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fic_promptly's Any, any, tracking Norad Santa Featuring the Torchwood team on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve and Gwen had just entered the Hub, a bag of last minute shopping in hand as she headed for her desk. Passing by Tosh's desk, she spotted something odd on one of their tech's numerous screens.
"NORAD site?" she asked.
Tosh looked up. "Oh, Christmas tradition, I suppose," she said, glancing from the screen to the team's newest member. "We look after Santa's flight, helping NORAD track his movements."
Gwen blinked. "Santa Claus is real?" she asked. She had a feeling she should not find that surprising, but she did anyway.
"As real as any of us," Jack said, coming to the desk and leaning over it. "Where's the big guy now?"
"Over Kyoto," Tosh said, moving the mouse to enlarge the Google Maps image.
"NORAD really tracks Santa?" Gwen said, still not believing all of this. "I thought that was just... twee stuff for the kids."
"Had to be careful: during the Cold War, it got a bit dodgy," Jack said, leaning against the back of Tosh's chair. "Reds almost shot 'im down a couple times, and then he tripped an anti-missile satellite over the U. S. of A."
"You're kidding," Gwen said, her disbelief starting to unravel. "He's *real*."
"Real and true: met him once when I was traveling with some friends. Helped him get the last deliveries off to some kids on the west coast of the States," Jack said.
"You're serious," Gwen said.
"Serious as I'll ever be," Jack said. "Ever wonder how folks get just the right stuff for their kids and on time? Little help from the man in the red suit."
"So there's a workshop at the North Pole where there's elves making toys?" Gwen asked.
"More like a courier service delivering stuff the parents have ordered," Jack said.
"And there's reindeer that fly and pull the sleigh?"
"Sub-species of caribou: the antlers help with the lift," Jack said.
"And Rudolf, the one with the red nose?"
"Weird mutation: somehow he ended up with the kind of bio-luminesecence that usually turns up in fireflies, and it collected in his muzzle," Jack said.
"Please tell me he wasn't created in some weird experiment," Gwen said.
"Far as we know, he wasn't: could've been alien genetics getting into the family tree," Jack said.
"So there's a North Pole Post, but no elves," Gwen said, getting her head around all this.
"She gets it," Jack says, grinning.
"Have you... we, I mean, ever had to... step in to help him?" Gwen asked.
"Not yet, but with the new counter-terrorism stuff going on, we have to be as vigilant as ever," Jack said.
"He's heading for the China coast," Tosh cut in, eyes on the screen.
"And let's hope no one gets any funny ideas there," Jack said.
"Are you going to be here all night?" Gwen asked.
"As long as it takes: you lot got family to go home to," Jack said. "Me, I'll be burning the midnight oil, keeping watch. Might meet the big man himself, if I've been good."
"Which you haven't," Owen said, passing through on his way to the lab. Clearly, he had had an ear on them for some time.
"And neither have you, eaves-dropping on the new girl who's just finding out we're the ones who keep an eye on the guy who sees you when you're sleeping," Jack twitted.
"Thought you were talking about yourself for a moment, Jack," Owen shot back, heading on his way.
"Twitting the boss, now we're adding to the deficit in nice points," Jack called after his retreating back.
fic_promptly's Any, any, tracking Norad Santa Featuring the Torchwood team on Christmas EveChristmas Eve and Gwen had just entered the Hub, a bag of last minute shopping in hand as she headed for her desk. Passing by Tosh's desk, she spotted something odd on one of their tech's numerous screens.
"NORAD site?" she asked.
Tosh looked up. "Oh, Christmas tradition, I suppose," she said, glancing from the screen to the team's newest member. "We look after Santa's flight, helping NORAD track his movements."
Gwen blinked. "Santa Claus is real?" she asked. She had a feeling she should not find that surprising, but she did anyway.
"As real as any of us," Jack said, coming to the desk and leaning over it. "Where's the big guy now?"
"Over Kyoto," Tosh said, moving the mouse to enlarge the Google Maps image.
"NORAD really tracks Santa?" Gwen said, still not believing all of this. "I thought that was just... twee stuff for the kids."
"Had to be careful: during the Cold War, it got a bit dodgy," Jack said, leaning against the back of Tosh's chair. "Reds almost shot 'im down a couple times, and then he tripped an anti-missile satellite over the U. S. of A."
"You're kidding," Gwen said, her disbelief starting to unravel. "He's *real*."
"Real and true: met him once when I was traveling with some friends. Helped him get the last deliveries off to some kids on the west coast of the States," Jack said.
"You're serious," Gwen said.
"Serious as I'll ever be," Jack said. "Ever wonder how folks get just the right stuff for their kids and on time? Little help from the man in the red suit."
"So there's a workshop at the North Pole where there's elves making toys?" Gwen asked.
"More like a courier service delivering stuff the parents have ordered," Jack said.
"And there's reindeer that fly and pull the sleigh?"
"Sub-species of caribou: the antlers help with the lift," Jack said.
"And Rudolf, the one with the red nose?"
"Weird mutation: somehow he ended up with the kind of bio-luminesecence that usually turns up in fireflies, and it collected in his muzzle," Jack said.
"Please tell me he wasn't created in some weird experiment," Gwen said.
"Far as we know, he wasn't: could've been alien genetics getting into the family tree," Jack said.
"So there's a North Pole Post, but no elves," Gwen said, getting her head around all this.
"She gets it," Jack says, grinning.
"Have you... we, I mean, ever had to... step in to help him?" Gwen asked.
"Not yet, but with the new counter-terrorism stuff going on, we have to be as vigilant as ever," Jack said.
"He's heading for the China coast," Tosh cut in, eyes on the screen.
"And let's hope no one gets any funny ideas there," Jack said.
"Are you going to be here all night?" Gwen asked.
"As long as it takes: you lot got family to go home to," Jack said. "Me, I'll be burning the midnight oil, keeping watch. Might meet the big man himself, if I've been good."
"Which you haven't," Owen said, passing through on his way to the lab. Clearly, he had had an ear on them for some time.
"And neither have you, eaves-dropping on the new girl who's just finding out we're the ones who keep an eye on the guy who sees you when you're sleeping," Jack twitted.
"Thought you were talking about yourself for a moment, Jack," Owen shot back, heading on his way.
"Twitting the boss, now we're adding to the deficit in nice points," Jack called after his retreating back.
