[Japan] The Land of the Living

[onlysayinghello]

Jack was standing in front of the grave, the fresh dirt still looking as if it'd barely had time to let the life around it to settle. His hand gestured to the man with the machinery to move forward and start digging. He hated to do it, disrupt the cemetery... abandon the ideals and traditions he knew had been put into place in this area. The small characters written along marble would soon be shaken by the earth getting torn up and pulled free.

All for man.

*** Twelve Hours Ago - Cardiff Wales UK ***

"Jack?"

Her voice cut across the hub with a bit more of a curious tone than one that begged an answer, but Jack still moved quickly across from his office to her station, "What's up Toshiko?"

"This... it's in our registry... marked to you, but... it's in Odessa. Just came up in the scans, and well... you're here."

Jack smiled, "Oh, it's fine." Standing back up he started to head back to his office, rubbing at the back of his neck trying to think of what was in Odessa... of course his mind went to the one thing he knew as a truth, and suddenly he wasn't quite sure if he should have been so... not curious about Adam's intentions for changing the world. There were rumors throughout history, but... Jack brushed it off.

"Jack? It just hopped." There was a pause and Jack wasn't sure what to actually expect the answer to be, but the term hopped... well it didn't exactly instill much faith in the landing spot.

"To?"

"Japan."

That really wasn't right at all. Jack moved back to the screen looking over the readings that were coming up, "Is the elevation reading on that right?" Jack didn't need to look to Tosh to know that she was nodding her head, and he didn't need anything else to tell him that he had to go do something. It was one thing to live forever... it was quite another to do it trapped... beneath the ground.

"Print all that out," Jack said as he headed to his office to make a few calls and head out. "I'm going to Japan."

*** Present Day - Japan ***

It wasn't that he expected it to be easy, but really as he watched the machinery dig and claw at the earth all Jack could think about what the things he'd known... the facts he'd replayed over in his head. All the events of the century that would change it all forever... Odessa had been one of them. New York another, but that one hadn't gone through and he thought for sure... that they were just rumors. But now, now Adam or at least something that Adam had owned up until recently was buried beneath him.

The tap on his shoulder drew him out of his thoughts, "Yeah?" He was just glad that the guy that was working in the cemetery spoke English, because he knew his Japanese was a bit rusty.

"We have hit concrete."

"So?"

"It is not normal to bury with concrete. Who do you believe is down there? I do not think this will dig through that."

Jack just stared at the man, staring him down until the guy knew that answer wasn't acceptable. The man bowed and headed off to make a call hopefully.

*** Two Hours Later - Japan ***

Buried alive. Dirt, concrete... whatever... whoever had done this Jack was certain wanted Adam where he couldn't hurt anyone ever again... or disrupt anything. But the thing about time was that you couldn't control it like this. No one was in the place to play God... no matter how right they felt it was going to be. No matter what they thought was the answer... this was no way to treat another human... willingly.

They had broken through the concrete and three men were down in the chasm passing what pieces they could hand up in buckets and along lines tied to pulleys at the top up to the surface again. Jack paced waiting for them to tell him anything other than the one thing he didn't want to hear... that it was empty. Death wasn't even a worry for him... but effort without results was.

The voice called out to him and Jack moved to the side of the hole dug into the ground and he saw the top of the casket. Taking one leap down he landed a bit shaky and knelt down to pry at the lid along with the other men. The concrete had seeped into the cracks, nearly sealing it up tight, but three men plus Jack managed to finally crack the casket open, and there he was... how healthy he was would only take a bit. The other men upon seeing just what Jack had asked them to dig up, moved with little haste to get the hell out of there. Grave robbing... it was more than offensive, it was probably illegal and against all their traditions.

Jack just didn't care. Someone had buried him... and he was going to at least save him from an abyss of forever. No one deserved that sort of eternity.

Comments

[changehistory.livejournal.com]

He'd screamed until his throat was raw with it, screaming for Hiro, begging him to let him out, screaming just to be set free. A cell was bad enough, but this? This was hell, and a large part of him couldn't believe he'd been left here, like this. So he'd screamed, offering anything if he'd just let him out, nails raking, clawing at the satin of the coffin until it was shredded.

He'd screamed until the air ran out, until even he couldn't keep his body functioning without it. He'd screamed until he died, caught there, in his horror and in his hell of terror and loss and betrayal like he'd never known. Better to have killed him than this, he thought, with the last thought he was able.

And then there was only darkness.

[onlysayinghello.livejournal.com]

There was something unsaid between the two of them, Jack wasn't blind to realize that the lines of hatred were far too close to the heart in this situation. The words were all things he was trying to take in, trying to understand... big words still hovered over his head and since he still hadn't had a chance to reply Jack did the only thing he could think of at the time, be silent until the lull was there for him to comment for himself.

It was a lot to take in, a lot to comprehend and it felt as if this wasn't even something he should be privy to. That the argument, the discussion... the rage was meant for two. He felt wrong standing there, but he also didn't want to leave... not now.

"I know I'm protecting a man who I care about, whatever his actions were... or were intended I do know that we're not each others judge, jury and executioner these days. I've seen the worst of men given a second chance... from a man who gives no second chances. What you did... to another human... regardless of intent on either of you... it's just wrong."