Fic: Axial Age
Title: Axial Age
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG
Genre: Gen
Summary: Jack's brief visit to a planet causes more trouble than usual. Unfortunately, there's no easy fix for this one.
Characters: Jack
Words: 539
Notes: Written for itinerant_vae's fic fest.
“Please just… just wait! We have so much to learn. You cannot leave us this way!”
Jack turned on his heel. His coat swirled round his ankles in what, he had to admit, was a pretty awe-inspiring way. Actually, Jack would be the first to insist that he was an all-round inspiring guy. Handsome, brave, daring, blah, blah, blah. He was used to being loved and feared by the people whose lives he sprinted through.
But this… was ridiculous. Really ridiculous.
Jack stopped and stared down at the little man. He was wearing a robe. Jack had serious issues respecting anyone in a robe. Robes were nothing but pretension badly disguised as piety.
The man stared back up at him. His eyes were wide and moist. And there was something, under the surface. Something desperate.
Distracted by sudden concern, Jack put a hand on his shoulder. “Did you eat lunch? Or breakfast, come to that?”
The man’s eyes shone. “On the day you appeared in our village out of the thin air, you did not dine during the hours of daylight. And nor shall we!”
Jack snatched back his hand. “What? What’s that got to do with…? Damnit, eat something!”
“I will not,” said the man, drawing himself up to his full, unimpressive height. “Your concern for my well-being is admirable, but we must strive towards your example in all things!”
Jack covered his face with one hand. When he took it away - he told himself - he’d wake up in bed somewhere sane where the only people who came anywhere near to worshipping him were passed out with exhaustion all around. Naked.
“I’m not,” he said, slowly, “a god.” And then he took his hand away.
The little priest beamed at him. “Only the truly divine deny their own-”
“Shut. UP.”
The grin faded from the priest’s face. “My apologies,” he said. “Must you… really leave?”
“What did you expect? That I’d hole up in your temple for the rest of eternity, handing out advice to you people? The only advice I’ve got for you is - move on. Stop this ridiculous deification of everything you don’t understand, and start using your damned brains.”
“But you… You stopped the beasts and, and rescued the chieftain’s daughter!”
Jack thought it tactful not to mention what else he had done to the chieftain’s daughter, partially because he didn’t want the poor girl venerated as a chosen one, or whatever other fate lay down that route. He turned again, and stalked away towards the setting sun. The priest called after him.
“Is it the temple? It is, isn’t it. You don’t like the temple! We can redecorate, I’ll put up a shrine-”
Jack didn’t stop, but he looked over his shoulder. “Use my image, and I’ll sue!”
He pressed a few buttons on his wrist strap. The air around him shimmered, and he stepped towards the haze.
“When will you come back?” the priest shouted.
Jack gave a little shrug. He could see where this was heading, and he had no idea how to make it stop. This was a process he was not unfamiliar with. He simply hadn’t seen it from this end before.
“When the dust settles,” he said, and vanished.
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG
Genre: Gen
Summary: Jack's brief visit to a planet causes more trouble than usual. Unfortunately, there's no easy fix for this one.
Characters: Jack
Words: 539
Notes: Written for itinerant_vae's fic fest.
“Please just… just wait! We have so much to learn. You cannot leave us this way!”
Jack turned on his heel. His coat swirled round his ankles in what, he had to admit, was a pretty awe-inspiring way. Actually, Jack would be the first to insist that he was an all-round inspiring guy. Handsome, brave, daring, blah, blah, blah. He was used to being loved and feared by the people whose lives he sprinted through.
But this… was ridiculous. Really ridiculous.
Jack stopped and stared down at the little man. He was wearing a robe. Jack had serious issues respecting anyone in a robe. Robes were nothing but pretension badly disguised as piety.
The man stared back up at him. His eyes were wide and moist. And there was something, under the surface. Something desperate.
Distracted by sudden concern, Jack put a hand on his shoulder. “Did you eat lunch? Or breakfast, come to that?”
The man’s eyes shone. “On the day you appeared in our village out of the thin air, you did not dine during the hours of daylight. And nor shall we!”
Jack snatched back his hand. “What? What’s that got to do with…? Damnit, eat something!”
“I will not,” said the man, drawing himself up to his full, unimpressive height. “Your concern for my well-being is admirable, but we must strive towards your example in all things!”
Jack covered his face with one hand. When he took it away - he told himself - he’d wake up in bed somewhere sane where the only people who came anywhere near to worshipping him were passed out with exhaustion all around. Naked.
“I’m not,” he said, slowly, “a god.” And then he took his hand away.
The little priest beamed at him. “Only the truly divine deny their own-”
“Shut. UP.”
The grin faded from the priest’s face. “My apologies,” he said. “Must you… really leave?”
“What did you expect? That I’d hole up in your temple for the rest of eternity, handing out advice to you people? The only advice I’ve got for you is - move on. Stop this ridiculous deification of everything you don’t understand, and start using your damned brains.”
“But you… You stopped the beasts and, and rescued the chieftain’s daughter!”
Jack thought it tactful not to mention what else he had done to the chieftain’s daughter, partially because he didn’t want the poor girl venerated as a chosen one, or whatever other fate lay down that route. He turned again, and stalked away towards the setting sun. The priest called after him.
“Is it the temple? It is, isn’t it. You don’t like the temple! We can redecorate, I’ll put up a shrine-”
Jack didn’t stop, but he looked over his shoulder. “Use my image, and I’ll sue!”
He pressed a few buttons on his wrist strap. The air around him shimmered, and he stepped towards the haze.
“When will you come back?” the priest shouted.
Jack gave a little shrug. He could see where this was heading, and he had no idea how to make it stop. This was a process he was not unfamiliar with. He simply hadn’t seen it from this end before.
“When the dust settles,” he said, and vanished.