02- From Bad to Worse

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[Jack appears on the Astral plane, his coat gone. The front of his shirt is covered in blood, and he looks more dazed than anything, half wondering half stumbling. He mumbles to himself as he walks, an almost blank look on his face] Their dead. I couldn't even save Rhys for Gwen, and now so man people are dead. Why doesn't the blood come off......

[ooc: *cough* Do to his recent interaction with Simm!Master, Jack's mental state has gone from somewhat bad but manageable, to  a few steps from just loosing it completely. Which, of course, reflects on his reality, which in turn makes things worse >>

Oh, and just for the record; any post before this is basically pre!return, so he'll be his normal self there u-u]

Comments

[barelyemoting.livejournal.com]

[have a concerned Brigadier] Captain?

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

Seems to look right past him, though he stops] You said you've dealt with your men dead on the field of battle. What about the death of those that had nothing to do with it, just had the bad luck of falling in love with someone who works for you?

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

[And Misaki grabs his arm, horrified.] Jack? What happened? Are you hurt?

[barelyemoting.livejournal.com]

[he quickly assesses the situation and uses a more careful hand] It's happened. Civilian?

[cyfor.livejournal.com]

[Wild Road Cy paces up, looking worried.] Captain America?

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[doesn't even bother to free his arm] I could've died and it wouldn't have made a difference; I couldn't save any one of them.

Not one.

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[doesn't answer for the longest time, just continues to look past the Brigadier] Her husband. Her idiotic husband who survived a bullet but couldn't survive this.

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

[It is bizarre and unnerving to hear her own words paraphrased back at her.] Jack...

[She puts her hands on either side of his face, forcing him to look at her.] Jack. Tell me what happened.

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[doesn't recognize her, but doesn't seem to even care at the moment, just reaches forward and puts is hand on her head, more out of instinct than anything]

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[doesn't answer, just looks vacantly at her] You can see the blood, can't you? They can't see, but you can, right?

[contract_star]

[And Hei comes away from the one bright spot in his day--getting his scope fixed--to find a bloody!Jack. And he knows that expression quite well.]

Capt--Jack? What happened?

[barelyemoting.livejournal.com]

Wait here a moment, Captain.

[he drops off the Astral Plane and returns with a chair from his office]

I think you ought to sit down.

[he's no medic, but he knows better than to check anything when a soldier is having any sort of meltdown, best just to let them calm down]

How bad was it, Mr. Harkness?

[cyfor.livejournal.com]

[Pushes past his hand and leans against him, giving her rumbling purr.] Steady, Captain, momma's here.

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

[Gently,] Yes, Jack. I can. Are you hurt? Physically, are you hurt?

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[Hei's presence seems to register, but only vaguely] Their all dead, and it's my fault again.

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[plops down on the chair, his eyes on Brig, though completely unfocused] A slaughter. A complete slaughter of the few people left.

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[leans against her then simply plops down on the ground,resting against her, his hand buried in her fur] They weren't supposed to die, not so soon after-...

[cyfor.livejournal.com]

[Starts licking him in slow, even strokes.] Always too soon, never enough. Can't stop it--can't help it. I know.

[barelyemoting.livejournal.com]

[the Brig's eyes narrow at that] ...I understand. [he nods firmly, and speaks very carefully] But you can't let yourself fall apart, Captain. You're the leader, aren't you? Even if there is no one left, you have to go on and do them justice.

[contract_star]

[Stares at him for awhile, not really knowing what to say. After all, nothing he can say will make things better.]

[Eventually he gestures at the blood.] Are you injured?

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[shakes his head, pulling away] Not my shirt. [raises his hands as if to show her; their completely clean] Don't you see the blood?

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[shakes his head, though he lets her tongue brush over him] It could've been avoided, all of it, so easily...

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[rather than obtaining a reaction, agreement, anger, anything, he gets only a blank look] I can't die; why does everyone ask if I'm ok, as if it mattered?

[chasingstars201.livejournal.com]

[She holds up her own hands.] Do you see it on me? Because it's there.

[She takes both of his hands in her own. Very quietly,] Jack. Whose is it? What happened? I need you to talk to me. Tell me what happened to you. To them. Can you do that?

[barelyemoting.livejournal.com]

It's human, Harkness. Or at the very least, people are capable of being concerned for you regardless of that fact.