TW-DW Ficlet: Future Concerns
Title: Future Concerns
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Jack, Ianto, the Doctor.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Jack wants to take Ianto on a trip to the future, but Ianto is worried about timelines.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Past Prompts Revisited at anythingdrabble, using Prompt 237: Future.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
“You’re taking me to the future?” Ianto sounded uncertain. “Are you sure that’s wise? I mean, timelines and everything.”
“The Doctor takes people to the future all the time and it’s never caused any problems. Well, almost never,” Jack hurriedly corrected himself. “There’s been a time of two where he’s had to fix stuff later on, but never anything major. I don’t know why you’re so worried. I would’ve thought you’d jump at the chance to see what the future has to offer, visit a few other worlds…”
“Of course I want to, but what if I change the future, or the past, or something? It’s one thing the Doctor showing his companions what’s out there, but how many of them have had total recall? Or am I just supposed to go, see the future, then come back and retcon myself so I don’t remember any of it?”
“Now you’re just being silly. We’ll simply avoid anywhere and anything that’s historically significant, or anything that’s likely to be significant in the future. There are plenty of places we can visit that’re so far off the beaten path nothing that happens there ever has any effect on the rest of the universe, and I guarantee you’ll still find them fascinating. Besides, you’re a highly intelligent man so I know you’re not going to write about your adventures, or if you do it’ll be in a journal you’ll leave aboard the TARDIS. I trust you not to tell anyone about what you see. I know for a fact you’re very good at keeping secrets.”
“Well, that’s certainly true,” Ianto conceded.
“So, are you going to let me take you to the future or not?”
“If you’re sure I can’t cause any harm to the timelines, then I’d love to visit the future.”
“Good. Now grab your bag and come on. The Doctor isn’t going to wait forever; he gets impatient.”
OoOoOoO
“What kept you?” the Doctor asked when Jack arrived on the Plas with Ianto in tow.
Jack grinned at the latest incarnation of his old friend. “Ianto was worried he might inadvertently affect the future, or the past.”
The Doctor frowned, looking from Ianto, to Jack, and then back again. “How would he do that?”
“Eidetic memory,” Ianto admitted.
“Really?” The Doctor beamed at him. “Splendid! Makes you almost like a Time Lord. If you’d been born on Gallifrey, you’d have automatically qualified for Time Lord training.”
“So… it won’t be a problem?”
“Not at all! See and remember everything you can. I’ll let you know what you can tell your friends and what you should keep quiet about. A memory like yours, I won’t have to worry about you forgetting, will I?”
“No, I suppose not.”
“Excellent! Come on then, all aboard! Thought we’d start with a visit to Lumilu in the thirty-second century. You’ll like the Lumi; they have terrible memories so everything’s always a surprise to them. They’ve made first contact with the neighbouring planet ninety-seven times.”
“Sounds… interesting!”
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Jack, Ianto, the Doctor.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Jack wants to take Ianto on a trip to the future, but Ianto is worried about timelines.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Past Prompts Revisited at anythingdrabble, using Prompt 237: Future.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
“You’re taking me to the future?” Ianto sounded uncertain. “Are you sure that’s wise? I mean, timelines and everything.”
“The Doctor takes people to the future all the time and it’s never caused any problems. Well, almost never,” Jack hurriedly corrected himself. “There’s been a time of two where he’s had to fix stuff later on, but never anything major. I don’t know why you’re so worried. I would’ve thought you’d jump at the chance to see what the future has to offer, visit a few other worlds…”
“Of course I want to, but what if I change the future, or the past, or something? It’s one thing the Doctor showing his companions what’s out there, but how many of them have had total recall? Or am I just supposed to go, see the future, then come back and retcon myself so I don’t remember any of it?”
“Now you’re just being silly. We’ll simply avoid anywhere and anything that’s historically significant, or anything that’s likely to be significant in the future. There are plenty of places we can visit that’re so far off the beaten path nothing that happens there ever has any effect on the rest of the universe, and I guarantee you’ll still find them fascinating. Besides, you’re a highly intelligent man so I know you’re not going to write about your adventures, or if you do it’ll be in a journal you’ll leave aboard the TARDIS. I trust you not to tell anyone about what you see. I know for a fact you’re very good at keeping secrets.”
“Well, that’s certainly true,” Ianto conceded.
“So, are you going to let me take you to the future or not?”
“If you’re sure I can’t cause any harm to the timelines, then I’d love to visit the future.”
“Good. Now grab your bag and come on. The Doctor isn’t going to wait forever; he gets impatient.”
OoOoOoO
“What kept you?” the Doctor asked when Jack arrived on the Plas with Ianto in tow.
Jack grinned at the latest incarnation of his old friend. “Ianto was worried he might inadvertently affect the future, or the past.”
The Doctor frowned, looking from Ianto, to Jack, and then back again. “How would he do that?”
“Eidetic memory,” Ianto admitted.
“Really?” The Doctor beamed at him. “Splendid! Makes you almost like a Time Lord. If you’d been born on Gallifrey, you’d have automatically qualified for Time Lord training.”
“So… it won’t be a problem?”
“Not at all! See and remember everything you can. I’ll let you know what you can tell your friends and what you should keep quiet about. A memory like yours, I won’t have to worry about you forgetting, will I?”
“No, I suppose not.”
“Excellent! Come on then, all aboard! Thought we’d start with a visit to Lumilu in the thirty-second century. You’ll like the Lumi; they have terrible memories so everything’s always a surprise to them. They’ve made first contact with the neighbouring planet ninety-seven times.”
“Sounds… interesting!”
The End