Dinoplot 3 || First

[more_flexible]

The island was shaking. The rumble and tremor woke Jack and he sat bolt upright, gasping for air. Volcano Day, and he'd forgotten to set his alarm.

He reached for House, but the man wasn't there. A cold sensation sat like a rock in his gut, and grew even harder when he noticed the cane beside the bed. House wouldn't get far without it. He climbed out of bed and took it with him out the door, looking around for the man. It was preternaturally quiet, all the birds and bugs and jungle creatures having gone silent. Foreboding was in the air and Jack trusted his instincts enough to know that something was wrong.

A cursory check of the hut lead him to believe House hadn't simply disappeared. When people did that, their things disappeared, too. He'd been here long enough to know that.

What day was it? What month was it? This had to be an island thing...last year around this time there had been a tsunami and...

"Oh, fuck me," he exhaled, returning to the interior of the hut. Tossing the cane onto the bed, he opened a trunk and pulled out clothes he rarely wore. The clothes he'd arrived in. Leather trousers, a shirt and a leather vest with useful pockets. He had the holster strapped on with the 9mm at his side and was in the process of cleaning Betsy and making her ready. He needed more people. People with guns.

Jack loaded the clips and made sure the rifle was in perfect working order while he formulated a plan. He was closing down. Growing cold and hard and ready.

And the entire time, he couldn't help but think of Dale, still running the border, looking for Sookie.

Jack found resolve. He'd find House and anyone else and bring them back.

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[coffee_sir]

Ianto couldn't find Daniel. A half hour of the early morning had been spent in a panic, fear seizing up in his chest and making his heartbeat painfully fast. But by the time he had made it to Jack's hut, that panic had settled into something else. Something still terrifying, but fueling as well, giving him a grim set to his expression and a determination in his stride.

He knew Daniel wasn't gone. Too many of his things were still scattered about his room and it still felt like him, still smelt like him. It was still Daniel's room that Ianto had awoken in. And that gave him hope.

And led him to the door of Jack's hut. He was dressed, ready for a search, but as he had nothing in the way of supplies or weapons in his own hut, he knocked on Jack's door. His hand trembled just slightly as he took it away from the panel of wood, and there was a hint of something desperate in his eyes if one looked closely, but otherwise he was ready to do a job.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack opened the door, his other hand holding onto the M16. "Ianto," he said, simply an acknowledgement of the man's name and presence. His mouth was set in a stern line and his jaw was taut. The easygoing fluidity that normally governed his body was gone, replaced with years of training that had taken over.

He read Ianto's eyes in the first second of seeing them. Eyes and clothes together told him all he needed to know.

"Daniel's missing, too?" he asked, waving for Ianto to enter. "We'll need more guns. This happened last year."

[coffee_sir]

Ianto simply nodded, setting his jaw as he walked into the hut. It was reassuring to see Jack like this, and made him feel like taking orders and being effective in some scenario. Because all he really wanted right now was to do something, well planned and well executed.

"I don't have any," Ianto said, unnecessarily perhaps as Jack should know that from the last time they went out. And the situation hadn't changed since. "Where'd they go?"

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"We'll go get Tosh's. Or Gwen's," he replied. He'd thought it out, where to get more, where to find people he'd trust. "If it's like last year, they're on the other side of the island. In dinosaur territory," Jack said, then looked at Ianto and there was no hint of teasing or amusement.

"What does Daniel sleep in?"

He knew House was likely in those pajama pants, without shoes or his cane. Gone in a flash and as helpless as could be without being injured.

Yet.

[coffee_sir]

And that was probably the answer Ianto thought most likely and therefore dreaded most. Not that Daniel was incapable of defending himself, but against dinosaurs was a different situation entirely. He set his jaw a little tighter and tried not to let the way that news affected him show on his face.

Until Jack asked that question. And Ianto blinked, confused for a second before it became clear. "As of last night.. nothing," he said.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Then if we hurry and we're lucky, the worst thing that will bit them is the mosquitos," Jack said, slinging the rifle over his shoulder. "Let's go get you a weapon."

He was out the door and down the steps in a step and a leap and was on his way to the treehouse. Other people needed to know where he was going. They were going. Just...in case.

"No camping this time, Ianto. Strictly search and rescue. You all right?"

[coffee_sir]

Ianto followed obediently, head down, mind elsewhere and yet still there with Jack and the situation at hand.

"Of course," he answered evenly, taking two long strides to catch up with Jack's pace.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Finding a brisk pace, Jack's first goal was the Treehouse. The Doctor would be in...if he was there. Sarah Jane, Ace, Gwen...no, Gwen was in the Compound now.

His mind was racing the whole way there and when he opened the door without bothering to knock, Jack barked out a brusque greeting. No 'good morning', no 'hello'.

"Who's here?" he snapped.

[be-normal.livejournal.com]

Gwen had been upstairs with Peter, and came clomping hurriedly down, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "Jack!" she called as she ran into the room. "They're gone," she added, her gaze sliding from Jack to Ianto and back again. "Rob's gone, and the Doctor left. He wouldn't wait." She swallowed once hard, but her voice was steady, steadier than it had been all morning. "Martha was here maybe fifteen minutes ago, I think she went after him, I don't know."

[saves-the-world.livejournal.com]

Peter wasn't entirely sure what was going on, other than that Rob was apparently missing, the Doctor was on a mission, Gwen was beside herself, and the island was somehow involved. Although he'd tried to reassure Gwen that Rob would be okay, deep down Peter hadn't been so sure.

When they heard Jack calling, Peter wasted no time in following Gwen downstairs. "Have you heard anything?" he asked, looking from Ianto to Jack. "Is anyone else...gone?"

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"House is gone. So's Daniel," Jack replied, an iron-hard set to his jaw. Chase gone, the Doctor and Martha gone off to search. Details fell into place quickly.

"Gwen, you've got your gun? We'll need it. Okay. This happened last year, so the run down is this. People who have disappeared are more than likely in dino territory. They're in whatever they slept in, and since I'm not up on everyone's night time couture, I'm guessing shoeless and anywhere from naked to lightly clothed."

He looked from Gwen to Peter, then to Ianto and he noticed Sarah Jane coming downstairs as well. He hadn't needed to function at the level of a soldier, of an actual Captain in so long that the ease with which he slipped back into it nearly shocked him. Or it would, when he had time to reflect. Right now he was just acting on instinct.

"If the Doctor's gone with Mrth to find Rob, it's up to us to work together. Gwen, you're coming with Ianto and I. Sarah Jane, we need to get you a weapon."

[coffee_sir]

Ianto was fairly certain that there were no spare guns to be had in the treehouse, what with it being the Doctor's house and not a weapons depot. He was more than a little relieved to see Gwen and Sarah Jane (and Peter, though that only made him worry as to whether Sarah Jane's Peter had disappeared), which made his brain start to work more efficiently.

"Tosh still has her gun. I'll go check on her and borrow it, let her know what's going on. Won't be too long," he informed them before heading out the door quickly and setting off in a run towards the shelter.

[be-normal.livejournal.com]

"I don't have my gun," Gwen replied with a shake of her head. "I didn't have it when I showed up on the island." Needing to do something with her nervous energy, she shoved a hand in one jeans pocket, extracted a hair tie and began tugging her messy hair back from her face.

When Jack started giving orders, Gwen didn't question him -- Didn't even consider questioning him -- although after she nodded her understanding, she slid her gaze over to Peter uncertainly, and then back to Jack.

[saves-the-world.livejournal.com]

Peter had fairly held his tongue while Jack went into Captain mode. He'd been expecting it, really, and he stood next to Gwen, waiting for Jack to get all the orders out. Somehow it hadn't surprised Peter in the slightest that Jack had overlooked him in the plan of action.

It hadn't surprised Peter, but that didn't mean he was going to stay behind and do nothing.

"I know where I can get a gun, maybe two," Peter interjected, lifting his chin almost defiantly. "I'm not staying here while you all go out and...be Torchwood. Rob's important to Gwen so he's important to me. I'm coming along."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack looked at Peter as if seeing him for the first time. He hadn't factored him into the original plan, but more bodies and more guns was acceptable. More than acceptable.

"Right. Peter, get the guns you can and meet back here. Gwen, you're with me. Ianto will be back in a bit. Fantastic."

He looked around, up the stairs, then back around the main room. His posture was achingly stiff, his shoulders square.

"Last year, some people didn't come back. I don't want that to happen again," he said, then nodded toward the door, a silent order for Peter to go.

[be-normal.livejournal.com]

"Shut UP!" Gwen cried after Peter had gone, pointing an angry finger at Jack, her eyes filling with tears again. "Don't you dare say it, don't you even think it. We're going to find him." Her jaw flexed as she ground her teeth together.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

He looked into the tempest in her eyes impassively. "We'll bring them all back," he replied calmly. "I need you to get it together, Gwen. If you need to cry, do it, but get it together before everyone gets back because then we're on a mission."

He couldn't afford to let the same emotions run wild in himself. He couldn't afford questions. Rob. Greg. Daniel. Probably halfthe island, just like last year. If he focused on the worry instead of the mission, he'd fall apart.

"Understand?"

[be-normal.livejournal.com]

Slowly, Gwen pressed her lips together, and then nodded. "I understand," she replied, voice tight, and smoothed her hands restlessly over her thighs as she held Jack's gaze. The protective part of her was warring with an intense fear over where they were going, and what they might meet there. The last time she'd faced a dinosaur, she'd not fared so well, after all.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Good," he said, still brusque. Sarah Jane gave him a withering look and pursed her lips, but said nothing.

"Okay," came in a slightly relaxed tone. He laid the rifle down and pulled off the holster, handing it gun and all to Gwen. "You'll need that since you don't have your own. We're going in standard formation. Anyone we find, we get out, then we go back. Other teams will be doing the same, I'm sure, so no shooting unless we have a clear target. The last thing we need to do is shoot a person and as far as I know, the box doesn't spit out hunter orange."

He took a breath and laid his other hand on he shoulder. "Gwen? You can do this."

[be-normal.livejournal.com]

"I'm fine, I'm good," Gwen hastily replied, and brushed her fringe back with faintly trembling fingers. Her eyes said differently, but she was holding it together because he'd told her to.

"Please don't leave me," she told him, barely audible, mindful of Sarah Jane being in the room.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Not a chance," he assured her, then turned on a thousand watt smile. It lasted for a heartbeat, maybe two, then he let her go. "You two need good shoes and sturdy clothes. Trainers or boots are best. Jeans or leather if you've got it." With that command, he turned to the door and opened it to see if Ianto or Peter were on their way back yet. He wasn't in any mood to be patient.

[coffee_sir]

He had tried. He had really, really tried. But no matter what he said, Tosh simply would not listen to him.

Which was why when Jack looked out the door, he would have seen a stern-faced Ianto walking quickly towards the tree house with a determined step with Tosh's gun and Toshiko.

"I tried," he said in a clipped tone to Jack. "She wants to come."

[toshiko-san.livejournal.com]

He had tried, and she'd not listened. This was more then just their job now, well, in some ways it always had been. This was their life, and with Daniel and others missing, she would not be left behind. "We're a team. I'm going." That was all there was to it in her mind. "You know I can handle myself."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"You're not going," Jack replied. He barely looked at Ianto as he stepped out of the way for the man to come in. "House and Chase are both missing, that means the clinic is down two doctors at least," he said. "I need you to stay here, help when the wounded start coming in, and find Owen if you can."

He didn't bother to bring up the baby, knowing that, if anything, she'd be more aware and more cautious. Still...he didn't want to risk it. Jack held her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"Do this?"

It wasn't really a question.

[be-normal.livejournal.com]

It was on the tip of Gwen's tongue to protest Tosh's obvious insanity in wanting to come with them into Dino Territory while pregnant, but Jack was well ahead of her and better qualified to dissuade her anyway. Whatever hesitation or uncertainty Gwen had been fighting earlier was gone, replaced by a stubborn determination, her hands on her hips as she stared back at Toshiko.

[toshiko-san.livejournal.com]

Tosh looked away from Jack to Gwen, hoping for some support. She saw she wasn't going to get anyway, and for a moment she wanted to argue. To tell Jack it would be fine, that she could handle it.

She didn't like it that he was right, but sometimes she just had to accept it. With House and Rob both gone, the Clinic would need doctors, and she would be useful there. Useful and less cause of worry for everyone else.

"Yes." She squeezed his hand on her shoulder, looking around at everyone in the room. Her family in a way. "Be careful."

[saves-the-world.livejournal.com]

When Peter climbed up into the treehouse, he wasn't alone. Claude had insisted on coming along and Peter knew the man would get what he wanted one way or another, so he hadn't even bothered to fight. Besides, Claude had worked for the Company and was good with a gun. And then there was also the fact that Claude had walked in on Peter pulling Bennet's gun out of his hiding place in their hut.

"Look, I brought you along because you wanted to come along. So can we work together instead of-- this?" Peter muttered over his shoulder at Claude as he entered the room.

Eyeing everyone, he held up Bennet's gun, then offered it to Sarah Jane. From what he knew of her, she'd be a better shot than Peter. "I'm not sure if everyone knows everyone. This is Claude," Peter said, pointing at Claude. "And that's Gwen, Ianto, Tosh, and Jack." He did a double-take upon seeing Tosh, then shot Gwen a sidelong, questioning glance.

[visibleclaude.livejournal.com]

Claude snorted. "Right, as if I'd just hand over my gun. Do you even know how to shoot one? Probably put your bloody eye out."

Besides, he was still a little hacked off about what that one dinosaur had done to his arm. And shooting it in the head had been kind of fun.

He looked at the faces in turn, his eyes flitting especially quickly over Jack's. He thought it particularly amusing when Peter saw fit to introduce his girlfriend, as if she weren't usually underfoot anyway. "Yeah, we've met."

[be-normal.livejournal.com]

Well, wasn't that just wonderful, Peter had brought along Captain Invisible. Gwen's posture immediately stiffened, her lips pursing. Rather than replying verbally, she merely narrowed her eyes a bit at Claude, and then turned her attention back to Peter, who got his own glare.

[coffee_sir]

Ianto restrained himself from sighing in relief when Tosh decided to obey Jack. Even though he wasn't really their Jack, sometimes there wasn't much difference between the two, and Jack fit the bill well. If he wasn't here, Ianto was sure they would have all hiked off into danger bickering the entire way.

"We will," he said to Tosh, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder gently. Ianto spared the new man a nod of greeting, but wasn't about to make conversation.

[saves-the-world.livejournal.com]

Peter waited until Claude was otherwise distracted to step closer to Gwen. "What?" he said under his breath. "He wanted to come along and I wouldn't have gotten Bennet's gun otherwise."

[be-normal.livejournal.com]

"Just make sure he doesn't shove you in front of a T-Rex or something, yeah?" Gwen snidely replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "We'd be at your funeral and he'd probably say he did it to build your character."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack looked at Claude, then Peter, then simply nodded. Another body, another gun. Sarah Jane, Gwen, Ianto, Claude and he were all armed.

"Peter, when we go past the Compound I want you to run into the clinic. Get supplies for teating emergencies--gauze, tape, alcohol. Claude, you take the rear, stay alert for anythig sneaking up on us. Sarah Jane in the middle, protect our flanks. Ianto, you're with me." He hesitated. "Gwen, Peter's got no weapon, so keep him safe. Ready? Let's move."

He shouldered the rifle again and headed out the door, not interested in bickering or hostilities. He was focused enough for all of them.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

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