Sandbox thoughts

[woundedwinter]

Torchwood.
The last place Bucky was looking to find answers was in Cardiff, of all damn places, but he had run out of options.

Seventy odd years ago he was a solider, a sniper in the 107th and he had everything a fella could want. A best friend, a damn good career and a unit he cared for. A mission in the mountains had gone wrong. They were ambushed and in a desperate attempt to save his friend, Bucky fell. He didn't tumble down the side of the mountain or crash into the ice, though. He was swallowed up by a burst of blue-white light and six months ago he dumped in the middle of New Mexico with an artificial left arm and no memory of what had happened to him or why he'd been flung so far into the future.

He called in what favors he could, talked to anyone who would listen, desperate for answers. What had happened to him? Where had he gone? The Howling Commandos were long gone. He had nothing left.

It was easy to strike the deal in the end. Work with Torchwood and try and find the answers. They dealt in the weird and unexplained and god knows Bucky had enough of that.

Comments

[spacehopper]

Jack’s whole team is full of brooders. They all have something they’re running from, hiding from, ignoring, and perhaps actively killing. That’s their business. He doesn’t get that involved. Teams come and go. Mostly, in this line of work, they go.

Except for him. A fixed point in time. He never gets to move on.

Despite all is this, Jack can’t help but meddle when the mood strikes him and one member of his team is more moody than usual. “Gotta hit the button to get it started,” Jack tells Bucky as he stares at the microwave. “21st century tech is good but it won’t just heat up dinner for you on its own.”

He’s teasing. Bucky is still a fish out of time and they’re still trying to figure out how another rift opened up in New Mexico, but right now their leads have run dry. He doesn’t want that to be the only thing Bucky lives for though, so he stays on him.

Poking. Bothering. Teasing.

“Whatcha got in there anyway? I was gonna order Thai.”

[woundedwinter]

Jack is a pain in the ass.
Which doesn't mean that Bucky doesn't like him, he does. He just shows he cares by annoying the hell out of people.

He pokes at the microwave again. There's an embarrassment of riches when it comes to available food these days, not to mention how to heat it up. Another guess and the device clicks to life. Success.

Bucky catches on quick, he's already got a smart phone and tablet and a laundry list of things the team says he needs to catch up on. He'd rather have answers about what happened to him, but the lists are a good way to keep him anchored in the present.

"Leftovers from last night. Uh, Indian I think?"

[spacehopper]

“One day we’ll find someone that likes to cook,” Jack says, though it’s with a certain degree of fondness. He can hear the other members of the team moving around, cursing, researching, occasionally laughing. Mostly they’re just brooding the same way Bucky does when he’s not got his mind on a task.

Speaking of—

“Picking up a lot of Rift activity in Antarctica. Torchwood Five has been defunct for years now and the well dried up so I think it might give us some insight on why a Rift opened up so briefly in America. What do you think? Interested in trying out the cold weather parkas? Designed em myself.”

[woundedwinter]

He snorts because the idea of any of them cooking is probably cause for concern.

Any mention of Rift activity catches his attention and he ignores the ding of the microwave. "Antarctica? That's way the hell off the beaten path."

"Yeah. I'll grab our gear." They travel light but monitoring Rift activity does require some equipment. "When are we headed out?"

[spacehopper]

“Tonight, probably. I just have to convince a few other people to give up their weekend.” Not everyone is like him. He doesn’t have anyone on the outside to lie to when it comes to missions. Especially ones like these. It’s not exactly easy to get to where they’re going, not for most people at least.

The vortex manipulator will get them most of the way. He’s got it to be accurate by at least twenty-five miles, and that will have to be good enough. Hopefully it will be closer than that but he doesn’t really count on it.

His luck gets stretched pretty thin on a regular basis.

“The base that used to monitor that Rift…. It’s gone. I want you to be prepared for that. We never ran a recovery up there.”

[woundedwinter]

Bucky is as dedicated to the team as Jack is, but they're both alone. Jack a time anomaly or something and Bucky, a man thrown into the future with no memory of what had happened to him or why.

He's also a solider, so the warning only gets a clipped nod. Tonight means he'd better gear up sooner. "Any idea on what took it out? Was it Rift activity?"

Weapons were a given, along with trackers and the cold weather gear Jack mentioned. Bucky gathers it quickly, then pauses before grabbing extra gloves. His new arm is made of smooth and sleek metal plates, but he has no idea what cold may do to it's function.

[spacehopper]

Jack keeps smiling, but his eyes shift blankly. “It wasn’t the Rift. But it was something that came through it,” he says, headed out of the sunken kitchen. This is going to call for some of the bigger guns on their team.

Leaving Bucky, he takes the steps two at a time around the center of the Hub to the third floor and half slides, half barges into a dark lab. “Knock knock,” he says.

“Most people just knock,” the man says from the desk where only a small light illuminates the books he’s reading.

“Not most people,” Jack reminds him. “Whatcha doing tonight?”

The other sighs. “Oh I don’t know. Being dragged somewhere dumb with you?”

“Yep. Three hours. Suit up. It’s going to be cold.”


((So I play a lot of weird characters. Do you know Magnus Archives? I like both Jon and Martin from there. I also have Sylar, Peter, Matt and Mohinder from Heroes. I could bring back in Loki or Tony. JC from Jesus Christ Superstar (the arena version, not the Biblical version). I have Ten floating around since he’s my favorite doctor. Will Graham from Hannibal. John Watson from Sherlock. Sam Tyler from Life on Mars. Marshall - the vampire from being human…. I really don’t go for all the super powered people now that I look at my usual line up. Any thoughts?))

[woundedwinter]

"Oh. That's comforting." Bucky is pretty sure the Something that came through the Rift wasn't friendly. He doesn't look up as Jack goes off in search of backup.

He hauls the gear into place while he waits, trying to ignore any lingering worries about the Rift. How many nights has he woken up choking on screams?

((I don't know Magnus Archives but I do know s1 of Heroes. I love Ten and have a Nine around somewhere. I read Red Dragon so I'm not sure how much Will from the series lines up against the book.
John Watson is a delight and he'd be amazing to throw against Stephen should we drop him in.

But all are good!))

[spacehopper]

Despite the rather full Hub, only Jack returns to where Bucky is gearing up. Just like he’s the man’s father, he starts checking over him to be sure his coats are on correctly and he has enough warming pads strapped on.

He even gives Bucky’s hood a little tug. “I want you to keep this in your mind when we go. You want to turn to your right to throw up.” They all throw up the first time. And the second. And the third usually.

Jack, for all of his fussing, has his parka open and only a pair of fuzzy earmuffs on. As if that would do anything for the cold.

He glances at his manipulator and then at Bucky and finally at the brooding figure staring down at them from the railing. “Come on, Gabriel. We’re waiting on you.”

“Don’t call me that,” the man frowns, but starts down the steps anyway.



((If you have time, you should listen. It’s a horror podcast. Very well done. Super compelling. It’s about an archivist who is in charge of sorting out stories told by people who believed they were real and goes from there. The end made me cry so bad))

[woundedwinter]

There's something familiar about the way Jack tugs at his gear that keeps Bucky from arguing with him or batting his hands away. He's doing it because he cares, because he's a good leader.

And hadn't he done the same for the Howling Commandos decades ago?

Angrily he pushes the thoughts away. Now isn't the time to get lost in the past. "Yeah, we all know the drill. Barf to the right."

His eyes cut to the newest member of the party. Huh. "C'mon man. Sooner started, sooner parted, that's what my Ma used to say."

((Very cool! I'll have to add it to my to listen list))

[aptly]

The man scowls, dark eyes drifting to Barnes. They’d met, a few times. Usually in passing. He keeps to himself. Everyone here basically does but Sylar is one of the few people that really only ever comes out when called. It’s safer for everyone that way. Himself included.

“Your ‘ma’ was a wise woman,” he says, and takes the quicker way down to the pair. He flies. Or floats. It’s hard to tell and he never wants to talk about his abilities.

Jack usually just calls him the Swiss Army Knife and keeps it moving.

“To the right, Gabe.”

Sylar snorts. He doesn’t vomit. Not anymore. “Just us?”

“Yep. Let’s hope we’re close. If we aren’t, take Barnes to the location. Come back for me when he’s safe,” Jack says. Sylar rolls his eyes and their Captain sets the cuff to open the vortex to Antarctica. “I’ll go first. Bucky on my six.”

((Oh I have an umbrella Academy Klaus too. Hmm. Bring in whoever you want too!!))

[woundedwinter]

Sylar doesn't talk much. Hell they've barely crossed paths since Bucky arrived, but he's seen his abilities in action and they're pretty amazing. So if Jack is bringing him along? This is gonna get messy.

Probably.

He doesn't protest at Jack's direction, getting him to safety first. Sure he's got a new arm and enhanced strength to go along with it, but he's not exactly invulnerable.

The vortex is staggering and he jerks himself to the right after stepping through. The cold is like a slap in the face and funny enough, it keeps him from vomiting. Barely.

"What the hell?" Jack's luck didn't run out this time, they're staring at where the base used to be. There are lights on in one of the secondary and surviving buildings.

((Oh if you bring him, Diego will have to come too. Someone's gotta keep an eye on Klaus))

[aptly]

“Huh.” Jack flips his manipulator closed and pushes between the two men. The snow here is hard, easy to walk on, as if there was once a plowed road beneath them. Massive hands slap each of them on the back as he takes the lead. Sylar will be in the back, scowling as if it’s his job to be sour, leaving Bucky between the two. They’re not exactly protecting him, but he is their newest member. And new members tend to have the lowest probability of long term employment at Torchwood.

At the front door, Jack uses his cuff to open the locking mechanism and as the heavy metal slides open, rumbling with effort, a waft of warm air hits them all. Behind Bucky, and audibly frowning, Sylar drawls: “Jack…”

“It’s fine,” the Captain insists. “You both stay just inside. I’ll go up and see what we’ve got using up our electricity.”






((Yay!!! Okay Klaus is part of Torchwood. He probably bothers Bucky all of the time too.))

[woundedwinter]

A glance over his shoulder confirms that Sylar likes this just about as much as Bucky does. He thumbs the safety on his gun and follows Jack anyway.

There are voices ahead that sound like they're arguing. A younger voice, maybe a teenager, insisting that he can do more while another reminds him that spiders don't do well in the cold.

Spiders? What the hell? He glances back at Sylar.

Yay Peter!

[spacehopper]

“Most things don’t do well in the cold,” Jack calls, because that’s what Jack does. The man is infuriatingly reckless, though Bucky might understand if he knew why. Calling attention to himself is harmless, for the most part. He and Gabe can handle whatever it is that’s upstairs.

Bucky…. Maybe not so much.

Since the other two insist on going with him, Jack is going to switch from playing Captain to playing Uncle. His breath puffs out as he strides up the metal staircase in regulation RAF boots and the coat he wears under the parka billows out with each footfall.

Now, he should be concerned that there are no bodies here. Torchwood Five had been irradiated by the explosion that closed their Rift and as far as Jack knew, they’d all died. He is, however, more concerned by the voices upstairs.

“How’d you fellas get up here,” he continues as he turned into the research lab.

:)

[peter_one]

There's a startled sound from above and Peter leaps smoothly to the wall, skittering across to get a better look at the strangers. Bucky swears under his breath at the sight because he's just a kid.

"Uh, hi?" Peter half-waves. "Did a weird light drop you guys here too? I got the power running again so we don't freeze but there's too much interference to get out any kind of signal for help."

"I'm Peter. This is Mister Constantine."

"There's no Mister, mate. It's just John," a voice drawls as the second man makes himself visible. His eyebrows loft at the sight. "Well aren't you three an attractive rescue party?"

Oooh Constantine!

[spacehopper]

“Oh wow. Two of you,” Sylar snorts, rolling his eyes. He can’t take any more flirting, though Jack really does not overtly do that with him. He mostly treats him like a child and, yeah. All right. He isn’t mad about that. He likes the care and the attention.

Jack is all smile, hands on his hips, as he surveys the two. Both look human, though he can’t get a read on the blond and the kid is clinging to a wall. Arachnidions don’t really do human skin, though. Interesting. If either happens to think he smells extra pleasant…. Well. He can’t help that. 24th Century humans and their pheromones are just a part of nature. “Captain Jack Harkness. That’s Gabriel Gray—“

“Sylar,” he insists, though his back is turned and he’s poking at things.

“And Sergeant James Barnes.”

“Bucky?”

From behind them, obviously having come up the stairs following the trio, a very surprised and familiar looking blond stands in the doorway. He lowers the shield, mouth gaping. It’s almost as if he’d seen a ghost.

Bucky will hear someone coming

Hey Jack can't be the only one in a cool coat

[peter_one]

Hearing that voice is like falling into the Rift all over again. Bucky forgets about everything else, charging forward to throw his arms around him. The news reels he'd looked at after his disappearance said that Steve had died, fallen in battle and here he is alive.

Peter smiles as he jumps down, landing in front of Jack. The other man seems a little grumpy and not in the mood to talk. "That's, uh, Steve. How did you find us?"

I can see Peter wanting a cool coat now.

[spacehopper]

“We came to figure out why a Rift opened for exactly two minutes and then closed up again at one of our defunct bases,” Jack says, good-naturedly, glancing over his shoulder at Steve and Bucky.

The other Captain (that will get old, fast) has his gloved hands on Bucky’s shoulders, grip maybe a little too tight, though he is obviously trying not to squeeze too hard. “How did you— You fell and— that was years ago,” Steve breathes, before the hand on Bucky’s metallic socket gives him pause and causes his hand to slip down to his bicep. “What happened?”

Well yeah, he's got to be fashionable too!

[woundedwinter]

The grip could never be too tight and Bucky's joy at seeing him again is swiftly dampened at the question. "I don't remember. I remember falling, flashes and then waking up when the Rift dropped me in New Mexico."

They have so much to catch up on, but this isn't a safe place to do it.

His eyes flick back to Jack. "We need to get them out of here. If the Rift opened there's no telling what else could have slipped through."

[spacehopper]

Jack nods that he’s heard Bucky but he isn’t about to just take anyone that the Rift’s dropped off back to Cardiff. This is exactly what happened to Torchwood India and he’s not prepared to lose everyone in one go.

“So you all know each other?” The Captain asks, purposefully not looking at Steve. He doesn’t need to have Bucky start a riot.

Unfortunately, Steve takes point. Work to be done comes first. “We don’t. Pete here says he knows me. But I haven’t met Pete or John.”

Jack’s eyebrows raise.

“Are we all human?” Jack continues, which actually draws a snort from the quiet man in the corner.

[trenchcoat_brigade]

"Never seen them before," Constantine confirms. "Not until that bloody tear pulled me in."

Peter huffs, "I'm from further ahead in his timeline," he points at Steve, "but I know who he is and I know how he knows Mister Bucky."

His nose wrinkles, "And yes we're human. I just.. I had something happen to me a few years ago."

[spacehopper]

Time travel isn’t good on the best day. It tends to bring Time Lords around and as much as Jack loves the Doctor, he’d really rather stay clear right now. He tends to ask all sorts of questions and make faces at him, as if just being in his presence makes his teeth hurt. And Jack can understand that. He’s wrong in every sense of the word, even the good ones, and the Doctor doesn’t really like things that don’t step in time with the rest.

So maybe they’ll just table that for the moment.

Jack sighs at Peter. “Now that I can relate to. All right, just hold still, I’m going to scan you all,” he says before Gabriel clears his throat.

“Not to interrupt your measuring contest but…. Turns out some spiders don’t mind the cold.” The man gestures as the room behind Peter and John. The white surface is glowing black. Very black. Spiders. They’re swarming spiders.

[trenchcoat_brigade]

"Bloody perfect," Constantine gripes, tossing his cigarette aside. He holds up one hand, muttering in a strange, harsh sounding language. A fireball bursts from his palm, landing in the middle of the swarm, incinerating everything in it's path.

Bucky curses and moves to act even as Peter leaps out of the way, webbing up as many of the thicker clusters of creatures as he can for Constantine to blast.

"It's always something, damnit."

[aptly]

Sylar exhales hard. Previously focused on anything other than the people here, his eyes dart immediately to Constantine. Where Peter hadn’t really pinged anything for him, the kid was mutated, almost wrong, and his abilities were nothing all that special, the other man? He can absolutely feel his mouth water.

Jack clicks at him with his fingers and Sylar blinks and snorts. “I wasn’t—“

“I know you’re not,” Jack replies before he lightly nudges him out of the way to get to the console. “I need everyone to fall back! I’m going to drop a force field on them!”