[WM] 118.2.A - Paracelsus Quote
Jan. 6th, 2010 01:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
changehistory[ooc: Follows and is companion piece to this. BB!Angela is ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
seemynightmares and Martha is notquiteadoctor and both are mine to use. Jack referred to is onlysayinghello. Other Torchwood muses do not yet refer to any specific muses, though we're in negotiations as we set up verse fully. ;-)]
"Time is a brisk wind, for each hour it brings something new... but who can understand and measure its sharp breath, its mystery and its design?" - Paraclesus
Santa Clara, California, 1961
The earthquake came unexpectedly, as earthquakes often do. Daniel's eyes widened, and he immediately moved toward safety. Adam's eyes shot toward the shop Angela had disappeared into, and he sprinted that way, getting back up when the rolling earth knocked him off his feet. There were more than a few advantages to rapid healing. The door to the shop flew open and Angela emerged with a dark haired woman clasping her arm, just as dust seemed to explode from inside, only to be sucked back in just as sharply. For a moment, the strange phenomenon caught his eye, but his attention snapped back to the scared girl in front on him quickly.
"Are you all right?" he asked, as the earth seemed to right itself.
Angela gave him a shaky nod, reaching for him as the woman let go of her arm. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. It was just...there was so much stuff falling..."
Adam wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, then gave the woman a look. "Thank you."
Something dark flashed in the woman's eyes as she turned back from looking at her shop, but she nodded, a smile turning her lips up that he thought looked forced. "Of course." Glancing at Angela, her eyes dropped to the necklace. "You can keep it if you want. Maybe it will help with your dreams."
Angela and Adam both looked at her sharply. "What?" Adam asked.
The woman just smiled, and the look in her eyes disturbed him even more this time.
"Give her the necklace, Angela," he ordered quietly, and Angela unhooked it with shaky fingers, turning it back over. A flash of displeasure went through the woman's eyes, but she took it with a nod.
"I'm glad no one was harmed."
"Yes," Adam replied, pulling Angela a little closer. "So am I."
The woman gave him another half smile, and moved back to her shop. He thought about warning her about instability possible in the building, but then shut his mouth. Something about her was off, but he couldn't put a finger on what.
"Let's go find the boys and go home," he suggested softly to the girl in his arms, and she looked up at him, clearly troubled by something, but then nodded.
* * *
Cardiff, Present Day
Everyone else was gone for the night except Martha. Getting Jack to head home had been a monumental task, but Adam had finally managed it by sheer dint of bribery. The other man had his own tendency of running himself too ragged, and while neither of them needed as much sleep as others, Adam insisted that some was necessary. Martha's trouble getting Owen to leave had been more in line with him not trusting her alone with his instruments, still convinced she was after his job, but Tosh had gotten him to leave, finally. Gwen was on her honeymoon and Ianto was...Adam had no idea where Ianto was and cared even less. It wasn't like they were besties. Probably Adam coming in and sweeping Jack away had something to do with that, but he wasn't apologizing. Nearly four hundred years and no, he hadn't learned to share. Look where it had gotten him last time?
He winced slightly as Martha slipped the needle in his arm, drawing his blood out smoothly. "I can do this myself, you know."
"I know, but it gives me something to do, so hush," Martha said with a bit of a smile. "Besides, you can only do one at a time. I saw you drop it last time you tried to switch out a vial."
Adam made a slight face, but didn't argue. He couldn't be everywhere the team went, so keeping his blood with them was becoming standard protocol. It didn't work as well when mixed with too many preservatives or frozen, though, so he was getting used to the weekly donations. Still, even though it had been his idea of how to be useful, how to give something back to Jack, it sometimes reeked a bit too much of being a human lab rat and made him twitchy.
"All done," Martha said, stepping back and moving to label the vials with their date, as he undid the tourniquet and let his arm heal.
"So, any word from your doctor?" Adam asked, with a bit of a grin.
Martha was about to answer when a small alarm went off. Casting each other a glance, they scrambled back up the stairs, and to the monitor.
"Rift activity," Adam said, eyebrows going up.
"I thought that was slowing down," Martha replied. "Wasn't Tosh predicting it was liable to close anytime now?"
"Yep, but it looks like it had one last thing to spew out before doing so," Adam said, a bit of a glitter in his eye.
"We should call Jack," Martha said, though she didn't sound firm about that.
"We'll call him after we see what it is," Adam agreed, already moving to get his gear.
"He'll be upset," Martha warned, reaching for hers.
"I can handle him upset. Besides," Adam flashed her a grin. "You're with me. It's perfectly safe."
Martha rolled her eyes at that assessment, but grabbed the keys. "I'm driving this time. You got us nearly killed last week."
"Martha, honestly...."
"Don't start..."
* * *
The scanners led them to Bute Park, which, Adam pointed out, they could have just walked to, as close to the Hub as it was, but Martha shushed him. After abandoning the car, they moved silently along paths, and through trees, getting closer to the source. When they found it, they both froze.
"Watch your step," Martha said, automatically, looking at the glass scattered everywhere.
Adam wasn't listening, just staring at the girl lying amid the mess.
Martha moved first, over to the girl, scanning her as she knelt down, careful of the grass once she was putting knees on it not boots. "Human, and alive," she reported, before rocking back on her heels to stare at her, taking in the pink coverup and sandals and sunglasses. "Caught in time, I'd say. Her clothes look like they're from the sixties, at least."
"1961," Adam said, from where he was standing. "August. 1961."
"That's a pretty specific guess," Martha said, turning to look at him skeptically before taking in his face. "Adam?"
He didn't answer, still staring at the girl.
"Adam?" Martha was up, moving to his side, one hand on his arm. "Hey, you know her?"
"I do," he finally answered, and moved away to kneel next to the girl, heedless of the glass pressing in through his pants to tear into his skin. "Her name is Angela. Angela Shaw. And she...she shouldn't be here."
"Yeah, most of the things and people who come through the Rift shouldn't be," Martha said, moving to look at him. "We need to get her back to the Hub. Let me see if she can be moved..."
But Adam was already pulling out one of the syringes he kept on him, stabbing it into his arm without looking and drawing his blood before easing it into the girl's arm far more gently. She stirred, moaning quietly as something seemed to knit itself back inside of her, the myriad scrapes over her skin and cuts from the glass healing. Even the sunburn on her nose disappeared. Her eyes stayed closed, though.
"You don't understand," Adam told Martha. "When people come through the Rift, we find records of them disappearing, never to be seen again. Angela...didn't disappear. She's...as far as I know, she's alive and well in New York City with her two sons."
"You sure?" Martha asked.
"Pretty damn sure," Adam answered. He'd just talked to Marissa a couple of days before.
"Then what..."
"I have no idea."
Angela stirred, eyes blinking open, staring up at them blearily. "Adam?"
He was still staring at her in something like shock, but he reached out a hand and brushed her hair back. "It's all right. You're all right. You're safe."
"What happened?"
Adam glanced up at Martha, then back down at Angela a little blankly. "I have no idea, but I swear to you, I'm going to figure it out."
Martha looked between them for a minute, then pulled out her cell phone. Clearly, it was time to call Jack.
seemynightmares and Martha is notquiteadoctor and both are mine to use. Jack referred to is onlysayinghello. Other Torchwood muses do not yet refer to any specific muses, though we're in negotiations as we set up verse fully. ;-)]"Time is a brisk wind, for each hour it brings something new... but who can understand and measure its sharp breath, its mystery and its design?" - Paraclesus
Santa Clara, California, 1961
The earthquake came unexpectedly, as earthquakes often do. Daniel's eyes widened, and he immediately moved toward safety. Adam's eyes shot toward the shop Angela had disappeared into, and he sprinted that way, getting back up when the rolling earth knocked him off his feet. There were more than a few advantages to rapid healing. The door to the shop flew open and Angela emerged with a dark haired woman clasping her arm, just as dust seemed to explode from inside, only to be sucked back in just as sharply. For a moment, the strange phenomenon caught his eye, but his attention snapped back to the scared girl in front on him quickly.
"Are you all right?" he asked, as the earth seemed to right itself.
Angela gave him a shaky nod, reaching for him as the woman let go of her arm. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. It was just...there was so much stuff falling..."
Adam wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, then gave the woman a look. "Thank you."
Something dark flashed in the woman's eyes as she turned back from looking at her shop, but she nodded, a smile turning her lips up that he thought looked forced. "Of course." Glancing at Angela, her eyes dropped to the necklace. "You can keep it if you want. Maybe it will help with your dreams."
Angela and Adam both looked at her sharply. "What?" Adam asked.
The woman just smiled, and the look in her eyes disturbed him even more this time.
"Give her the necklace, Angela," he ordered quietly, and Angela unhooked it with shaky fingers, turning it back over. A flash of displeasure went through the woman's eyes, but she took it with a nod.
"I'm glad no one was harmed."
"Yes," Adam replied, pulling Angela a little closer. "So am I."
The woman gave him another half smile, and moved back to her shop. He thought about warning her about instability possible in the building, but then shut his mouth. Something about her was off, but he couldn't put a finger on what.
"Let's go find the boys and go home," he suggested softly to the girl in his arms, and she looked up at him, clearly troubled by something, but then nodded.
* * *
Cardiff, Present Day
Everyone else was gone for the night except Martha. Getting Jack to head home had been a monumental task, but Adam had finally managed it by sheer dint of bribery. The other man had his own tendency of running himself too ragged, and while neither of them needed as much sleep as others, Adam insisted that some was necessary. Martha's trouble getting Owen to leave had been more in line with him not trusting her alone with his instruments, still convinced she was after his job, but Tosh had gotten him to leave, finally. Gwen was on her honeymoon and Ianto was...Adam had no idea where Ianto was and cared even less. It wasn't like they were besties. Probably Adam coming in and sweeping Jack away had something to do with that, but he wasn't apologizing. Nearly four hundred years and no, he hadn't learned to share. Look where it had gotten him last time?
He winced slightly as Martha slipped the needle in his arm, drawing his blood out smoothly. "I can do this myself, you know."
"I know, but it gives me something to do, so hush," Martha said with a bit of a smile. "Besides, you can only do one at a time. I saw you drop it last time you tried to switch out a vial."
Adam made a slight face, but didn't argue. He couldn't be everywhere the team went, so keeping his blood with them was becoming standard protocol. It didn't work as well when mixed with too many preservatives or frozen, though, so he was getting used to the weekly donations. Still, even though it had been his idea of how to be useful, how to give something back to Jack, it sometimes reeked a bit too much of being a human lab rat and made him twitchy.
"All done," Martha said, stepping back and moving to label the vials with their date, as he undid the tourniquet and let his arm heal.
"So, any word from your doctor?" Adam asked, with a bit of a grin.
Martha was about to answer when a small alarm went off. Casting each other a glance, they scrambled back up the stairs, and to the monitor.
"Rift activity," Adam said, eyebrows going up.
"I thought that was slowing down," Martha replied. "Wasn't Tosh predicting it was liable to close anytime now?"
"Yep, but it looks like it had one last thing to spew out before doing so," Adam said, a bit of a glitter in his eye.
"We should call Jack," Martha said, though she didn't sound firm about that.
"We'll call him after we see what it is," Adam agreed, already moving to get his gear.
"He'll be upset," Martha warned, reaching for hers.
"I can handle him upset. Besides," Adam flashed her a grin. "You're with me. It's perfectly safe."
Martha rolled her eyes at that assessment, but grabbed the keys. "I'm driving this time. You got us nearly killed last week."
"Martha, honestly...."
"Don't start..."
* * *
The scanners led them to Bute Park, which, Adam pointed out, they could have just walked to, as close to the Hub as it was, but Martha shushed him. After abandoning the car, they moved silently along paths, and through trees, getting closer to the source. When they found it, they both froze.
"Watch your step," Martha said, automatically, looking at the glass scattered everywhere.
Adam wasn't listening, just staring at the girl lying amid the mess.
Martha moved first, over to the girl, scanning her as she knelt down, careful of the grass once she was putting knees on it not boots. "Human, and alive," she reported, before rocking back on her heels to stare at her, taking in the pink coverup and sandals and sunglasses. "Caught in time, I'd say. Her clothes look like they're from the sixties, at least."
"1961," Adam said, from where he was standing. "August. 1961."
"That's a pretty specific guess," Martha said, turning to look at him skeptically before taking in his face. "Adam?"
He didn't answer, still staring at the girl.
"Adam?" Martha was up, moving to his side, one hand on his arm. "Hey, you know her?"
"I do," he finally answered, and moved away to kneel next to the girl, heedless of the glass pressing in through his pants to tear into his skin. "Her name is Angela. Angela Shaw. And she...she shouldn't be here."
"Yeah, most of the things and people who come through the Rift shouldn't be," Martha said, moving to look at him. "We need to get her back to the Hub. Let me see if she can be moved..."
But Adam was already pulling out one of the syringes he kept on him, stabbing it into his arm without looking and drawing his blood before easing it into the girl's arm far more gently. She stirred, moaning quietly as something seemed to knit itself back inside of her, the myriad scrapes over her skin and cuts from the glass healing. Even the sunburn on her nose disappeared. Her eyes stayed closed, though.
"You don't understand," Adam told Martha. "When people come through the Rift, we find records of them disappearing, never to be seen again. Angela...didn't disappear. She's...as far as I know, she's alive and well in New York City with her two sons."
"You sure?" Martha asked.
"Pretty damn sure," Adam answered. He'd just talked to Marissa a couple of days before.
"Then what..."
"I have no idea."
Angela stirred, eyes blinking open, staring up at them blearily. "Adam?"
He was still staring at her in something like shock, but he reached out a hand and brushed her hair back. "It's all right. You're all right. You're safe."
"What happened?"
Adam glanced up at Martha, then back down at Angela a little blankly. "I have no idea, but I swear to you, I'm going to figure it out."
Martha looked between them for a minute, then pulled out her cell phone. Clearly, it was time to call Jack.
