It was a good thing, really, Jack considered. It wasn't as though they could break him with death-threats (against himself, anyway, but he didn't need to let on about anyone else). Pain itself was inevitable, but Jack Harkness hadn't feared physical pain in a very long time. And there was one more thing they didn't know… he knew torture, deeply and intimately. There was nothing they could do to him that he didn't already understand the concept and mechanics of. He'd wager he knew a lot more and had perfected a few techniques that no one else knew.
When Jack thought about it (which wasn't often), his entire life had been plagued by fear and suffering. Even as a small child on Boeshane where fear of invasion was a constant undercurrent to even happy times. Losing his father… Gray taken… his best mate tortured and killed…. Was it any wonder Jack ended up the Time Agency's torturer par excellence?
So, if anyone was going to be the one to be put through it, Jack figured he was the best one. His 'undead' routine would keep a lot of attention diverted from the Doctor and Martha. And, after all, maybe it was only right that he should end up on the receiving end of what he'd dished out plenty of times.
He'd done his best to mainly employ techniques that didn't leave lasting damage, physical or mental. Pressure points and taking advantage of existing wounds and injuries was what Jack preferred. Of course, he didn't pretend to be above inflicting the occasional mutilation when the job required it. Especially if he let his anger get the best of him. There was only one no-go zone for Jack and it involved inflicting any sexual assault.
Jack got results. And the Time Agency noticed. His assent through the ranks was unprecedented and by the time he'd attained a Captaincy, Jack was primarily handling the intimidation and information gathering, hardly doing any of the wet-work anymore. He left that to his lieutenants. Specifically, one lieutenant who the Agency wanted him to 'manage.'
Jack knew he should have known better. John was a loose cannon with a lot of issues. More than once Jack told the agency they should just alter his memories and send him off. Of course, eventually the day came that a mission had ended badly – two detainees dead and one of his agents severely beaten – and Jack desperately needed positive human contact, even if it was in the form of a certifiably sociopathic lieutenant. Craving for affection always been his downfall, Jack mused. There had been something he'd recognized about John, though, something intimately familiar. Another damaged soul, Jack had figured. And that was before immortality and Torchwood got a hold of him.
