Disclaimer: not mine, but if someone wants to lend me Hart for two weeks (or five years) I won't complain
1st january 1965
"What the hell?" Jack Harkness exclaimed.
This century, and the past, had kinda disabitued him to people just appearing from nowhere. They either came from the Rift, or he tracked them – and expected them to be around. It was a long time nobody used a Vortex manipulator around him.
"Easy, Jack, it's me" Hart said, with a winner's smile.
"Why are you here?" was the immortal's harsh question. His old partner wasn't exactly sane, after all.
"I've got information. I'm here purely out of good will, Jack" John said 'and strangely, that's the mere truth' he added in his head.
"So tell me". Jack's voice was still business-like. Time for...reminiscing would come later.
"Ok, I'm not sure about the day, but sometime this year aliens will come here. They talk on the 456 frequency, so you'll call them just that. They will say they have the cure to a disease who's bound to hit soon, a mortal one. They will ask for a dozen children in exchange. Don't obey them" Hart informed him.
"Why? I'm sure there are more than a dozen unwanted children lying around somewhere..." Jack said with a grimace.
"Of course there are. But it's a fucking scam. They use the children to produce a drug for their race. And really, there will be no disease if they don't spread it. They do use batteriologic war, the bitches" the time agent growled.
"And will they use it if they don't get what they want?" Jack asked, with a deep frown.
"You can drive them away. It will be a bit...noisy, and it will kill a child, but it's better one now than twelve...and God knows how many when they decide to expand their fucking market, don't you think?" John told, trying to will his point to come across.
"And of course they will come back...". Jack sounded weary.
"They'll say they won't, but have you ever seen a drug dealer refuse to give more drug to his clients?" Hart inquired.
"Of course not" the immortal acknowledged.
"Ok, this is the deal" and John went on over the technicalities of driving the aliens away.
"This will cause a big fuss, however. An all-over-the-world fuss. Isn't it better if we just condescend this one time? Afterwards, if they want many children for their market, it will be they who will be forced to cause quite a ruckus...and we can pin the fault on them, after driving them away. We know how, after all" Harkness reasoned.
It was cold, it was ruthless, and it was sensible. Oh, well, it would be sensible if John hadn't heard from a broken Jack that, after the 456 reappearance, things had been quite hectic, Torchwood had been targeted and seriously, nobody but a measly secretary -who couldn't give them the technology they needed, John was quite sure – had given them the time of day until after the fucking tragedy he was trying to prevent here.
"Of course, you could ...if you've gotten over your crush on the Time Lord. I've heard he has a particularly soft spot for children of any kind. He could understand sacrificing one to keep everyone else safe forever, I'm sure he had his own share of this kind of choices with how often he saved the universe...but going back to someone who sold out children like they were the most expendable thing around? That's way worst than being a simple scammer. And I don't see that happening, frankly".
Hey, who said he couldn't lie? After all, Jack wouldn't believe the truth.
'You'll fall in love. Deep. And your little lover will be pretty disgusted with knowing what you've had the stomach to do. It will be while trying to show off -or demonstrate to him, really – that you've become a better man that you'll just bring him along without thinking. That'll get him killed. And I'm tired of looking after your self-hating butt'.
Yeah, that would go really smooth. This Harkness was still the slut who would fuck anything decent enough but never remember their names the day after. Exactly because he didn't want to get attached, since it would hurt like hell when the strings broke -and they always broke, with him.
"You're really sure that the Doctor won't see me anymore?" Jack half-whined.
"Hey, you're the one who obsesses over him, not I...but if you seriously make him want not to have any relationship with your slave-trading self, I don't think you can exactly catch him unwilling. You know, with the TARDIS and all..." he answered.
"Right, a risk I'm not going to take. After all, it could be fun 'explaining' it all away. Do you think I can scam a whole planet?" Harkness ended with a smirk.
"Don't see why not. Unless you've lost your charm" John teased.
"Not yet, John. Now...what do you want in exchange? You don't care for children or Earth, John. So? Why the little intel?" Jack inquired, distrustful.
'True. I do care about you, however. Somehow. And you've been ...will be...goddamn tenses don't agree with time-hopping...a wreck'. But, of course, John couldn't say that. One, it would bring questions whose answers Jack wouldn't have believed. Two, it would make him look like a goddamn sap. So, instead...
"Right now I don't need anything at all. Let's agree you'll owe me one. Someday I'll cash it in".
"Let's. Gentlemen's agreement?" the immortal asked, proceeding then to kiss his ex-partner senseless to seal it.
"Jack, sorry, but I've left a bit of a situation back home. I'd happily stay, but I really have to go check" he said, setting his Vortex Manipulator going.
Hopefully his home would be empty of brooding immortals now. He just needed to make sure.
