you're a marionette in the center of all the twisting strings coming from above

[findaconstant]

Daniel has come to know the feeling hanging in the air this evening well; it's part fear, part uncertainty, part resolve. It gives rise to a familiar pattern: something happens, the city copes, its residents push forward. He's one of them. He doesn't know how many friends he's lost, but he recognizes names among the numbers being tossed around.

The

Comments

[hey_capn_jack]

Jack is in the Kashtta, trying to work out what pieces there are. Owen could only confirm so many disappearances. He's crisscrossed the various floors of the Kashtta so many times he's beginning to think he could walk it all bindfolded. That would be a feat. It took him a few years to get to that stage with the Hub.

He's in the CCTV room when he sees someone approaching the Kashtta, and heads down to the door. Ordinarily he'd have people to intercept people for him, but... ordinarily he'd have a staff. And enough confidence in his authority to order them around.

He gets to the lobby about when Dan should be getting in, jogging down the stairs. "Daniel Faraday?"

He'd, um, better be.

[findaconstant]

"That's me." Dan lifts a hand in greeting once he spies Jack. He knows he's seen this man before, though they never actually, formally met. He remembers the trial.

Well. News of it, anyway.

It suddenly dawns on him that he's been kind of out of the loop.

"Hey. Jack, right? Or, uh... Captain Harkness?"

[hey_capn_jack]

"So they tell me," Jack says, with a very dry smile. "Call me Jack, though."

And this... this is awkward.

"Judging by the look on your face, I'm guessing you don't know how to react to this," he says. "To be honest, neither do I. ...I formed Torchwood in Chicago two years ago, but I had to abdicate command after a pretty nasty political dispute. Romana Angelos, if you know that bit of history. Chicago being Chicago..."

And there, he's suddenly unsure of how to phrase that. My life spiralled out of control. I burnt all my bridges. I went insane. Too much of my past caught up with me.

"...I never re-assumed the position," he says. "...that's a long unpleasant story, but... if you need to hear it, I'll tell it."

He grimaces. Honesty. It's a skill he's forcing himself to learn, and it's hard. It was hard in his own universe, with Sam; it's been hard here, with Gwen, with Suzie, with Huck, with everyone. He keeps hoping it'll get easier, but he doesn't really believe that it will

[findaconstant]

Dan is good at awkward. It's one of his many talents.

He stays silent as Jack speaks, fidgeting every few seconds with a hangnail on his thumb. "Yeah, I... you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. We all have our... you know. Things." Much the opposite of Jack, Dan's learning to not spill his personal story to anyone who'll lend an ear

[pplrunincircles]

Elizabeth cannot really afford to help anyone else die at the moment. It's why she doesn't realize that it's Max, because she's not looking in anyone's eyes. She can't, and she won't let herself feel guilty by making this decision either.

She notices homeless people, pulls out five dollars for the homeless man and then holds out five to the man standing next to him, and-

"Max?" Elizabeth blinks, moving her head up to stare at him. "What's-- I didn't know that was you!" She flails and then moves to wrap her arms around him and hug him tight. "I thought you were another homeless person! You can have the five dollars if you want. I'm so glad you're here. And alive."

[bythatmuch]

"I was wondering why you were giving me money," he chuckles, returning Elizabeth's hug with an extra squeeze. "Hey. I'm so glad you're okay."

Really, he didn't know what to think. He doesn't know what's happening. This is worse than any kind of monster, that's for sure.

"You are okay, right?"

As for the five dollars, he passes it off to his new friend, Kevin. Ten bucks will be enough to distract him apocalyptic thoughts for a little while. In fact, he's going to leave Max and Elizabeth for a while in favor of some coffee.

[pplrunincircles]

"What are you doing hanging out on a street," Elizabeth asks as she pulls away from the hug and looks up at him, searching his face.

She wrinkles her nose at the question. The problem with being an angel is that she can't lie. It doesn't seem important how she is, not with all of these people dying, disappearing, and running off.

"I'm alive," she answers finally, and then offers him a strained smile that's laced intensely with concern. "How about you? Chicago's... getting crazier than normal, I know."

It still feels like she's putting it lightly. Chicago has turned into some kind of hell again. It rivals the plagues. If she wasn't so used to it, if she didn't have a purpose, she'd be hiding in a corner somewhere, but she's not.

[bythatmuch]

"Talking to Kevin," he answers. Because that's what he's doing. Nothing more, nothing less.

...well, it's what he was doing, anyway.

"Now I'm talking to you. Anyway, I'm also alive."

Max has taken to stating the obvious, because nothing else makes sense anymore. He can only be sure of what he actually sees for himself.

[thehighestwing]

Phoebe has been kind of worried.

And by kind of the narration means very close to going batshit. Everyone's disappearing, or has disappeared, and she's terrified of asking around to see who's been left.

She forgets the animosity she's presented to the man and runs up to him for a hug. "Max!"

[bythatmuch]

After a while, Max started assuming everyone was dead. He can't find Tomei and he lost his PDA so he basically lost communication with everyone and didn't know what to think about anything, so when he sees Phoebe and feels her hugging him, he lets out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Phoebe, hi. I thought..." He squeezes her. "You're okay. That's good."

[thehighestwing]

Phoebe shakes her head against his chest. "I'm here," she answers, pathetically small. She can't find Tomei, either. Phoebe has the horrible feeling that she'll never see him again, either. Tears spring to her eyes at the thought and she holds on tighter.

"Are you okay?" she asks, voice warbling. Phoebe pulls back to look at him. "The Rift's being... I don't even know what it's doing this time."