Ficlet: Special Ops
Title: Special Ops
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Andy, Jack, Gwen.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: General for any episodes that Andy’s in.
Summary: Andy Davidson finds the mystery surrounding Torchwood to be like an annoying itch he can’t scratch.
Word Count: 514
Written For: My own prompt ‘Any, any, Most of the time, he thinks he's probably better off not knowing exactly what it is that Torchwood does,’ at fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.
Torchwood, Special Ops, most everybody on the force, and a lot of the civilian population, are used to seeing them swanning around the city in that swanky black SUV of theirs. They’re a fact of life in Cardiff, and a pain in the arse to the Heddlu. They come poncing into crime scenes and take over without a by your leave, sending the hardworking boys and girls in blue packing, as if they’re incompetent, or worse, irrelevant. Gets people’s backs up, that does; there’s a lot of resentment directed at Harkness and his team for the way they walk all over people, and it’s fully justified.
Now Gwen’s gone and switched sides, got caught up in something mysterious, quit the force and joined Torchwood. Andy had hoped that having his ex-partner on the inside would make a difference, that she’d speak up for her ex-colleagues, persuade that arrogant Yank to treat them with the respect they deserve. Fat chance of that; if anything, Gwen has become even more arrogant, condescending, and patronising than Harkness himself. At least most of the time he just ignores them, but Gwen… She smiles sweetly at him and basically tells him not to worry his pretty little head about things because now the experts are here. Treats him like a bloody child! Never mind that he was her superior officer when they worked together. It’s insulting. He’d thought they were friends; apparently he was wrong.
What’s so special about Torchwood and what they do anyway? According to everyone who knows anything, they’re Special Ops, but what exactly does that mean? There’s no pattern Andy can make out when it comes to which crime scenes they take charge of. Some people claim they’re anti-terrorism, but if that’s the case, shouldn’t they clue the Heddlu in? Torchwood is a small organisation, only five strong, unless there are others back at their base, wherever the hell that is, who’re never seen; surely having the whole of the Cardiff police department keeping their eyes and ears open on the street would be an asset to them. It’s bloody frustrating not knowing what’s going on in the city he’s sworn to protect.
Then again, more about Gwen has changed since she joined Torchwood’s ranks than her attitude towards the people who used to be her colleagues and friends. Andy’s seen the shadows in her eyes, the lines of strain on her face, the way she smiles less often, and how when she does, it’s often forced. It’s like she’s seen too much, and worse things than even coppers usually have to deal with. The kinds of things that haunt you when you’re awake and give you nightmares every time you close your eyes. Gives him chills to think about what could deaden Gwen Cooper’s eyes that way.
He’s still driven to learn what it is Torchwood knows that he doesn’t, he’s always been too curious for his own good, but most of the time he suspects that as annoying as being kept in the dark might be, in this case ignorance is probably bliss.
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Andy, Jack, Gwen.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: General for any episodes that Andy’s in.
Summary: Andy Davidson finds the mystery surrounding Torchwood to be like an annoying itch he can’t scratch.
Word Count: 514
Written For: My own prompt ‘Any, any, Most of the time, he thinks he's probably better off not knowing exactly what it is that Torchwood does,’ at fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.
Torchwood, Special Ops, most everybody on the force, and a lot of the civilian population, are used to seeing them swanning around the city in that swanky black SUV of theirs. They’re a fact of life in Cardiff, and a pain in the arse to the Heddlu. They come poncing into crime scenes and take over without a by your leave, sending the hardworking boys and girls in blue packing, as if they’re incompetent, or worse, irrelevant. Gets people’s backs up, that does; there’s a lot of resentment directed at Harkness and his team for the way they walk all over people, and it’s fully justified.
Now Gwen’s gone and switched sides, got caught up in something mysterious, quit the force and joined Torchwood. Andy had hoped that having his ex-partner on the inside would make a difference, that she’d speak up for her ex-colleagues, persuade that arrogant Yank to treat them with the respect they deserve. Fat chance of that; if anything, Gwen has become even more arrogant, condescending, and patronising than Harkness himself. At least most of the time he just ignores them, but Gwen… She smiles sweetly at him and basically tells him not to worry his pretty little head about things because now the experts are here. Treats him like a bloody child! Never mind that he was her superior officer when they worked together. It’s insulting. He’d thought they were friends; apparently he was wrong.
What’s so special about Torchwood and what they do anyway? According to everyone who knows anything, they’re Special Ops, but what exactly does that mean? There’s no pattern Andy can make out when it comes to which crime scenes they take charge of. Some people claim they’re anti-terrorism, but if that’s the case, shouldn’t they clue the Heddlu in? Torchwood is a small organisation, only five strong, unless there are others back at their base, wherever the hell that is, who’re never seen; surely having the whole of the Cardiff police department keeping their eyes and ears open on the street would be an asset to them. It’s bloody frustrating not knowing what’s going on in the city he’s sworn to protect.
Then again, more about Gwen has changed since she joined Torchwood’s ranks than her attitude towards the people who used to be her colleagues and friends. Andy’s seen the shadows in her eyes, the lines of strain on her face, the way she smiles less often, and how when she does, it’s often forced. It’s like she’s seen too much, and worse things than even coppers usually have to deal with. The kinds of things that haunt you when you’re awake and give you nightmares every time you close your eyes. Gives him chills to think about what could deaden Gwen Cooper’s eyes that way.
He’s still driven to learn what it is Torchwood knows that he doesn’t, he’s always been too curious for his own good, but most of the time he suspects that as annoying as being kept in the dark might be, in this case ignorance is probably bliss.
The End