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

[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?"

[fixedpointintime]

"It will be." Which is not quite the same thing, but better than things could have turned out. He settles back on his pillows and smiles a little dazedly. One thing he will say for the Complex's hospital, it does not skimp on the drugs. The fact that Steve is taking the time to sit, it's nice. He remembers being brushed off when the shoe was on the other foot. Not that he can blame the man. His persona is obnoxious at the best of times.

The hope that it sets off, entirely without his permission, is that Steve is looking past it. It's a nice thought. "You know what I really want? An orange. A real orange. No clue why. Never been a favourite." Something about being laid up in bed, though, the thing he wanted was an orange. "Mmmm. Speaking of, how have you been enjoying the artist's basket? I saw that you won. Was going to come deliver it myself but things got..." Busy. Nice way to put it. He shrugs. "Must be like Christmas, eh? Everything you ever wanted and more?"

[a_man_out_of_time]

He's trying, because that goddamn persona — Steve's seen it before. On a particularly flashy, self-absorbed billionaire that Steve had judged too harshly a long time ago. One that eventually became his friend, and now his-. Something. But something important.

So he's really- he's trying.

"An orange?" he repeats, curiously. "You know, that could be arranged." Steve can't do much, but he could manage to get Jack a single orange.

But when he gets to the artist's basket, Jack is back at it again, and the way Steve takes things starts feeling like a runaway train. To Steve, it feels so much like Jack's acting like everything feels lighter than it could possibly be. Assuming a decadence in what Steve wants that he's never had. How could that basket feel like Christmas, when Steve's been suspended for investigating a serial killer? But before his expression can betray him too much, Steve takes a second to think it through, and to tone it back. It's not fair to Jack, because not only has news about his suspension been under lock and key, it's certainly the case that most people in Armed Forces don't even know the real reason why. As for the rest, Steve can only make up some kind of benefit of the doubt. That maybe they didn't grow up the same way. That people can be different, and want different things, and that's okay.

So again, Steve tries.

"The sketchbook is nicer that what I could buy on my own. But to be honest, I haven't had a chance to even unwrap most of it. I'll let you know how it all is when I do."