole in the cell door, and saw with astonishment that Jago Princep was lying on the ground, bruised and battered. “What the hell happened to him?” he yelled at Sam, who recoiled slightly at the loudness of his voice. “What did you do to him?”
Sam looked down, embarrassed. In all the time he had been in 1973, no authoritative figure had ever complained about the mistreatment of a prisoner. Why was Jack Harkness different? He was reacting just the way Sam had done when he first arrived.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Jack asked through gritted teeth.
Sam very much wanted to reply that it wasn’t him, that Gene Hunt was the culprit, and if it were up to him no prisoner would ever get roughed up again. And he wanted to add that he didn’t even belong here. But something inside him saw Jack as the outsider, and Gene as the person he owed some loyalty to now, whatever his misgivings. “He was being difficult,” he mumbled in the end.
To Sam’s surprise, Jack was not willing to let it lie, and a few moments later he was holding him up against a wall by his wide 1970s collar. “You think it’s fine, don’t you? Well it isn’t. No being should be treated like this. What is it about the 1970s that has turned everyone into thugs?”
Being attacked physically finally made Sam see red, and he pushed Jack away with as much force as he could muster. “Look, don’t have a go at me,” he shouted. “I don’t even belong here!”
For a few moments they were both silent, and it would have seemed to an onlooker that they were about to fight. But instead they both smoothed down their ruffled clothing and turned towards the cell door again, an unspoken truce easing the tension.
---
Sam folded his arms grumpily as he waited in the corridor. Jack had insisted on going into the cell alone to speak to Jago Princep, so it seemed their brief partnership had ended before it has begun. Phyllis walked past to check on other prisoners.
“Who’s the yank then?” she whispered on her way back to the desk.
“Not now, Phyllis.”
“Fine then,” she huffed, walking away.
Just then, the cell door opened, and Jack walked frowning. He walked straight past Sam, following Phyllis to the front desk. “I don’t suppose you could do me a favour?” he said.
Phyllis turned round, surprised. “What do you want?”
“I’m worried about one of the prisoners - Jago Princep. Could you just keep an eye on him and make sure he’s OK?” He flashed a smile at her, the smile that usually got him what he wanted.
“Look, sunshine,” Phyllis said, putting a firm hand down on the counter. “I don’t know who you are, but your charms don’t work on me.”
Behind Jack, Sam laughed. “It’s alright, Phyllis, he’s with me. And I’d appreciate it if you look after Princep.”
Phyllis reluctantly nodded agreement.
---
“I guess I should thank you,” Jack said as he and Sam went outside to the steps at the front of the building.
“Did Princep say anything?”
Jack frowned. “You know he didn’t. He’s terrified. He’s never going to trust a human again.” He did not pause long enough for Sam to question his choice of words. “Did you really have nothing to do with his beating?”
“Look mate,” Sam sighed, “I don’t know where you’re from, but things are a bit rough here. I don’t like it, but it’s not going to stop because I complain.”
“It’s so easy to stand by and do nothing, isn’t it?” Jack said wistfully. “Anyway, you said you had something to tell me. So tell me.”
“I want to know who Jago Princep is. We think he’s from Romania, but we haven’t-“ Sam cut off abruptly because Jack had burst out laughing. “What is it?”
“It doesn’t matter. Look, just tell me what he said to you.”
“Well, it’s a bit weird, but he said he came from Cluj - that’s in Romania, isn’t it? But he called it the planet Cluj, and he said the place where he lived was a hive, and it was in Thirsolan or something. it didn’t make much sense.”
“Actually, it makes perfect sense. Thank you, Sam Tyler.” With that he gave Sam a pat on the back and set off down the steps. Before Sam had a chance to follow or call after him, a black Ford Cortina had pulled up, and Jack Harkness was driven away.
“Are you giving up?” Gene asked suspiciously.
“No, but don’t you worry, Gene Hunt, it’s all fine. I’ll just go and get permission from your Superintendent.” His voice began to rise. “I only came here first because you were the arresting officer and I didn’t want to be rude! What is wrong with the 1970s?”
Sam watched as he turned with a swish of his coat and strode out of the office. Everyone in the outer room stopped their work for a few moments as they watched him pass by. There was something annoying about men who can command so much attention so easily.
“What the bloody hell is he up to, Sam?”
Sam shrugged. “No idea, gov. But I might go and ask him about Jago Princep. He must know something if he’s come here especially to see him.”
Before Gene could put any objection into words, Sam was out of the office and following in Jack’s footsteps. He needed to talk to him, but he wasn’t sure why. Just a little thought niggling at the back of Sam’s mind. Gene was shouting something as he walked away, but he did not stop to find out what.
---
“Wait a minute!” Sam called as Jack was about to disappear into the lift. He ran to catch up and joined him. “The Super’s on the next floor up.”
Jack raised an eyebrow and pushed the button marked ‘2’. After a few moments the lift lurched into action. “Why are you helping me?” Jack asked. Not that he would object to help from such a cute guy.
“Why do you want to speak to Jago Princep?” Sam retaliated, holding Jack’s gaze.
After a very short Mexican stand-off, Jack laughed, feeling a sort of affection for the stubborn DI. “I’m sorry, I wish I could tell you more. But Torchwood deals with... classified information.”
The lift gave a ding as it arrived at the next floor and the doors opened. They stepped out into a corridor that was very similar to that on the floor below. Sam pointed Jack to the Superintendent’s office without saying much more, but then he waited in the corridor. Ten minutes later, the frosted glass door opened again and Jack reappeared. He was amused but unsurprised to see Sam standing there.
“I really am sorry,” Jack said with a shrug of the shoulders. “I can’t tell you anything.”
“Will Princep talk to you?” Sam asked, following as Jack tried to walk away.
“I don’t know yet.”
“I think he’ll take one look at you and decide he can’t trust you. But he’s already spoken to me.”
Jack sighed and turned to look at Sam. “And I’m guessing you’re only going to tell me what he said if you can tag along.”
---
Jack looked through the peephole in the cell door, and saw with astonishment that Jago Princep was lying on the ground, bruised and battered. “What the hell happened to him?” he yelled at Sam, who recoiled slightly at the loudness of his voice. “What did you do to him?”
Sam looked down, embarrassed. In all the time he had been in 1973, no authoritative figure had ever complained about the mistreatment of a prisoner. Why was Jack Harkness different? He was reacting just the way Sam had done when he first arrived.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Jack asked through gritted teeth.
Sam very much wanted to reply that it wasn’t him, that Gene Hunt was the culprit, and if it were up to him no prisoner would ever get roughed up again. And he wanted to add that he didn’t even belong here. But something inside him saw Jack as the outsider, and Gene as the person he owed some loyalty to now, whatever his misgivings. “He was being difficult,” he mumbled in the end.
To Sam’s surprise, Jack was not willing to let it lie, and a few moments later he was holding him up against a wall by his wide 1970s collar. “You think it’s fine, don’t you? Well it isn’t. No being should be treated like this. What is it about the 1970s that has turned everyone into thugs?”
Being attacked physically finally made Sam see red, and he pushed Jack away with as much force as he could muster. “Look, don’t have a go at me,” he shouted. “I don’t even belong here!”
For a few moments they were both silent, and it would have seemed to an onlooker that they were about to fight. But instead they both smoothed down their ruffled clothing and turned towards the cell door again, an unspoken truce easing the tension.
---
Sam folded his arms grumpily as he waited in the corridor. Jack had insisted on going into the cell alone to speak to Jago Princep, so it seemed their brief partnership had ended before it has begun. Phyllis walked past to check on other prisoners.
“Who’s the yank then?” she whispered on her way back to the desk.
“Not now, Phyllis.”
“Fine then,” she huffed, walking away.
Just then, the cell door opened, and Jack walked frowning. He walked straight past Sam, following Phyllis to the front desk. “I don’t suppose you could do me a favour?” he said.
Phyllis turned round, surprised. “What do you want?”
“I’m worried about one of the prisoners - Jago Princep. Could you just keep an eye on him and make sure he’s OK?” He flashed a smile at her, the smile that usually got him what he wanted.
“Look, sunshine,” Phyllis said, putting a firm hand down on the counter. “I don’t know who you are, but your charms don’t work on me.”
Behind Jack, Sam laughed. “It’s alright, Phyllis, he’s with me. And I’d appreciate it if you look after Princep.”
Phyllis reluctantly nodded agreement.
---
“I guess I should thank you,” Jack said as he and Sam went outside to the steps at the front of the building.
“Did Princep say anything?”
Jack frowned. “You know he didn’t. He’s terrified. He’s never going to trust a human again.” He did not pause long enough for Sam to question his choice of words. “Did you really have nothing to do with his beating?”
“Look mate,” Sam sighed, “I don’t know where you’re from, but things are a bit rough here. I don’t like it, but it’s not going to stop because I complain.”
“It’s so easy to stand by and do nothing, isn’t it?” Jack said wistfully. “Anyway, you said you had something to tell me. So tell me.”
“I want to know who Jago Princep is. We think he’s from Romania, but we haven’t-“ Sam cut off abruptly because Jack had burst out laughing. “What is it?”
“It doesn’t matter. Look, just tell me what he said to you.”
“Well, it’s a bit weird, but he said he came from Cluj - that’s in Romania, isn’t it? But he called it the planet Cluj, and he said the place where he lived was a hive, and it was in Thirsolan or something. it didn’t make much sense.”
“Actually, it makes perfect sense. Thank you, Sam Tyler.” With that he gave Sam a pat on the back and set off down the steps. Before Sam had a chance to follow or call after him, a black Ford Cortina had pulled up, and Jack Harkness was driven away.