Fic: Prize-Worthy
Title: Prize-Worthy
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack, Owen, Gwen.
Rating: G
Word Count: 1212
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Gwen and Owen are not quite themselves, and Jack takes advantage of the situation.
Written For: Challenge 316: Prize at fan_flashworks.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
Unfortunate things can, and often do, happen to the people who work for Torchwood; that’s the nature of the job. When you spend most of your time dealing with the unknown, you learn to expect the unexpected and do your best to deal with it. In the past that led to a truly alarming number of casualties; the smallest mistake had the potential to be fatal, and people died far more often than anyone liked. At its worst, Torchwood went through operatives so fast that at times it must have felt like someone new was being trained every week or two. Few people survived to the grand old age of thirty, and those who did were fully away that their days were numbered; they wouldn’t make it to retirement age, not unless they quit and allowed their memories of their time with Torchwood to be stripped away by an amnesia drug.
These days, under Jack’s management, it’s not quite as bad as it used to be. At least in some ways it’s not. The employee death rate has gone way down, and life expectancy has gone up to the point where Torchwood now has a pension plan.
Things still happen, that’s sort of Torchwood’s unofficial motto, they’re just usually not fatal, or permanent, although some take longer to remedy than others. Torchwood agents just have to accept that there will inevitably be times when they’re… not quite themselves, and even times when no one can quite be sure exactly WHAT they are. It’s an experience.
Being confined to the Hub for the duration is not uncommon, and neither is being locked in one of the cells or kept in a tank or cage of some description. It’s a matter of safety, usually that of the afflicted. No one wants to get accidentally stepped on, or worse, eaten by Myfanwy.
At present both Owen and Gwen have been affected, which is a problem because it puts the team two agents down until the situation can be reversed, and if that isn’t bad enough, it leaves the rest of the team without their medic. They’ll just have to hope no one gets injured before Owen is himself again. Still, life goes on, work has to continue, and fortunately, with the expanded team they’re not as understaffed as they would have been back when Torchwood Three was only five people trying to deal with Weevils, invasions, and everything the Rift spat out.
Unfortunately for Ianto, Jack has gone out somewhere without telling anyone, and he’s not answering his phone. To make matters worse, Owen and Gwen are unaccountably no longer in the cage where Ianto put them for safekeeping while Tosh tries to figure out how to turn them back into their usual selves.
When Ianto went to check on them he found the cage door hanging open, and despite scanning every area of the Hub covered by Tosh’s sensor system, which registers body heat as well as detecting motion, he’s not picking up any trace of them. The only good thing is that Myf is locked in her aerie at present so at least he can be sure she’s not responsible for their disappearance. That’s not absolute proof that they haven’t suffered the ignominious fate of being eaten, there are other creatures lurking around the Hub, but the odds are in favour of them both still being among the living. Somewhere. It’s just a matter of figuring out where. He really hopes they didn’t get out through the invisible lift, because if that’s the case they may never be found, and then what would he tell Rhys?
It’s a huge relief when Jack finally answers his phone.
“Hey there, gorgeous! To what do I owe the pleasure of this call? Did you miss me?”
Ianto is in no mood for Jack being Jack. “It’s about time you picked up! I’ve been trying to get hold of you for over an hour! Where the hell are you? We’ve got a problem.”
“Oh, this does not sound good. What’s up?”
“I’ve lost Owen and Gwen!”
“No you haven’t. They’re fine; they’re with me.”
“With you? Are you telling me you took them out of here in their condition? Are you completely insane?”
“Calm down! We’ll be back soon and I’ll explain everything then. Gotta go; the judges are about to announce the winners.”
“Judges? What’re you on about? Jack?” But it’s too late; Jack has already hung up and turned his phone off. Damn him! Ianto might just kill him when he gets back. Of all the irresponsible, hare-brained… He mutters a few choice curses. Jack has some serious explaining to do if he doesn’t want to find himself on decaf for eternity.
An hour and a half later, Jack comes breezing jauntily in from the underground garage, as only he can, carrying two shiny black painted cages with clean white interiors, containing the missing members of the Torchwood team. He’s beaming happily from ear to ear, and coloured rosettes are fluttering from the cages, but Ianto ignores them for the moment in favour of glaring at his errant lover.
“Where the hell have you been?”
Jack refuses to be cowed by Ianto’s annoyance. “Hello to you too, gorgeous! Look at this!” Jack holds up the ribbon-bedecked cages. “Owen took first in his class and just got pipped for best in show. Gwen got a third place and an honourable mention.”
Ianto looks at the two budgies that are normally his teammates, one a large, handsome blue and white pied, the other a pretty yellow lutino, then back at Jack.
“You took them to a bird show?”
“I’ve been a member of the Newtown Cage Bird Society for years; used to show zebra finches back in the Seventies. When I remembered the annual show was today… Well, it seemed like fate. Besides, it did Owen and Gwen good to see and hear other birds; they’ve been looking a bit fed up the last couple of days. I picked up a few things for them at the show, some tonic seed, millet, iodine blocks, and cuttlefish. Got to keep them in good shape until Tosh can fix the device that changed them.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve been worrying myself silly half the day!”
Jack shrugged. “I thought if I told you what I wanted to do you wouldn’t let me. Here, why don’t you take them and pop them back in their cage while I get their seed and Owen’s trophy from the car. It’s only a little one, but he won it fair and square.”
Ianto isn’t too sure how their medic, once he’s back to his usual acerbic self, will take knowing he’s been a prize-winning budgie at a bird show, but he suspects Jack mostly wants the rosettes and trophy for his own collection of prizes and awards. With his competitive streak he’d enter every contest he could if Ianto let him!
At least no harm seems to have come to Owen and Gwen, and they do seem perkier than they were this morning. Maybe Jack’s right and the outing really has done them good.
“Right, you two, let’s get you back where you belong.”
Besides, the rosettes do look rather pretty.
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack, Owen, Gwen.
Rating: G
Word Count: 1212
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Gwen and Owen are not quite themselves, and Jack takes advantage of the situation.
Written For: Challenge 316: Prize at fan_flashworks.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
Unfortunate things can, and often do, happen to the people who work for Torchwood; that’s the nature of the job. When you spend most of your time dealing with the unknown, you learn to expect the unexpected and do your best to deal with it. In the past that led to a truly alarming number of casualties; the smallest mistake had the potential to be fatal, and people died far more often than anyone liked. At its worst, Torchwood went through operatives so fast that at times it must have felt like someone new was being trained every week or two. Few people survived to the grand old age of thirty, and those who did were fully away that their days were numbered; they wouldn’t make it to retirement age, not unless they quit and allowed their memories of their time with Torchwood to be stripped away by an amnesia drug.
These days, under Jack’s management, it’s not quite as bad as it used to be. At least in some ways it’s not. The employee death rate has gone way down, and life expectancy has gone up to the point where Torchwood now has a pension plan.
Things still happen, that’s sort of Torchwood’s unofficial motto, they’re just usually not fatal, or permanent, although some take longer to remedy than others. Torchwood agents just have to accept that there will inevitably be times when they’re… not quite themselves, and even times when no one can quite be sure exactly WHAT they are. It’s an experience.
Being confined to the Hub for the duration is not uncommon, and neither is being locked in one of the cells or kept in a tank or cage of some description. It’s a matter of safety, usually that of the afflicted. No one wants to get accidentally stepped on, or worse, eaten by Myfanwy.
At present both Owen and Gwen have been affected, which is a problem because it puts the team two agents down until the situation can be reversed, and if that isn’t bad enough, it leaves the rest of the team without their medic. They’ll just have to hope no one gets injured before Owen is himself again. Still, life goes on, work has to continue, and fortunately, with the expanded team they’re not as understaffed as they would have been back when Torchwood Three was only five people trying to deal with Weevils, invasions, and everything the Rift spat out.
Unfortunately for Ianto, Jack has gone out somewhere without telling anyone, and he’s not answering his phone. To make matters worse, Owen and Gwen are unaccountably no longer in the cage where Ianto put them for safekeeping while Tosh tries to figure out how to turn them back into their usual selves.
When Ianto went to check on them he found the cage door hanging open, and despite scanning every area of the Hub covered by Tosh’s sensor system, which registers body heat as well as detecting motion, he’s not picking up any trace of them. The only good thing is that Myf is locked in her aerie at present so at least he can be sure she’s not responsible for their disappearance. That’s not absolute proof that they haven’t suffered the ignominious fate of being eaten, there are other creatures lurking around the Hub, but the odds are in favour of them both still being among the living. Somewhere. It’s just a matter of figuring out where. He really hopes they didn’t get out through the invisible lift, because if that’s the case they may never be found, and then what would he tell Rhys?
It’s a huge relief when Jack finally answers his phone.
“Hey there, gorgeous! To what do I owe the pleasure of this call? Did you miss me?”
Ianto is in no mood for Jack being Jack. “It’s about time you picked up! I’ve been trying to get hold of you for over an hour! Where the hell are you? We’ve got a problem.”
“Oh, this does not sound good. What’s up?”
“I’ve lost Owen and Gwen!”
“No you haven’t. They’re fine; they’re with me.”
“With you? Are you telling me you took them out of here in their condition? Are you completely insane?”
“Calm down! We’ll be back soon and I’ll explain everything then. Gotta go; the judges are about to announce the winners.”
“Judges? What’re you on about? Jack?” But it’s too late; Jack has already hung up and turned his phone off. Damn him! Ianto might just kill him when he gets back. Of all the irresponsible, hare-brained… He mutters a few choice curses. Jack has some serious explaining to do if he doesn’t want to find himself on decaf for eternity.
An hour and a half later, Jack comes breezing jauntily in from the underground garage, as only he can, carrying two shiny black painted cages with clean white interiors, containing the missing members of the Torchwood team. He’s beaming happily from ear to ear, and coloured rosettes are fluttering from the cages, but Ianto ignores them for the moment in favour of glaring at his errant lover.
“Where the hell have you been?”
Jack refuses to be cowed by Ianto’s annoyance. “Hello to you too, gorgeous! Look at this!” Jack holds up the ribbon-bedecked cages. “Owen took first in his class and just got pipped for best in show. Gwen got a third place and an honourable mention.”
Ianto looks at the two budgies that are normally his teammates, one a large, handsome blue and white pied, the other a pretty yellow lutino, then back at Jack.
“You took them to a bird show?”
“I’ve been a member of the Newtown Cage Bird Society for years; used to show zebra finches back in the Seventies. When I remembered the annual show was today… Well, it seemed like fate. Besides, it did Owen and Gwen good to see and hear other birds; they’ve been looking a bit fed up the last couple of days. I picked up a few things for them at the show, some tonic seed, millet, iodine blocks, and cuttlefish. Got to keep them in good shape until Tosh can fix the device that changed them.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve been worrying myself silly half the day!”
Jack shrugged. “I thought if I told you what I wanted to do you wouldn’t let me. Here, why don’t you take them and pop them back in their cage while I get their seed and Owen’s trophy from the car. It’s only a little one, but he won it fair and square.”
Ianto isn’t too sure how their medic, once he’s back to his usual acerbic self, will take knowing he’s been a prize-winning budgie at a bird show, but he suspects Jack mostly wants the rosettes and trophy for his own collection of prizes and awards. With his competitive streak he’d enter every contest he could if Ianto let him!
At least no harm seems to have come to Owen and Gwen, and they do seem perkier than they were this morning. Maybe Jack’s right and the outing really has done them good.
“Right, you two, let’s get you back where you belong.”
Besides, the rosettes do look rather pretty.
The End