operation: oh, yeah, it totally happened

[fixedpointintime]

WHO: Jack Harkness, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, and open options coming
WHAT: the three watch news of the riot be suppressed, and do something about it
WHEN: daycycle 127 & 128
WHERE: the clubhouse, the Teela show, other places

Jack watches, waits, expecting to see something about the riot. Nothing comes. So he continues to wait. He asks around, vague enough to keep himself off the radar. He hopes. No one is talking about it. Not really. He waits through two days of nothing, and then he reaches out. To Clint and Natasha. Which... all right, they could blow him off, they have no reason not to. They don't, though. They meet with him, listen to his idea, and are actually game. Which is one of the best silver linings Jack's had in a while.

They work out a rough plan, take the next day to perfect it, and then it's go time. Ready or not, they need to move. Every day that passes, the riot gets closer to being something no one will care about, the violence against them gets closer to being something no one will care about.

It's a pretty solid plan, he thinks. Well, it's the best they can come up with, and it might actually work.

OPEN OPTION

On Daycycle 128, Jack is to the hospital after he collapses during the interview with Clint and Natasha. When his doctors insist on knowing what's happened to him, he will begrudgingly admit that the injuries he sustained during the riot turned out to be more than he could handle and he was too embarrassed to seek treatment. His doctors patch him up, and he's sure that some version of his story is being relayed to Friend Computer. He just hopes he's thought of every angle, that it holds water, and that he'll be able to keep CLint and Natasha from getting into trouble if it doesn't.

From about 1400 on, he's given a positive prognosis and cleared to be able to receive visitors. Given that most of the Specials have no idea that he did this all to himself, he's prepared to field some concerned friends and already thinking of ways to assure them that he's all right. Morgana in particular. Part of him wishes he could have told her, but a much larger part knows she's safer not knowing. He still hates to do it to her. She deserves a better friend than him. Clint and Natasha may stop by. It was supposed to be a surprise to them, too, after all.

[[OOC: If you have any questions about what went down, as it's still being written out, feel free to ask them here and I will get right on that. Also, if your character would come to visit Jack, please let me know what time they would get there so I can figure out the timeline. Thanks!]]

Comments

evening of 127, for Clint

[fixedpointintime]

It’s taken them longer than Jack would have liked to find the time to prepare for this, but he’s pretty sure they’re ready. Clint and Natasha agree that they’re ready. So it happens tomorrow, before people forget entirely, before the media blackout of the incident makes it as though it never happened. They’re in danger. Real danger. If they don’t have the average citizen on their side, they won’t survive. They certainly won’t escape. So it’s necessary. Which makes it easier to commit to.

They’re done for the evening, as ready as they’re ever going to be. Which, in Jack’s opinion, is pretty damn ready. He’s almost forgotten, these last few decades, how wonderful it is to work with such truly capable people. Natasha leaves first, at Jack’s suggestion that they stagger. That’s not what he’s after, though, and once she’s gone, he taps Clint on the shoulder. “One more thing from you, if you don’t mind.”

[pretendtoneedme]

Clint fully agrees with staggering their departures, it being something he’s recommended (and practiced) himself, and he’s planning to use the time to check over the weapons stash that’s slowly been accumulating box by box in the Clubhouse. Most of it’s stored in old REDimeal boxes along one wall, a sure problem if the space is discovered, but this is almost the most secure area in Alpha for Specials and they need to be available to all. If the place is found, they’re pretty much all dead anyway, at least.

He doesn’t manage to get far - a couple of steps at most - before Jack is tapping his shoulder and he turns back to the media personality. Media personality, god, what is his life. “What is it?” he asks, not agreeing to anything yet; never say yes before you know what someone wants. He’s got the feeling Jack will understand that, though.

[fixedpointintime]

“After this happens… I don’t think Teela will let them pull us entirely. She won’t have anything prepared,” Jack is going to make sure of that. “And she won’t want dead air. The second we’re clear, though, I’m going to be taken to medical. They’ll want to know why this happened, and they won’t accept it if they can’t find a cause. I need to be hurt. Really hurt.”

He glances at the door Natasha just went through. “I need you to hurt me, and I need you to not tell Natasha until we’re finished tomorrow.”

[pretendtoneedme]

Clint’s been asked some weird things in his life - par for the course with S.H.I.E.L.D. Hell, this won’t even be the first time he’s had to beat up a partner (or potential partner in Jack’s case) to make a more convincing argument; he’s even made the same request himself once before, awhile ago. The whole thing makes sense, but there’s a few questions or remarks filtering through his mind, so he’s gonna ask them before he agrees to go through with it.

“How’re you gonna explain it, then? Because you know she’s gonna put it together that something happened, and she knows how I hit people.” Really indelicate way to put it, but it’s true. “It’s been two days since the riot and medical forces were on the scene almost immediately, so why’re you still untreated when you’re a big… celebrity… around this place? How’re you gonna explain to the people you work with why you’re suddenly walking around with fresh wounds? Nat’s gonna notice it, too, since she just saw you. What’s the cover story?”

[fixedpointintime]

“After the riot, I refused medical treatment. I didn’t need it, others did.” Jack shrugs. “I haven’t done anything too strenuous since then. Lifting Natasha, that’ll be what sets it off. She’s heavy enough, people will buy it. I need you to puff up the cuts on my lip and eyebrow, because they can’t cover those with makeup, and I need a good bruise somewhere on my face. That’s not what I’m talking about, though.”

He plucks at the unflattering bright orange of his jumpsuit. “These hideous things finally come in useful, and no one has seen me naked. I’ll tell people I didn’t want to admit the failing, that I didn’t want to seem… weak. The people that I work with? I guarantee they’ll buy that. Everyone just waiting for the first hint of blood in the water. It’s sick. They might think I’m stupid, and that’s fine, but they won’t think I’m lying. Don’t break skin. Deep tissue damage. If we don’t tell Natasha what you did, she won’t have to make the choice of whether or not to hurt me. I don’t think she’d hesitate, but this way she won’t have to take that on.”

daycycle 128, for Natasha and Clint

[fixedpointintime]

The next morning, Jack feels a little bit like roadkill. Which is a good thing, considering what’s supposed to come next. He puts on a fair amount of his stage makeup himself, doing his best to cover the split lip and the scar on the eyebrow. He knows they’ll still show up on camera. Where he really focuses is the massive bruise on his cheek. That one is key.

He changes alone, before Natasha and Clint show up. When they do arrive, he’s ready, and greets them as though he hasn’t had any real time to speak with them in days. “Perfect,” he gushes. “Right on time, thanks so much. You guys got the list of possible questions I sent you, right? I’ll try not to throw you any curve balls, but we’ll see how the audience responds and what answers get the best reaction and adjust on the fly, all right? Just be yourselves, don’t be nervous, it’s going to be great.”

Of course, nothing that he’s saying has any consequence. It’s all for the benefit of the people around them, the ones who will now make his guests camera ready. This carefully planned and organized and choreographed interaction needs to look entirely spontaneous, starting now, before they even get on stage.

[pretendtoneedme]

Clint’s already had a more exciting morning than anyone had planned on, since he’d been selected for the duty for the day and had had to get it done before this appearance. Fighting off psychotic animal robots isn’t exactly something he’s done before - but hey, he’s done something like that before, and at least these things weren’t intelligent. Given his marksmanship skills, it hadn’t been all that difficult or taken nearly as long as some people probably thought it would, but when he walks in he’s still got three scratches down his arm from one of the petbots that got in close in what was almost a zerg rush. It’s the only injury he’s sporting, though.

It’s Jack looking so pulled together that it’s almost like he was never injured - not to mention the “go over” they’d done on him the night before - that every claim he’d made about being able to hide what he wanted or act his way past it is automatically vindicated. While Clint isn’t able to think of him as “inner circle” yet, Jack’s performance has put him firmly in “ally” territory. Settling into one of his normal roles as “everyday guy” is easy for Clint, and he looks around the studio with a mildly confused expression as if he’s never seen any of this stuff before. Of course that’s a lie, but they’re going for normal, approachable - having one of them be just a little off-kilter and unsure about this whole thing, all this attention, makes it look more authentic, and it’s not like he hasn’t pulled this role a lot in the past. “Yeah, we got it - jeez, you really work here? This is kind of crazy.”

[missromanova]

The only reason Natasha had even agreed to this mess was because Jack sold it well, and she's sticking to that story. It has nothing to do with the fact that she's seen the world that he comes from now, and seen pieces of his humanity that he seems to purposefully keep to himself for the sake of appearance. It has nothing to do with the fact that she finds him so relatable, after that. Nothing at all.

She's noticed the scratches on Clint's arm but she's also aware that he was called for a mission that morning, and if anything serious had taken place she trusts that he'd tell her. If he didn't, well… either it wasn't that important, or he has a damn good reason to hide it. Very few people have earned the right to escape Natasha's questioning, but Clint is certainly one of them. Jack, however, is not, and when she first sees him, the split lip is a glaring red flag. For a moment she gives him a look - one that says 'what did you do' - but she says nothing aloud. Now isn't the time. They're here to do a performance after all, in more ways than one.

"Whatever questions you think are appropriate, we're just here to follow your lead." She responds cordially with a warm smile, and when Clint comments about their surroundings she takes that as a cue to let her eyes wander as well. "This is all so exciting," she admits, a completely faux undertone of eagerness in her voice, and when her eyes move back to Jack she gives a well humored wrinkle of her nose. "I'm kind of nervous." God, this is already making her sick.

[fixedpointintime]

“Excellent!” Jack claps his hands together and rubs them. “That’s the spirit.” He hasn’t missed Natasha’s glance at his face, or the question she didn’t ask. “You’ll get used to it, I promise.” He directs this mostly at Clint, but includes the both of them. “Everyone here is wonderful, and we just want to put on a good show for our audience. They deserve the best from us, after all.” He introduces them to hair and makeup people with thoughtful personal details.

Then he leans in closer to the mirror, dabs a bit of additional concealer on the line of broken flesh that extends just beyond his lip. “I feel like this is going to show up on camera no matter what we do.” His tone is upset, a touch remorseful. “I’m so sorry, Marcia. I just keep making your job difficult, don’t I?” He may be speaking to his makeup woman, but the quick glance at Nat, then straight to Clint’s hand, hopefully conveys his meaning. Have to make it look good, by which he means bad.

[pretendtoneedme]

“Ahh, you’ll be fine, Nat,” Clint says, reaching for her hand to give it a quick squeeze before he allows himself to be manhandled around the area to some degree, going where Jack steers him and submitting to the demands of the hair and makeup people who at least don’t seem like insane chatterbots. Maybe a little overenthusiastic, but nowhere near as bad as Teela - he’d pretty much clammed up in the self-defense session she’d purchased in the auction at the ball, since she’d kept asking him question after question after question he wasn’t willing to answer. He’d mentioned it to Jack the night before, but now he wonders if Teela had mentioned it (or complained about it, more likely) herself. That could be interesting, how she deals with seeing him again…

But for the moment that’s moot. Clint always avoided cameras at home as much as he could, even (or especially) after he became an Avenger, but the process is not unfamiliar to him even if Nat’s a lot more used to it. In his persona of “everyman” he puts up a token protest about the on-camera makeup but ends up “caving” relatively quickly, letting the girl working on him put on the stuff that honestly makes his skin crawl a little. He plays that up, making a face - partially to hide his reaction to Jack’s quick glances. It’s insanely obvious - to them - what he’s talking about. “You get that in the riot a few daycycles ago?” A natural introduction to the topic, giving Jack another stage to perform on.

~ 1620 on 128?

[lefey]

Morgana didn't often pay much mind to the "shows" on their devices and otherwise unused screens that were littered throughout the Complex, especially not of late with her work so far beyond her skill level it wasn't even funny anymore. Sometimes she catches a minute or two, some overly sweet endorsement of the Computer's favourite person today, or the shops that sprang up from time to time. Occasionally her friends were roped into doing something for the entertainment of the Complex.

And then there was Jack, who seemed to find himself more and more time on that woman's show. Usually, she just listens, comforted by the familiar tone of his voice as she sorts through equipment she doesn't understand or even know how to properly name, glancing up at the flickering screen now and then.

But he looks off, today... and then he collapsed, and so did the pile of (thankfully metal) containers she was holding.

If she had her way, she would've been out of her job on the spot, but the Computer was somewhat insistent about getting the plants to be more productive, so it's only when work is done she can manage to sprint her way from Hydroponics to the hospital, stopping for a moment in orange to make sure he wasn't tucked away in there somewhere by then.

Jack wasn't, of course, but he was at the hospital and she nearly bowled over a couple of nurses finding his room, stopping at the threshold all of a sudden because this is much too familiar these days. This couldn't keep happening. It was ridiculous. Her friends were good people, none of them deserved this. Not even a little.

'Jack?' was the only tentative word that came out of Morgana's lips as she slowly took one step, then another inside the room, almost afraid of what she might find this time. Steve had been okay, but that was Steve, he was stubborn enough to survive almost anything with a smile. Jack seemed more like a gamble, somehow.

[fixedpointintime]

Jack was not actually that high any more, but he figured he should be. He wasn't sure how much the doctors here knew about him, what his body did. He didn't want to open that particular can of worms if he didn't have to. So he grinned slowly at Morgana and held out his hand. "Don't frown, baby girl. You'll give yourself wrinkles. I'm fine. Everything is fine."

He would have found it very strange if no one was watching him right now, so he laid it on a little thick. "They took great care of me. You wouldn't believe how good they are here. I feel fantastic. Promise."

[lefey]

It feels like her heart has been paused in her chest for hours when he finally smiles and speaks to her. Only then does she really take a breath as the slow walk turns back into a jog as she crosses what little remains of the distance between them and she takes his hand in hers.

'What happened?' There are a million questions that float in her head. Who did this to you?, How?, Why go on that stupid show if you weren't well? but they stick to her lips like honey that's been left out in the cold. Jack had his reasons for going on the television programme like that, he had his reasons for almost anything - aside, perhaps, from the soft affection he showed.

That didn't mean Morgana didn't worry, or that her free hand doesn't go to his face, to brush gently along his cheek. Too many of them were getting hurt of late, it had to stop before they were outright murdered in their beds.

[fixedpointintime]

He squeezes her fingers between his, trying to be encouraging. "I got hurt during the riot and I pushed myself too far. It was stupid. I didn't want to let anyone down. I'm sorry." She's such a sweet girl. "Come here." He holds out his arm, motioning her toward him for a hug. One, because he knows it will make her feel better, and two, because it'll let him whisper something in her ear with the certainty he's not being overheard.

[lefey]

The specific injury aside, this whole situation was such a repeat of Steve being in the hospital that it feels almost like deja vu. Morgana swallows, fingers tightening around his for a few moments, and like she had with Steve, she hesitates - if only still for a second.

Izzy might have been right in that she couldn't be sure she would see these things coming if she had her horrible dreams back, but it's possible she could have which is enough to stir the embers of guilt in her heart back to a low flame. She hated this place, hated home, hated her powers, hated not having them... it seemed even as she sunk down into his arms that she would never be satisfied, and the people she cared about would never be safe.

'You never said you were hurt enough to collapse.' she said quietly into his shoulder. There had been enough injuries to go around, but she would've hoped he wouldn't be quite so stupid as to risk hurting himself more. Not so soon.

Day 128 Prior to Visiting Hours

[withstyle]

"Knock, knock!" Izzy bumps her knuckles against the door of Jack's room lightly before walking in, her eyes seeking out the familiar face of the charismatic man that she's definitely already managed to form a fondness for. Unlike a lot of the people whispering in the hospital, she didn't see what happened on her PDC. She was a little bit too focused on the bodies that have piled up here recently, going over the results of the testing that she's done, and trying to figure out what she's missed....and what the person that she stepped in to help might have been missing before her

Then there's the fact that she can't seem to quite...remember exactly who she was helping. It's the strangest feeling, like a name is on the tip of her tongue, and the remnants of a personality feel familiar. It lets Izzy know that she's missing something, that something's been done to alter her memory. And she doesn't like it, but there's not much of anything she can do about it right now, instead focusing on Jack--the talk of the entire hospital.

"Every other little birdie in the hospital was talking about you being here, so I thought you could use a familiar, friendly face." Izzy comments as she approaches the bed, putting her hand on Jack's arm, automatically as she takes in his appearance, with concern, before leaning in and pressing a kiss to his forehead as both a greeting and because she can't quite help but be fond of him. Plus, seeing that he's okay....it's a relief. Granted, there are more advanced medical practice at work here that she hasn't even had the chance to look into yet, but right now Jack's a little more important than that. Checking on him, despite everything else that's on her plate is kind of a necessity at the moment, even if it's before he's really been given the okay for visitors. There are some perks to being a staff member in the hospital. This is definitely one.

And even though Izzy has more to say, she holds back. After all, you don't come in full-force when someone's in the hospital and hurt. Even though Iz has definitely heard more gossip throughout the hospital that she plans to share. And she definitely has more to say.

[fixedpointintime]

Jack's pretty sure that he's not allowed visitors, but he's hardly going to turn away Izzy. "Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes." He props himself up on his elbows, then struggles into a seated position. "They should have sent you in earlier. I can feel my blood pressure coming back up." He pats the edge of his bed, half expecting her to turn him down, but hoping that she'll take the invitation and sit.

He knows that she works here. He wonders if she's been assigned to him, or if she's here to see him just because she wants to. Perhaps even before he's been cleared? Bending rules for him. He has to admit, he doesn't hate the idea. He doesn't hate anything about her, really, so that's not exactly surprising.

[withstyle]

"I'll bet I am, considering I'm not here to poke, prod, or examine you. Just to make sure your stubborn ass is all right." Izzy responds, the corners of her mouth up with the amusement that she feels at that. Jack is, as always, completely the charmer. Even when he's laid up in the hospital for a reason that is incredibly unnecessary he's channeling that personality of his. There's a part of Izzy that can see the similarity in the way that she is; the other part of her wishes that he'd just let it lie to the side because it does make it a little harder to be upset with him when he's in that mode.

Izzy moves to take the seat when prompted, giving Jack a bit of a look even as she does, making sure she's stable and can continue their conversation. "I don't know how long your blood pressure will stay down when I start in on my lecture." The pointed look that she gives Jack is a message in and of itself. It can't be an announcement that he's that surprised by, considering the reason that she's heard he's here. She's seen him take hits and not have them really phase him. Of course, that was definitely in the heat of the moment, but still. She can't quite help the questions that hit her mind as a result of the gossip that's been flying since he got to the hospital.

"You didn't strike me as the kind of guy to get easily embarrassed, Jack." Izzy's brows are furrowed in displeasure that she can't quite help, her arms crossing somewhat automatically at the same time. "But then again that's just the gossip that's going around the hospital right now...." Her eyebrows lift, curiosity there, obviously expecting either a confirmation or denial on the rumors.

[fixedpointintime]

"Oh, come on." He shifts himself slightly, carefully, until her body is blocking his head from the view of the camera in his room. He's not sure if it's even one of the functional ones, but he doesn't want to chance it. "The other explanation," he says, with a completely straight face, "is that I meant to fall, let it happen. Come on, Izzy. You know me better than that, don't you?"

The smile comes back as he shifts again, not wanting to keep his face out of view for too long if anyone is watching. "The career path I've chosen is very competitive. I didn't want anyone to think I was weak. It's stupid, but I guess wanting to be the best you can be can make a person stupid sometimes. I regret it now. I only hope Friend Computer can forgive me."

Then he reaches his hand out, wiggles his fingers in a request for her to give him her hand.

[withstyle]

The difference between what Jack is saying and the straight look on his face--so different from the charm and persona that he puts out there for others isn't missed by Izzy. She gets the message loud and clear. It reminds her of a conversation she had several days ago with someone....someone who worked in forensics that she was helping. The someone, though, isn't as important as the message, though. She has done the same thing multiple times to avoid drawing too much attention, or getting caught for Treason, several times. Jack's smart; the only question is what game is he actually playing at here.

Izzy isn't quite as worried now as she was before and she lets the fond smile pull back at her mouth. "I do know you better than that, considering I've danced with you before." Izzy winks at Jack with that comment, having enough faith in his intelligence to know that she got the message. "Next time, if there is one, just remember...getting checked out isn't weakness. Taking care of yourself is smart." It's not quite the lecture that she had been forming up before, but it'll do in this case, considering.

"I can't pretend to guess what Friend Computer will do, but I suppose I forgive you as long as you don't plan on making a habit out of it." Izzy speaks lightly and doesn't hesitate, lifting her right hand and giving it to Jack as requested. She really is just glad that he's okay considering the last friend of her's to wind up in the hospital was shot. And he wasn't the only special around here to wind up in that state.

With the murders on her mind here lately...Izzy can't quite help the worry.

1700 on DC128

[a_man_out_of_time]

When Steve knocks on Jack's door close to dinner, he comes in with a concerned look on his face.

"I never thought we'd switch places so fast."

He'd seen the segment, but not when it aired — on a replay when he'd heard about what happened. The first thing he tried to do was contact Natasha and Clint, but then he thought better of it. Anyone he contacts now will probably be brought in for questioning, so it's better not to risk it. Visiting Jack however, should be seen as fairly normal, given that literally all of Alpha Complex seems to have witnessed his fall on the equivalent of national television. Even if the nation was one underground complex.

The door was open already, so he takes a few steps in if Jack looks like he wants guests, but Steve doesn't come all the way up to the bed. In the end, he and Jack aren't thet close. Not yet anyways, and Steve's still wondering if maybe, just maybe, this injury had been planned.

Natasha Romanoff doesn't do anything by accident.

[fixedpointintime]

It's not a good joke. Jack's not even certain if it's a joke at all, but he sits up and smiles. "Captain." He nods his head. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, but I'm glad."

He's had quite a few visitors. He wants to bury any meaningful visit he might have in a whole lot of meaningless ones. So he asks the staff to let fans come and see him, claiming that he doesn't want people to worry unduly, doesn't want anyone to think that he's worse than he is.

They probably don't let them all through, but they let enough of them come in that Jack is tired. Not too tired to talk to Steve, though. "How bad was it? Did they cut the feed before I made an ass of myself? No one has let me see it."

[a_man_out_of_time]

"You haven't seen it?" The surprise in his voice is obvious. Alpha is a lot of things, but the sheer volume of things that he sees being broadcasted everywhere has long had Steve assuming that there's no privacy unless you create it for yourself. The fact that such a wide broadcast has been locked out of Jack's hospital room, especially given the table full of fan-brought gifts is ... a little unbelievable. But still, he doesn't have a reason to believe Jack would lie, especially given how he asked.

"The camera cut after you realized they were still rolling." A beat. "How's your leg, Jack?"

[fixedpointintime]

The first person Jack had asked was his doctor, while he was still in rough shape. Intended to convey a fairly shallow set of values, more concerned about what he may have done to his career than than he was with his own safety. Wouldn't be surprised if the refusal to let him see the broadcast was because he'd annoyed her. He certainly can't blame her, if that's the case. Or maybe she really is worried it will upset him to see it. The person Jack's pretended to be this morning, he'd be distraught over the slip.

"The doctor doesn't think I should," is all he says, a little half shrug. "The leg is fine. The pride is wounded. How is Natasha?" He furrows his brow ever so slightly, just something slightly off about the reaction, not sure if she's told Steve what they were up to. "She's a very special woman. Quite... capable."

[a_man_out_of_time]

Regardless of anything else, when Jack says that the leg is fine, Steve seems happy to hear it. Or even if it isn't happiness in his eyes right now, it's at least much less worry that's floating around. But he also knows that Jack likes to joke, so he does ask again, and he walks a little closer this time, to pull over a chair and sit himself down.

"You're sure the leg is fine?"

As for Natasha ... "I'll check on her next. But she's not in a hospital bed, so I thought I'd drop by here first." And as he talks, Steve seems to relax just a little more. "Can I bring you anything?"