Different Sort of Science -- The Twin Races
Title: Different Sort of Science
Chapter Four: The Twin Races
Date Written: 8/21/08
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 1,346
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Characters/Pairings: Ianto, Jack, Doctor, Donna, Rassilon and Pythia (DW)
Spoilers: Old school Who, allusions to Gallifreyan history and the Time War
Warnings: AU like whoa
Author's Notes: Story time with the Doctor! And this chapter's quote is what inspired this story.
Previous chapters found here.
Book cover by cjharknessgirl
'Tachyon radiation,' said Jack, 'is generated when the universe is split off, when different possibilities are generated. Whenever you make a choice, that choice generates tachyon radiation. Should I have coffee? Should I have tea? Each choice generated tachyon radiation because there is now a universe in which you have coffee and a universe in which you have tea, but the impact those choices have on the different universes are so minuscule the amount of radiation generated is next to zilch.'
-- Trace Memory by David Llewellyn, page 120.
"Once upon a time, a long, long, long time ago," the Doctor said, settling back into his chair, "when the universe was very young, very volatile, still hobbling itself together, life began springing up on the brand-new worlds." He took a sip before waving his hand distractedly. "It started with grass, and trees, and oceans, that sort of thing. But eventually sentient races were born. And the first of all the races was a twin race."
"A twin race?" Ianto echoed.
"Two races born at the same moment, almost identical. The Time Lords and the Mages."
"What was the difference between the two?"
"One of them, the Mages, could control space, physical objects. Time Lords were more aware of... well, time."
The Doctor paused and Ianto stared at him. "So they could control time?"
"Basically."
"I know it sounds like a fairy story," Jack said around a bite of pastry. "But humor him."
Ianto wrinkled his nose at Jack and turned back to the Doctor. "So, humoring you. You said there were. What happened to them."
The Doctor took another drink of his tea, eyes rolled up in contemplation. "There's something you need to understand. There are different universes, different dimensions that run parallel to ours. In this universe, you, Ianto Jones, woke up, went about your business, and met Jack. There's another you that woke up, went about your business, and didn't meet Jack." He made a face, the corners of his mouth turning downwards momentarily. "There's probably a you that didn't wake up today, or a you that never even existed."
If the Doctor had been expecting for that revelation to rock the foundation of Ianto's world, he was probably disappointed when the young man gave him a blank look and simply said, "What does any of that have to do with your story?"
"The Time Lords and the Mages," the Doctor said, giving him a mild glare at interruption, "had different theories on how things worked. They got the same answers, of course, but..." He thought for a moment, running a distracted hand through his hair. It stuck up at new, odder angles. "Like counting to ten on your fingers and your toes," he said, holding up his hands. "You get the same answer -- well, you get the same answer if you've been lucky -- but they're different methods."
Ianto nodded a little in agreement, prompting the Doctor to continue.
"Time Lords believed that the universe ran on maths and forces and things like that, while Mages believed that the universe operated under more quote-unquote mystical properties. Energies could be drawn upon, focused and used."
"But if they got the same answer," Ianto interrupted, "why was there a problem?"
"You assume there's automatically a problem?" Jack teased, still chewing. Ianto's eyes strayed towards the plate and he noticed there was only one pastry left. He'd managed to eat an entire plate while no one else noticed.
Instead of pointing it out, he raised an eyebrow. "There's no story if everything's love and flowers."
"I like him," the Doctor said, giving his manic grin.
"I saw him first!"
"I was listening to a story?" Ianto reminded them both.
"Well, you know people when they think they're right," the Doctor said, shaking his head sadly. "Especially children, and the two races were so young when they came to that crossroads. The Time Lords decided, eventually, to wash their hands of the Mages and left this world. Well, this universe."
"The Time Lords went to another universe?"
The Doctor nodded. "Most of them. They used their magic to travel back to the moment after the universe began, before it started splitting off and slipped themselves into another universe, made it their own."
Ianto rubbed his forehead. "This is maddenly complex."
"Oh yes!" The Doctor flashed that grin again. Next to him, Jack chuckled.
Ianto took a deep breath. "You said most of them."
"Some had fallen in love with this universe, with their twin kinfolk." He looked down at his hands. "But there was a war. A war to end all wars, a long time ago. And all but a few Mages died out."
"What happened to the survivors?"
"They relocated here, to Earth. Started breeding in with the population."
Ianto crossed his arms and gave the Doctor a look. The other man laughed. "Oh, and the creation myth Wales has is so much more believable? The Great God Rassilon and the Goddess Pythia descended to Earth from the Heavens? Pythia became round with Rassilon's child and gave birth to the human race?" He tilted his head to the side mockingly. "Sounds pretty similar to me."
"Assuming, once again, that I believe you," Ianto said when the Doctor paused for breath, "how do you know all of this?"
"The myth is the legacy of Torchwood House," the Doctor replied, spreading his hands wide. "We masters and mistresses of the House are family -- direct line descendants of the twin races."
"Time Lords and Mages?"
"And Humans of course," he smiled sadly. "There's only a few of us left now, of Time Lord blood."
Ianto bit back the instinctive apology, somehow knowing the man wouldn't want empty words. "If what you've said is true, how come we aren't all Mages and flinging spells about?"
"Well, some Mage families try to keep the bloodline pure, so they don't marry outside the community, but for the most part, you aren't trained," the Doctor replied, his smile turning a little like the smile his father would give him and his siblings, and occasionally the baby. "Human blood takes dominance, so the magic in your blood lies dormant until something opens it up. There's always a trigger somewhere."
"A trigger?"
Jack swallowed around his last mouthful -- of the last pastry, Ianto noted -- and wiped his mouth. "Something important in your life. Usually they're traumatic, falling off a horse as a child or something, but sometimes it's just really key moments." He gave a grin. "I've heard of Mages who trigger their power the first time they have sex."
Ianto fought down the sudden blush. He was not going to rise to Jack's bait. "Since you and the Doctor can apparently sense my power, I must have had a trigger."
"That's what we're going to find out." The Doctor and Jack both stood, and the older man looked at Jack. "Go fetch Donna, please."
"Who's Donna?" Ianto asked as Jack swept out of the room. There was no other way to describe the way he left, his large presence simply leaving a void in the room.
It was quickly filled by the Doctor, however, who moved around the table. "My sister. She's a better psychic than I am."
"A psychic?" Ianto pressed himself back against the chair. "I'm going to have someone in my head?"
"She's a natural, completely gentle," the Doctor reassured him, shifting the tray to sit on the table and pat his knee. "Woman's touch and all that."
"Where's the bloke you want me to look at?" a female, far-from-soothing voice boomed out from behind him. He felt himself sit up straighter automatically.
"Don't be fooled, it's all a mask," the Doctor reassured him before moving out of the way.
An older woman, older than Ianto but younger than his Mam, probably, moved in front of him. She had long ginger hair, partially bound up and spilling down to halfway down her back, and her dress was a little shapeless. Ianto suspected she was hiding a little bit of infirm muscle in folds of fabric, but her bosom was high enough she could drown in it if she wanted to. Interesting.
He opened his mouth to mention it, but decided against it. His mother and sisters would take a compliment like that in stride, but this woman could jinx him into the next season.
"Ianto, right?"
He nodded, and flinched when she reached out to gently press her fingers against his face, the tips cool against his skin. "Don't worry, sweetheart, this won't hurt a bit."
Chapter Four: The Twin Races
Date Written: 8/21/08
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 1,346
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Characters/Pairings: Ianto, Jack, Doctor, Donna, Rassilon and Pythia (DW)
Spoilers: Old school Who, allusions to Gallifreyan history and the Time War
Warnings: AU like whoa
Author's Notes: Story time with the Doctor! And this chapter's quote is what inspired this story.
Previous chapters found here.
Book cover by cjharknessgirl
'Tachyon radiation,' said Jack, 'is generated when the universe is split off, when different possibilities are generated. Whenever you make a choice, that choice generates tachyon radiation. Should I have coffee? Should I have tea? Each choice generated tachyon radiation because there is now a universe in which you have coffee and a universe in which you have tea, but the impact those choices have on the different universes are so minuscule the amount of radiation generated is next to zilch.'
-- Trace Memory by David Llewellyn, page 120.
"Once upon a time, a long, long, long time ago," the Doctor said, settling back into his chair, "when the universe was very young, very volatile, still hobbling itself together, life began springing up on the brand-new worlds." He took a sip before waving his hand distractedly. "It started with grass, and trees, and oceans, that sort of thing. But eventually sentient races were born. And the first of all the races was a twin race."
"A twin race?" Ianto echoed.
"Two races born at the same moment, almost identical. The Time Lords and the Mages."
"What was the difference between the two?"
"One of them, the Mages, could control space, physical objects. Time Lords were more aware of... well, time."
The Doctor paused and Ianto stared at him. "So they could control time?"
"Basically."
"I know it sounds like a fairy story," Jack said around a bite of pastry. "But humor him."
Ianto wrinkled his nose at Jack and turned back to the Doctor. "So, humoring you. You said there were. What happened to them."
The Doctor took another drink of his tea, eyes rolled up in contemplation. "There's something you need to understand. There are different universes, different dimensions that run parallel to ours. In this universe, you, Ianto Jones, woke up, went about your business, and met Jack. There's another you that woke up, went about your business, and didn't meet Jack." He made a face, the corners of his mouth turning downwards momentarily. "There's probably a you that didn't wake up today, or a you that never even existed."
If the Doctor had been expecting for that revelation to rock the foundation of Ianto's world, he was probably disappointed when the young man gave him a blank look and simply said, "What does any of that have to do with your story?"
"The Time Lords and the Mages," the Doctor said, giving him a mild glare at interruption, "had different theories on how things worked. They got the same answers, of course, but..." He thought for a moment, running a distracted hand through his hair. It stuck up at new, odder angles. "Like counting to ten on your fingers and your toes," he said, holding up his hands. "You get the same answer -- well, you get the same answer if you've been lucky -- but they're different methods."
Ianto nodded a little in agreement, prompting the Doctor to continue.
"Time Lords believed that the universe ran on maths and forces and things like that, while Mages believed that the universe operated under more quote-unquote mystical properties. Energies could be drawn upon, focused and used."
"But if they got the same answer," Ianto interrupted, "why was there a problem?"
"You assume there's automatically a problem?" Jack teased, still chewing. Ianto's eyes strayed towards the plate and he noticed there was only one pastry left. He'd managed to eat an entire plate while no one else noticed.
Instead of pointing it out, he raised an eyebrow. "There's no story if everything's love and flowers."
"I like him," the Doctor said, giving his manic grin.
"I saw him first!"
"I was listening to a story?" Ianto reminded them both.
"Well, you know people when they think they're right," the Doctor said, shaking his head sadly. "Especially children, and the two races were so young when they came to that crossroads. The Time Lords decided, eventually, to wash their hands of the Mages and left this world. Well, this universe."
"The Time Lords went to another universe?"
The Doctor nodded. "Most of them. They used their magic to travel back to the moment after the universe began, before it started splitting off and slipped themselves into another universe, made it their own."
Ianto rubbed his forehead. "This is maddenly complex."
"Oh yes!" The Doctor flashed that grin again. Next to him, Jack chuckled.
Ianto took a deep breath. "You said most of them."
"Some had fallen in love with this universe, with their twin kinfolk." He looked down at his hands. "But there was a war. A war to end all wars, a long time ago. And all but a few Mages died out."
"What happened to the survivors?"
"They relocated here, to Earth. Started breeding in with the population."
Ianto crossed his arms and gave the Doctor a look. The other man laughed. "Oh, and the creation myth Wales has is so much more believable? The Great God Rassilon and the Goddess Pythia descended to Earth from the Heavens? Pythia became round with Rassilon's child and gave birth to the human race?" He tilted his head to the side mockingly. "Sounds pretty similar to me."
"Assuming, once again, that I believe you," Ianto said when the Doctor paused for breath, "how do you know all of this?"
"The myth is the legacy of Torchwood House," the Doctor replied, spreading his hands wide. "We masters and mistresses of the House are family -- direct line descendants of the twin races."
"Time Lords and Mages?"
"And Humans of course," he smiled sadly. "There's only a few of us left now, of Time Lord blood."
Ianto bit back the instinctive apology, somehow knowing the man wouldn't want empty words. "If what you've said is true, how come we aren't all Mages and flinging spells about?"
"Well, some Mage families try to keep the bloodline pure, so they don't marry outside the community, but for the most part, you aren't trained," the Doctor replied, his smile turning a little like the smile his father would give him and his siblings, and occasionally the baby. "Human blood takes dominance, so the magic in your blood lies dormant until something opens it up. There's always a trigger somewhere."
"A trigger?"
Jack swallowed around his last mouthful -- of the last pastry, Ianto noted -- and wiped his mouth. "Something important in your life. Usually they're traumatic, falling off a horse as a child or something, but sometimes it's just really key moments." He gave a grin. "I've heard of Mages who trigger their power the first time they have sex."
Ianto fought down the sudden blush. He was not going to rise to Jack's bait. "Since you and the Doctor can apparently sense my power, I must have had a trigger."
"That's what we're going to find out." The Doctor and Jack both stood, and the older man looked at Jack. "Go fetch Donna, please."
"Who's Donna?" Ianto asked as Jack swept out of the room. There was no other way to describe the way he left, his large presence simply leaving a void in the room.
It was quickly filled by the Doctor, however, who moved around the table. "My sister. She's a better psychic than I am."
"A psychic?" Ianto pressed himself back against the chair. "I'm going to have someone in my head?"
"She's a natural, completely gentle," the Doctor reassured him, shifting the tray to sit on the table and pat his knee. "Woman's touch and all that."
"Where's the bloke you want me to look at?" a female, far-from-soothing voice boomed out from behind him. He felt himself sit up straighter automatically.
"Don't be fooled, it's all a mask," the Doctor reassured him before moving out of the way.
An older woman, older than Ianto but younger than his Mam, probably, moved in front of him. She had long ginger hair, partially bound up and spilling down to halfway down her back, and her dress was a little shapeless. Ianto suspected she was hiding a little bit of infirm muscle in folds of fabric, but her bosom was high enough she could drown in it if she wanted to. Interesting.
He opened his mouth to mention it, but decided against it. His mother and sisters would take a compliment like that in stride, but this woman could jinx him into the next season.
"Ianto, right?"
He nodded, and flinched when she reached out to gently press her fingers against his face, the tips cool against his skin. "Don't worry, sweetheart, this won't hurt a bit."