First entrance

[captgreatcoat]

[Torchwood Three, Cardiff, during episode 1.07, Greeks Bearing Gifts.]

Tosh is going to have to learn to believe in humanity herself. Nobody can instill that faith. However hard she's going to find it to learn, at least it won't be as hard -- or as costly -- as Jack's own lesson.

He shoves his hands into his coat pockets as he strides across Roald Dahl Plass, the breeze bringing the smell of the ocean in off the bay, ruffling in his hair and at the hem of his vintage RAF greatcoat.

Until suddenly, it isn't.

Jack's footsteps pause in mid-stride and he spins, hand going automatically to his holster to draw the Webley. The dim, warm light of the plaza at night is gone, just like the salt air and that playful little breeze. The sound of running water from the tower, the shape of the Millennium Centre with its hybrid verse spelled out in windows across its front.

Instead, he's in a bar.

A bar.

"What the hell?"

Comments

[morphitudinous]

Billy seems to enjoy reading over his collection of notes in the bar. It's a change of pace from the library environment, which has the unsettling feature of being a little too silent.

He looks up from his notes about Vulcans and Romulans when he sees---or rather, hears---a small commotion. Thankfully, the others seem to be on top of it, but he'll still offer help if given the opportunity.

He smiles up at the passing man. "We haven't been in any immediate danger. This whole situation thus far has only been a massive inconvenience."

[captgreatcoat]

"Only a massive inconvenience," he repeats, snappish, the words hard. Okay. So the guy's barely more than a kid. But being suddenly and instantaneously transported from right outside his base to wherever the hell this is has had a bad effect on his temper.

Which is not always entirely level to begin with. And today's events? Haven't helped.

But it's probably not the kid's fault, so he breathes deeply and nods.

"So what is this situation, then?" he asks, eyes scanning the room and not seeing any immediate signs of danger.

What is going on? Things get pretty weird in Cardiff, but this sounds more like something more organized than that. And that? Is perhaps even more unsettling than the thought that the Rift's doing its thing again.

[morphitudinous]

Billy flinches slightly---oh, he understands the aggravation, but it worries him. Especially after what he saw not too long ago, so he does his best to stay calm and on the level as he explains.

"We have an omnipotent being called Q harassing the captain. Q decided he'd have some fun, so he pulled people from across time and space and dumped them onto a newly stationary ship. We're currently waiting for the crew to fix the engines and to see if they're capable of returning us to our home eras---all in all, not a great experience. But a fascinating one."


He briefly gestures to his notes .

[captgreatcoat]

Jack scowls, but he shoves the revolver back into its holster, though his hand stays near to his belt, where he could draw it again in moments if he needed to.

"An omnipotent being pulling people from across time and space to harass the captain." His voice is flat. That's not because he lacks feelings about the situation, but he's trying to keep from snapping too hard at the kid. Clearly, it's not his fault.

This is powerful, messing with time and space like that. It's the sort of thing he and Rose and the Doctor would have jumped into, once upon a time.

Hell, it's almost the sort of thing that's his jurisdiction, insofar as his jurisdiction extends beyond 'whatever interests me'.

"That's something you don't hear often. So the crew have no idea how to undo this?"

[morphitudinous]

"As far as I know, no. And they don't seem to want us to know how far or not they are with their progress...presumably to prevent us from interfering."

He looks unhappy with that. "Though if we're agitated and in the dark for long enough, I predict some type of trouble will arise anyway."

[captgreatcoat]

People trying to prevent Jack from interfering don't usually find that their attempts meet with much success. He's good at getting in places, good at finding things out. He's got networks, and influence, and ways of getting things done.

In Cardiff.

Which is not where this is, and the authority of Torchwood isn't going to carry much weight here.

Jack's eyes narrow.

"Which is only going to be of any use if this is something the crew can control. Which it sounds like it isn't."

He doesn't envy the ship's crew the job of dealing with this. He knows exactly how much of a pain in the ass a problem this size is to manage.

But finding out what's going on? That is something far more to Jack's liking. He might even be able to help them.

"Who's in charge here?"

[morphitudinous]

"Q won't succumb to anyone's control. He's doing all this to test the captain, Picard."

Billy can help Jack find this much, at least. "When he's around, he's easy to spot. He's a bald human wearing a highly decorated red uniform."

[captgreatcoat]

"Great. Powerful beings on a power trip." His eyebrows lift and drop for a sarcastic little moment, and his lips purse, accentuating the dryness of his voice that utterly belies his words. "My favorite."

Wouldn't be his first time playing that particular game.

Hell, that was how he died.

And after more than a century working with Torchwood, he doesn't like them any better after the amount of time he's had to spend fending them off from his unwillingly-adopted planet.

"Bald guy, red clothes. I'll keep an eye out for him."