Chapter Text
Disclaimer: Captain Jack Harkness, Esther Drummond, Dr. Owen Harper, Rex Matheson, and all things Torchwood do not belong to me. They are the property of Russell T. Davies, the BBC, and Starz Studios. There's a possibility that the Nevada contingent (Rassilon, Ianto, Tosh, and Suzie) will show up, but as to that, I'm making no promises. By the same token. Captain Steve Rogers (aka Captain America), Tony Stark (Iron Man), Thor, Clint Barton (Hawkeye), Natasha Romanov (the Black Widow), Dr. Bruce Banner (The Incredible Hulk), Odin, Frigga, and Loki (because the last three may show up as well) belong to Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, and Norse mythology. Anyone else whom you don't recognize (the wannabe, his minions, and the Tregarths) belong to me. I don't mind if you borrow them ... just ask first, and return them to me reasonably intact.
Prologue
The Hardest Part of Surveillance
Torchwood Oklahoma underground base
July 2012
She thought, after Vera's death in the module ... after nursing Jack back to health ... after almost dying herself ... that she saw the worst of Torchwood. No. No, this wasn't Torchwood's fault. She couldn't get into the habit of blaming Torchwood for what was actually the way the world and the universe operated. Blaming Torchwood for people's bad behavior was like the citizens of a given city blaming the police for criminal activity. The difference wasn't a change in the situation, but a change in your perception of it.
None of which helped Esther Drummond now, as she listened to her lover and friend and boss being hurt. Someone was hurting Jack, and she could only stand here and listen. Could do nothing to help him, nothing to ease even the slightest discomfort. That alone was bad enough, because she wanted to hurt someone in kind. But even worse were the cheers she could hear, nearly drowning out Jack's pained sounds. There were people who took pleasure in the infliction of pain, and others who took pleasure in watching it. She knew this, of course. But it was entirely different when the person who was being hurt was someone whom she ... someone who mattered to her. At last, the whoops and catcalls died away, and the only things she heard was Jack's harsh breathing and a squishing sound ... after several moments of listening, Esther nodded to herself. Mud. That was right. It was raining in that part of Oklahoma.
"What do you have so far?" Rex asked softly and Esther raised her hand, listening intently. Rex, surprisingly enough, didn't say anything else, instead waiting as patiently as he could for her to respond. There was a thump (body hitting the ground) and a pained moan, followed by footsteps across a metallic surface. Maybe a truck? That made sense. She could vaguely hear two men, maybe three, talking in low tones as they walked away. The footsteps stopped, and then began once more. Jack cried out, before coughing harshly.
Someone said weakly, "Leave him alone!" There was the sound of flesh connecting with flesh, and then a thunk. Sounded a bit like the thunk Lucas made when his head smacked against a wall. So, someone was struck in the face and then their head hit the wall. And that someone was trying to protect Jack. The footsteps began once more, followed by a metallic clanging ... a door shutting. A truck? Esther began writing down her observations. There was a rustling, another pained moan, and then the voice from before whispered, "Hang on, pal, it's gonna be all right. Name's Steve ... you?"
"Jack. Yeah. Yeah, we're gonna be fine. Oh God," Jack gasped, and Esther's fingers tightened around her pen. It took a conscious effort to stop tightening those fingers ... after all, she didn't want ink all over her fingers. Jack continued as the truck started up, "You seem familiar. We met before?" As Esther continued to write down her observations, Rex pulled up a chair and booted up his work station. Neither of them could hear Steve's response, but they did hear Jack observe, "What do you think, we're traveling east?" Esther smiled viciously. Whoever had both Jack and this Steve had no idea what they just unleashed ... and if all went well, they wouldn't know until it was entirely too late. Esther was in Torchwood long enough to realize that things rarely went according to plan ... which was why the more information she had, the more Carlyon and Sophia could come up with a back-up plan.
"Yeah. Not gonna ask how you know that," Steve murmured. There was another pained gasp, and Steve added, "Lie still. Those three dopes did a number on you. I'm surprised you're even conscious at this point." That made two of them, although that begged the question. Steve evidently saw the assault on Jack. How? Were there windows? Or did he peek out of the open door? Esther wrote down that question, because if he looked out of a door ... why didn't he try to escape? After a moment, Steve added, "These bozos don't know it, but they just made their last mistake." There was a cold note of satisfaction, one that Rex evidently heard as well, because he looked up from what he was doing to stare at Esther. Especially when Steve added, "People will be coming for me. My unit."
Jack made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and cough, replying, "You and me, both. By the way, I'm Captain Jack Harkness." Rex rolled his eyes, both at Jack's introduction and at the obviously flirtatious note. Esther rolled her eyes at Rex's rolled eyes, provoking a smile from her former supervisor. Esther, however, didn't smile. Instead, she focused on every breath, on every clue she could wring from listening to Jack. When she and Jack first became intimate, she hadn't realized how useful it would become, the things she learned about while their bodies were entwined. She learned just as much during their times of intimacy as she did while she was caring for him after he was shot.
However, Steve's next words drove all of that out of her mind. He murmured, "Captain Steven Rogers. Cap works too." Rex stared over at her. Captain Steven Rogers. That was the real name of Captain America. Esther returned Rex's gaze steadily, and he nodded. The voice print he'd taken of Steve matched the voice print in their records for Captain America. Those boneheads had taken Captain America. A few minutes earlier, Steve stated that their captors just made their last mistake. He was one hundred percent correct. Whoever was behind these disappearances attracted the attention of both Torchwood and the Avengers. Neither group would take the abduction of their captain well. Not well at all.
"I've made a copy of the voice print and ensured the tracker is on. Jason and Lucas are loading up the mobile units. As soon as we brief the old man, we can be on the road. We gotta do that, Esther. You know Adriane will be here monitoring World War II, and you know that she'll notify us, but we have to go," Rex murmured, putting his hand on her shoulder. Soft footfall alerted them that they weren't alone, and Esther looked up to see Owen with the last of his medical supplies in his hand and a worried expression on his thin face. At his side, holding his hand, stood Adriane. Esther swallowed hard and nodded, moving away from the console.
"I promise, Esther, I'll notify you ... whether I hear anything more from Jack or if they change direction, I'll let you know. Just ... just get going, okay?" Adriane said, pausing just long enough to squeeze her hands. Esther nodded once more, forcing herself to back away. It wasn't that she didn't trust Adriane (her sister, Esther's mind reminded her) ... but this was Jack. And yes, he came back after dying, but ... Adriane murmured, "Jack Harkness is the strongest person I've ever met, Es. And he's with Captain America, who survived seventy friggin' years encased in ice. Those boners don't stand a snowball's chance in hell." Something tight in Esther's chest loosened and she was able to summon a real smile.
"As Jack would say ... see ya in hell," Owen offered, and that was what Esther needed to hear. She offered him a smile, and he winked at her. With Rex and Owen at her back, Esther moved to the ladder which would take her up into the bunkhouse. Owen muttered under his breath, "I don't know what's worse, seeing Jack and Esther's love nest, and figuring out what to say to Natalie. She kissed me!" Esther rolled her eyes, even as she was grateful to him for distracting her from her fears for Jack. Yes, Natalie kissed him, but that was several weeks ago, and he certainly had no trouble talking to her at breakfast this morning!
As she listened to Rex and Owen bicker, Esther's mind drifted first to the transmission from the bar where Jack was taken, and then further back to when Jack and Carlyon learned of the disappearances. With the capture of Jack and Steve, that brought it up to fifty. In the depths of her heart, Esther begged Jack to stay as safe as he could (which, knowing Jack, wasn't safe at all) and to hold on until they got there. Just ... hold on.
TBC