Drabble: Right Place, Wrong Time

[unfeathered]

Title: Right Place, Wrong Time (Drabble)
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchood
Author: unfeathered
Pairing/Rating/Warnings: None
Word Count: 100
Spoilers: The Unquiet Dead
Disclaimer: Not mine. (Wish they were, though.)
Summary: Jack's arrival back on Earth in 1869



It was the roughest landing Jack had ever known. He groaned, and looked round. Snow, a smouldering building, an old guy in Victorian clothes. Gas lamps, horse-drawn vehicles. Nineteenth Century.

How had that happened? He checked his wrist but the co-ordinates were correct. Something had pulled him off course. And burned out his Vortex Manipulator.

It took a moment for that to sink in. No more time-travel. He was stuck in Victorian Britain, over a hundred years before he could expect to find a version of the Doctor who'd remember him. Jack would almost certainly never see the Doctor again.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

::winces:: Considering what probably pulled him off course, he might've gotten there just in time to see the TARDIS leave him *again.*

That last paragraph is just *wrenching.* I'm not sure what's worse: that he doesn't think he'll live to see the Doctor again or that he's yet to figure out what's happened to him. (I mean "wrenching" in a good way, or course. :))

[unfeathered]

he might've gotten there just in time to see the TARDIS leave him *again.*

Damn, I didn't think of that! That would have been even nastier!

I did try to give the impression that he'd only just missed the TARDIS - in the first draft, the old guy in Victorian clothes was more obviously Dickens, but words had to be cut.

I'm not sure what's worse: that he doesn't think he'll live to see the Doctor again or that he's yet to figure out what's happened to him.

Yeah, exactly. It only just occurred to me that he didn't know he was immortal till the shot-through-the-head thing, so he really wouldn't expect to live until the last 20th century! Yet another devastating blow for poor old Jack.

Bet he whooped for joy when he did find out he was immortal!

*Off to post this to comms - been out all night at rehearsal*

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

Damn, I didn't think of that! That would have been even nastier!

Heh--I shouldn't give you ideas. *eg* Oh, wait, of course I should.

[unfeathered]

Ah well, too late now :-)

[fandom-me.livejournal.com]

I really, really, like this.

The last line, in particular, just gets to me.

[unfeathered]

Thank you! It was supposed to :-)

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

I've got nothing to add to what the others said - this is good, and yeah, potential great angst!

[unfeathered]

Thank you for commenting even though you didn't feel you had anything to add - it's nice to hear it works for other people!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

oh poor Jack! Excellent drabble!

[unfeathered]

oh poor Jack!

Yeah. We find ourselves saying that such a lot, don't we? The guy's had a really rough time!

And thank you :-)

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Well done.

[unfeathered]

Thank you!

[akeyoftime.livejournal.com]

Augh. I hadn't ever made the connection that 1869 Jack would have thought his odds of ever seeing the Doctor again had just gone way down. Talk about a desperate gambit - set co-ordinates for 20th century Earth and hope desperately. Oh Jack. But then, I suppose there was no other home to go to or to hope for, which is all the more heartwrenching.

[unfeathered]

Yeah. Poor, poor Jack.

But then, I suppose there was no other home to go to

I hadn't thought of it like that, but I suppose he couldn't go home to the 51st century. He's just a wanderer now, like the Doctor.

The thing is, until Utopia aired, I just assumed he realised he was immortal straight away, or at least died again pretty soon after getting back to Earth which would make him find out. But his statement in Utopia that he didn't find out he was immortal until 1892 (? can't remember what year) puts things in an entirely new light.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Yes, he talks about being killed (for the first time) after a fight on Ellis Island in 1892, although, one has to wonder if he hadn't noticed that he didn't aged in all time.

[unfeathered]

Yeah, the not aging thing is definitely a bit of a plot-hole. The only reasonable explanation I can think of is that people live longer and therefore age slower in the 51st Century.

But it's not a very good explanation. And I ignored it for this story. Because after all a 51st Century guy might well live for well over a hundred years.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

I agree... even if the lifespan of the 51st century is 200 years... Presumedly Jack waited around on the game station for a bit before trying to go back to the 21st century, even if he didn't you'd think he'd have noticed that he basically hadn't changed in the 23 years from arriving on earth to being killed.

[unfeathered]

Yes, definitely.

I hate this sort of thing. It really wouldn't be that hard for the writers to actually think about these things. Why couldn't he have been shot in 1872? Just a tiny change, and it would have been so much more believable!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

actually 1892 was the earliest they could have it be, that's when Ellis Island opened, before that the emigration port was Castle Gardens and that just doesn't have the name recognition Ellis Island does. But, they could have had him land later (1885 or something)unless they were using 1869 on purpose (due to the rift closing then)

[unfeathered]

And it didn't have to be Ellis Island. Or at least, that didn't have to be his 'first' death...

(And wow, I'll just call you Knowledge Girl!)

And do you think it's time we friended each other? We seem to be spending a lot of time on each other's journals!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Good point! Knowledge girl? *blush*

One friend coming up!

[unfeathered]

One friend coming up!

Right back at ya! :-)

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

Oh that just *hurts*

I may spam you this afternoon - I er left my writing pad behind and I'm feeling MEGA frustrated and restless

[unfeathered]

Hee - never apologise for commenting on my writing! *g*

Glad you liked it. :-)

Will reply to all these later - don't have time right now - tea to get, then out at rehearsal till late - but should be able to pop in briefly before bed! :-)