An Apple A Day (Sarah Jane)

[Oracle]

"Don't you worry now, you're goin' to be all right.” Oracle got the jest of what the woman was saying but was fighting with everything she had trying to get her head on straight that sedative shot was doing its job wonderfully.

"Oh, for Christ's sake, Jack! Did you even look at her?" trying to move her hand Oracle continued to try to get a shot off.

[Deleted]

Something hurt Oracle again.  There wasn't much sound really, but electricity arched from her to ground and must have yanked some of the air out of her as well.    Sarah Jane couldn't get through Jack, but she could get to the end of that line, seeing instantly what had happened.  They'd hot wired her sparky little friend to ground.  That was the point rational decision making went out the window, along with her already shaky alliance with Torchwood.  Enough pussy footing around, time to win.

Sarah Jane kicked the ground prong as soon as it stopped glowing.  It was pleasing to get the drop on Harkness, he wasn't even guarding it as if he didn't expect her to figure it out.  She knew he'd come close with that move of hers though, and on the quick.  She rose, ready, and shoved it into his open mouth. Of course, he was yelling her name with anger at the time.

Owen was quick to cut the line connecting the girl and the Torchwood Campfire Leader.

"Oy! Now!! THat's enough all of you!" It was Gwen who called a halt to everything.

Even as Gwen and Owen stepped up and away, Sarah Jane's face loomed in over Oracle's, giving her a hard look of evaluation.  Her words barely made it through her teeth as she glared her worst at the 'Doctor', her hand ever so light and warm on Oracle's throat, checking her pulse, and perhaps trying to put a stop to whatever the young woman was plotting.  Those fingers did there best to calm her with that subtle touch.

"You shot her with a tranquilizer dart? And a Tazer??!!"

[Oracle]

It was like someone had cut physical binds off of her when Sarah Jane kicked the ground prong causing Oracle to take a deep breath "Oy! Now!! THat's enough all of you!" when she felt Sarah Janes hand on her neck trying checking for the pulse, Oracle gingerly reached up and gripped Sarah Janes wrist.

"You shot her with a tranquilizer dart? And a Tazer??!!" softly “Humans, humans fear what what you guys don’t understand, I wasn’t gonna hurt anyone. The only people I’ve ever killed, it was in self defense.”

[Deleted]

Well, now the kid had blown it.

She could see the muscle in Jack's jaw jumping from here.  He went one step before Sarah Jane reached over and took the gun from Gwen's pocket.  It wasn't that she thought she could slip it past Gwen, but she had reached out as though for Gwen's hand.  Gwen had taken the bait and Sarah Jane had slipped a hand past.  Gwen might have stopped her even then, but she knew after what Oracle had said, she wouldn't.

Not with that little ruffian Anne of Green Gable's face.  Gwen's heart wouldn't let her.

Perhaps Gwen was less thrilled when Sarah Jane took precise aim at Jack's forehead.  Very precise.

"Gwen, Ianto. Put her in the car." Sarah Jane ordered.

[Oracle]

Oracle flinched some to try to cover herself when Jack moved but when Sarah Jane managed to slip by Gwen and grab her gun. When Sarah Jane aimed the gun at Jack Oracle panicked just a tiny bit “Sarah Jane, don’t…” she didn’t want her friend to do something she might regret.

"Gwen, Ianto. Put her in the car." Oracle closed her eyes, taking a deep breath grateful no one got hurt.

[Deleted]

"Shhh-Shh.  I've got this."  She said, impatiently to Oracle's protests. 

She and Jack stared each other down, the barrel of the gun a perfect eye-line between them.  Gwen carried a fair sized gun that would leave Jack's brains spread out in the car park.  That would slow down Torchwood alright.  Still, it wasn't fair of her to use a gun.  It hadn't been fair for him to circle back from the exit. He'd broken the rules of engagement between them first.

"Two wrongs really do make a right sometimes, Jack."

"Don't let her looks fool you Sarah Jane. She's not one of your little bubble gum chewing side kicks.  She might just be the most powerful creature on Earth right now."

Sarah Jane changed her aim without changing her face, and shot out one of the SUV's tires.

"That is for calling her a creature."

Gwen and Ianto picked up Oracle in a double cradle style and bundled her into the back seat with the grace of well practiced kidnappers.  Gwen continued to explain how Oracle would be alright. She sounded contrite, and her hands were careful as she belted her in.

"Ianto's driving while I patch her up.  You can pick him up at the next rest stop west of here." She didn't say 'Gwen' because she couldn't handle Gwen.  Not without her cooperation.  Taking Ianto was more like stealing the team flag.  Her voice, however, dripped blood, and she was thinking of shooting Jack in the leg.

Sarah Jane stayed at the ready the whole time she backed up into the car.  She and Ianto slipped in.  Sarah Jane was a bit slammish with her door.

"Oracle, are you okay?" She asked, voice tight as she kept aim on the Captain, half hanging out of her window.  The other sort of okay.  The 'Okay' of surviving the next few minutes as they got out of there.

[Oracle]

Pulling her body to the side in the back seat after Gwen belted her in Oracle tried pulling her knees to her chest, she'd never admit it to anyone but Jack calling her a creature wounded her deeper than it probably would have normally, she didn't know why.

"Oracle, are you okay?" giving up on trying to pull her knees to her chest, Oracle laid her head against the seat and said quietly "I'm fine, I'm fine."

[Deleted]

"That's my girl." She said in both praise and relief. 

"Drive North, Ianto, and easy on the kid in the back."

Ianto pulled smoothly into traffic, and Sarah Jane settle down into the seat beside Oracle. All the better to keep aim on her hostage.

"You don't really need me to keep an aim on you Ianto, do you? Or shall we take the wish for the deed."

"If he asks, I'll say you did." the man said in stiff acceptance.

"Close enough, Jones."

Sarah flicked the safety on, and put the gun in her pocket. It didn't fit.  She stuck it in the magazine holder behind the front passenger seat.

Then it was time to really check her ward.  She flicked on the light and groaned when she got a good look at the young woman.  She'd gone white as a sheet. Even her lips.  The young woman was not flourishing in her care by any means, but this was a new low.  There was some blood on her face from something.  Sarah Jane caught her face gently in a hand, checking her pupils.  Checking her state of mind.

"What happened-"

"Sarah Jane we-"

"Shut up Ianto, I'm mad at you. Oracle, what happened?"

All the while she's brushing a little dirt off here and there, and fluffing back that ginger hair to see the girl's head better.  She smelled like pavement.

[Oracle]

"That's my girl." Now normally Oracle would have had some smart retort for at being called someone’s girl but at this moment she couldn’t find it in her.

She’d had worse, she’d admit that. It was just the constant one event after another was starting to wear her down; Oracle knew she needed somewhere safe to build up strength for a bit. When she heard Sarah Jane tell Ianto to head North Oracle tried to think of somewhere she could go but was so far coming up with nothing.

Maybe it was the sedative they’d shot her with she didn’t know but when Sarah Jane turned on the dome light in the car Oracle flinched was it just really bright or was it just her?

"What happened-"
"Sarah Jane we-"
"Shut up Ianto, I'm mad at you. Oracle, what happened?"

She managed to keep her eyes open as Sarah Jane seemed to be looking her head over, softly “They got the drop on me, I should have been paying more attention.”

[Deleted]

Certain the kid didn't have a concussion, Sarah Jane thumped her seat down in the seat, and reached for the seatbelt.

The words she provoked out of Oracle caused Sarah Jane to bring a hand to her mouth and hide the way it twisted her insides.

"Oh . .Oracle. That isn't what I meant." She couldn't wait to share this little tidbit with Gwen. it was such things that got her to get Gwen to help keep Jack in line.

Her hands got busy with the brusk and efficient task of settling Oracle and her assault-twisted clothing straightened out. She is looking for damage as she goes, and hissing to find asphalt scraped pale skin here and there. Simultaneously, she kept an eye on Ianto and the road behind him. That was the practice of years showing. It was like spinning plates. Oracle was wobbling and needed some serious spinning.

"It wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have left you. This is even bigger than even I assumed. I was a fool to leave you defenseless when we could have put the shield right around the car." Her throat was tight, thinking that Oracle would blame herself first when Sarah Jane knew damn well where the trouble lay.

"I mean, what did they do to you . . .Good Lord what is this on your Neck!" Her teeth ground together, and she's digging out the first aid kit from under the seat. "Damnit Ianto, I'm really tempted to kill your boss right now."

"She's dangerous, Ms.Smith." Ianto said clipped in his civilized censure.

"Oracle, tell me what they did."

[Oracle]

"She's dangerous, Ms.Smith Something in Oracle snapped. “I’m dangerous?!” Oracle pushed herself up on her elbow a little, she didn’t know this Ianto and he was gonna get the full force of her temper cause it was all she could do to keep from punching him in the back of the head.

“All I’ve ever done, my entire life is run, from people like whatever your lot call themselves why is that? Because that’s what you lot do, you destroy what’s different, the way I am isn’t some natural occurrence, it’s because of some chemical, medical, whatever that they needed a <expletive deleted> guinea pig. I’m dangerous? Look in the <expletive deleted> mirror.”

"Oracle, tell me what they did." Whatever strength she’d managed to build up in the last couple of moments when out the window with that temper flare, slouching back down into her seat “I don’t know.”

[Deleted]

The overhead light went with a flash and a smell. It had come on as the young woman started to shout, blazed to about 300 lumins, then burnt out.

Sarah Jane winced hoping that the spark plugs would not be the worse for ware. If anything though, the engine seemed to revv for a few seconds.

Oracle pushed up against the belt, her body rising, arching.  Her imp face had a snarl that looked ready to bite.  Instead, the young woman laid bare her soul, and Sarah Jane saw that it was a very effective weapon indeed.  A weapon against Torchwood's no tolerance policy, and a finer weapon still against Ianto's blind following of Jack. 

Truth as weapon.  No wonder the Doctor had attached himself to her, spit, vinegar, and all.

"Easy, easy . . ." She gave a gentle press backwards on Oracle's shoulder, hoping to ease her back against the seat again. "He's driving, and he's nervous."

But she's smiling at the Ginger. She can't help it.  There is an upwelling of pride in her to see that not only would Oracle defend herself, but that she'd do it so well with such biting words.  And a couple of words she wouldn't expect anyone so fresh faced and even keeled to know.

"Don't worry, I'll make him apologize later. All of them. In fancy costumes."

Ianto tried to break in with something conciliatory sounding.  Sarah Jane cut him off.

"Look at who you spend time with Ianto, and try throwing the first stone.  Jack is a hundred times more dangerous than this child.  At least she seems to have some integrity!"

"Ms. Smith I-"

"Shut up, Ianto, and drive."

Now she loomed near Oracle again, trying to capture her attention. 

"Come on, O-lee, I need to know . . .you were in the car . .I left you . .then what?"

[Oracle]

"Don't worry, I'll make him apologize later. All of them. In fancy costumes." Softly “Fat chance in that happening.” Oracle couldn’t help but mentally kick herself some for flying off the handle at Ianto shaking her head she closed her eyes and rolled them a little out of habit.

"Come on, O-lee, I need to know . . .you were in the car . .I left you . .then what?" she knew Sarah Jane was trying to get her attention and for a second she couldn’t bring herself to meet the woman’s gaze. “I wanted to see the stars, so I was sitting on the hood of your car.”

[Deleted]

Oracle was apparently not to be settled on the first pass, and shouted out at Ianto again. However amused, Sarah felt heat in her veins that Torchwood had done something drastic enough that she'd show such emotion. Especially in that state.

"Ianto . . . .apology now." It was clear that Oracle deserved on. Ianto flicked on the overhead light, and deftly adjusted the rear view mirror. He looked at the girl and went pasty.

"I'm sorry."
"Tell her you broke the rules."
"We broke-
"No, not 'we' you, Ianto, just you. Don't blame it on a commity."
He swallowed first. "I broke the rules."
"And you were rude."
"And I was rude."

There was fear in Ianto's eyes, but it was for Oracle, not Sarah Jane herself. That bothered her immensely , and she reached up and banged off the overhead.

"Just drive."

"Oracle-" the way the young woman flinched. Boldly, she caught her chin and coaxed Oracle to face her right on. "Did you hear what I said? It wasn't your fault. I"m a professional. Torchwood are a GANG of professionals with too many gadgets and no morals. You were looking at the stars . . .is that when they tazed you?"

[Oracle]

"I broke the rules. And I was rude." Oracle watched Ianto from where she sat for a moment when he apologized, judging the validity of his apology before nodding her head as if to say she accepted the apology.

The tone in Sarah Janes voice slightly threw Oracle of kilter some You were looking at the stars . . .is that when they tazed you?" slowly nodding worried if she said anything it might provoke Sarah Janes anger more.