Klaus - Torchwood

[im_torchwood]

Jack had informants all over town. He felt it was a good way to invest Torchwood's money. You couldn't put everything on technology, even alien technology. Sometimes you had to have eyes and ears and intuition. He had yet to have an informant be wrong about the vague 'something weird' things that Jack paid to hear about.

He'd offered to pay Klaus and he'd tracked the man down in London. It really wasn't hard. London had more CCTV per capita than anywhere else in the world and Jack could access all of them. And security cameras. And ATM cameras. And, in a pinch, he could hack into a satellite and get a shot like that.

So it was no surprise to him, but probably was to Klaus, when he walked past a couple making out against an alley wall and up to the covered back door area of a club known more for the dealers that partied there than anything else. Jack flashed a smile at him and took in the sight of him there smoking.

"You look cold," he said.

Comments

[im_torchwood]

"What do you mean, what's my deal?" he asked. "It's not like you need to know to get paid."

[seanceinfurs]

"Wow, way to make me feel like a prostitute, there," Klaus said, and lifted his glass before chugging it down. "I'm just curious, you know. Wouldn't want to be affiliated with some weird ass apocalyptic cult, or anything."

[im_torchwood]

"It's nothing like that," Jack said. "I just keep things...safe. I try to," he added with a shrug.

"How long have you been able to talk to the dead?"

[seanceinfurs]

"Ever since I can remember," Klaus replied. It had taken him a while to understand other people couldn't see the same people he could see, but he'd always been able to see and talk to them.

[im_torchwood]

Jack nodded.

"Hell of a gift," he said, not envying Klaus in the least.

[seanceinfurs]

"Yeah," Klaus said, and he couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. He downed his drink first and put it on the bar next. "I'll drink to that," he said, by which he meant to keep the drink coming.

[im_torchwood]

Jack gestured at the bartender for another round.

"I'm guessing it's not all it's cracked up to be?" he asked.

[seanceinfurs]

"Let's just say I'm glad when they shut up," Klaus said. "But I can still feel death and there's a lack of it here."

[im_torchwood]

"Interesting," he mused. "You know anyone else who can do what you do?"

[seanceinfurs]

"No," Klaus said. "Other stuff, but not what I do. If you're interested, talk to my dad. He's the one with a keen interest in gifted kids." His voice dripped in sarcasm.

[im_torchwood]

"I think I'll pass," Jack replied. "I feel like you're going to keep my hands full all on your own."

[seanceinfurs]

Klaus regarded that statement with a lot of scepticism. "Hands full?" What was he meaning to do? It sounded like he was going to use Klaus as a test subject. And he'd had quite enough of that from dad.

[im_torchwood]

Jack tapped the envelope.

"Just keep this kind of thing coming, Klaus. Definitely worth the money."

[seanceinfurs]

"Ah, good, well. Any death-related weirdness and you'll be the first to know," Klaus - who rather hoped never to see death-related weirdness - said.

[im_torchwood]

"Good," he said, then slipped out of his seat and stood to go. "I'll catch you next week. Just keep your eyes open."

[seanceinfurs]

Klaus nodded. "Yeah, okay."

[im_torchwood]

Jack turned and his coat billowed dramatically, then swung behind him as he left the shop.

An absence of death. That was a new one.