Creation [fic]
Title: Creation
Author: shadowbyrd
Rating: PG
Fandom: Torchwood/Sunshine
Prompt: Reverse format for jantolution
Word Count: 728
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Summary: Time is relative.
A/N: Big spoilers for the film Sunshine.
As the sun explodes, a new star born out of the dying one, there is a shock wave, a ripple back through time. Bleeding to death and half-frozen in the coolant tank, Jack feels it, is dragged back along with it.
*
Jack sits in the front of the camera in silence for a full minute before he speaks.
“I think you know everything I’m going to say. And if not,” Jack pauses to clear his throat, and when he begins speaking again, manages a smile. “If you don’t then I think it’s time you read that letter I left for you. It’s going to be a beautiful day, Ianto. I’m sorry I won’t be there to see that first one with you. Trust me, I will be there again. Take care of yourself.”
He switches off the camera and almost deletes it to start over, but Cassie, Capa and Mace have yet to record their messages, so he sends it and vacates the booth for the next person.
*
“How did you get on this mission exactly?” Capa asks. They’ve hit their second year anniversary and everyone’s feeling homesick and despondent. Jack’s the odd man out, appearing neither bad-tempered or depressed.
“They knocked on my door and asked.” says Jack lightly, re-arranging his cards. It annoys him when Capa does this, though it probably means he has a crap hand, so that’s something.
“But why?”
“I have a reputation for boosting morale.” Jack says, stretching one leg up onto the table and raising an eyebrow.
Capa laughs. Not the way Jack would like, but it’s still a laugh.
“See? I am on the case.” Jack tosses his cards down. “Straight flush. Show me whacha got, science boy.”
*
A man who can’t die is a valuable asset to any mission, but especially a mission expected to go wrong somehow.
“My understanding is that you still haven’t been able to establish what went wrong with Icarus I.” Jack says
“That’s why we want you.” says the man in the uniform sat across from him “We’ve added a psychiatrist to this crew, but we already know from your considerable experience at Torchwood that you would be able to withstand the mental and physical pressures of the journey. You’re our back up plan, in case something goes wrong.”
Jack sits back from the table, arms folded.
The man in the uniform doesn’t bribe, doesn’t threaten or cajole. He just sighs, scratching one cheek. “This is our last chance, Jack. We can’t wait around hoping he’s going to turn up anymore. Even UNIT have given up there. We have to do this and we have to get it right.”
Jack sighs and sits up, shifting to lean on the table. “I’ll be there.”
*
They’re sitting on a park bench in the middle of Cardiff. The days are getting slowly but surely colder, unusually for July. The news is throwing around words like Solar winter, but they both know well enough what’s happening.
That’s why they’re here at six in the morning; to watch the feeble sun rise.
“How do we survive this?” asks Ianto
“You’re assuming we survive it.”
“You’re still here.”
Of course, Jack will always be there, whatever happens to the rest of the Earth, he has become an unchangeable fact in time. But he doesn’t want to break what romantic moon there is by pointing this out. Ianto already knows anyway.
*
On Earth time continues in the same straight line and the strong new sun rises, the sky beautifully clear. Ianto watches it from the same park bench he was sitting with Jack all those years ago, too lost in his own thoughts to notice the man who comes to lean against the back of the bench.
“We made it.”
Ianto starts and whirls around. Jack looks tired, the weight of God knows how many more years clear in his eyes Ianto jumps up and hugs him tightly. Sure that he’s real he steps back and marvels.
“How did you get back -?”
“Time travel,” says Jack smiling. God, but he looks tired. “Hitched a lift with a lovely young couple - new suns are quite the event, you know.”
Ianto shakes his head and grabs Jack’s hand. “C’mon. Let’s go home.”
And as Jack lies dying on the Icarus II, he takes Ianto’s hands and smiles back.
“Sounds good to me.”
Author: shadowbyrd
Rating: PG
Fandom: Torchwood/Sunshine
Prompt: Reverse format for jantolution
Word Count: 728
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Summary: Time is relative.
A/N: Big spoilers for the film Sunshine.
As the sun explodes, a new star born out of the dying one, there is a shock wave, a ripple back through time. Bleeding to death and half-frozen in the coolant tank, Jack feels it, is dragged back along with it.
*
Jack sits in the front of the camera in silence for a full minute before he speaks.
“I think you know everything I’m going to say. And if not,” Jack pauses to clear his throat, and when he begins speaking again, manages a smile. “If you don’t then I think it’s time you read that letter I left for you. It’s going to be a beautiful day, Ianto. I’m sorry I won’t be there to see that first one with you. Trust me, I will be there again. Take care of yourself.”
He switches off the camera and almost deletes it to start over, but Cassie, Capa and Mace have yet to record their messages, so he sends it and vacates the booth for the next person.
*
“How did you get on this mission exactly?” Capa asks. They’ve hit their second year anniversary and everyone’s feeling homesick and despondent. Jack’s the odd man out, appearing neither bad-tempered or depressed.
“They knocked on my door and asked.” says Jack lightly, re-arranging his cards. It annoys him when Capa does this, though it probably means he has a crap hand, so that’s something.
“But why?”
“I have a reputation for boosting morale.” Jack says, stretching one leg up onto the table and raising an eyebrow.
Capa laughs. Not the way Jack would like, but it’s still a laugh.
“See? I am on the case.” Jack tosses his cards down. “Straight flush. Show me whacha got, science boy.”
*
A man who can’t die is a valuable asset to any mission, but especially a mission expected to go wrong somehow.
“My understanding is that you still haven’t been able to establish what went wrong with Icarus I.” Jack says
“That’s why we want you.” says the man in the uniform sat across from him “We’ve added a psychiatrist to this crew, but we already know from your considerable experience at Torchwood that you would be able to withstand the mental and physical pressures of the journey. You’re our back up plan, in case something goes wrong.”
Jack sits back from the table, arms folded.
The man in the uniform doesn’t bribe, doesn’t threaten or cajole. He just sighs, scratching one cheek. “This is our last chance, Jack. We can’t wait around hoping he’s going to turn up anymore. Even UNIT have given up there. We have to do this and we have to get it right.”
Jack sighs and sits up, shifting to lean on the table. “I’ll be there.”
*
They’re sitting on a park bench in the middle of Cardiff. The days are getting slowly but surely colder, unusually for July. The news is throwing around words like Solar winter, but they both know well enough what’s happening.
That’s why they’re here at six in the morning; to watch the feeble sun rise.
“How do we survive this?” asks Ianto
“You’re assuming we survive it.”
“You’re still here.”
Of course, Jack will always be there, whatever happens to the rest of the Earth, he has become an unchangeable fact in time. But he doesn’t want to break what romantic moon there is by pointing this out. Ianto already knows anyway.
*
On Earth time continues in the same straight line and the strong new sun rises, the sky beautifully clear. Ianto watches it from the same park bench he was sitting with Jack all those years ago, too lost in his own thoughts to notice the man who comes to lean against the back of the bench.
“We made it.”
Ianto starts and whirls around. Jack looks tired, the weight of God knows how many more years clear in his eyes Ianto jumps up and hugs him tightly. Sure that he’s real he steps back and marvels.
“How did you get back -?”
“Time travel,” says Jack smiling. God, but he looks tired. “Hitched a lift with a lovely young couple - new suns are quite the event, you know.”
Ianto shakes his head and grabs Jack’s hand. “C’mon. Let’s go home.”
And as Jack lies dying on the Icarus II, he takes Ianto’s hands and smiles back.
“Sounds good to me.”