Title: Out Of The Past
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack, Owen, Eleventh Doctor.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1213
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: A creature has come through the Rift that’s a bit much for Torchwood to handle. What should they do about it?
Content Notes: None needed.
Written For: Challenge 381: Amnesty 63, using Challenge 298: Cat.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.



“So,” Ianto repeated, since he wasn’t sure Jack had been listening the first time. “How exactly do you suggest we capture and contain a fully-grown sabretooth tiger?

“Huh?” Jack reluctantly tore his gaze away from the magnificent creature creeping stealthily across the park, apparently stalking a pigeon.

“You said we’d capture it,” Ianto reminded his lover. “I just want to know how. I mean look at it!”

“I was, until you distracted me.” Jack turned back to the prehistoric big cat. “It’s not that bad, less than half the size of a Bozog. Tranquillising it shouldn’t prove too difficult. It doesn’t even look like it’s noticed us yet.”

“Only because we’re lucky enough to be downwind of it,” Ianto muttered.

Jack glanced his way “What was that?”

“Nothing. Think, Jack: What would we do with something like that even if we could catch it? It’s not as if we could just shove it in one of the cells and toss it the occasional cow to chew on. As for sending it to the reservation, that would be a disaster. It would eat all the other residents in no time, and what if it escaped?”

“Why d’you always have to go straight to the worst-case scenario?” Jack grumbled.

“Someone has to be realistic. That’s not a fluffy little kitten, it’s a big, strong, carnivorous predator. Something like that isn’t going to do well in captivity. It’s not like Myfanwy, there’d be no way of taming it.”

“We can figure all that out after we catch it,” Jack said firmly. “Owen, do you think you can hit it from this distance?”

“Can’t be sure. There’s a bit of a headwind, and that could send the dart anywhere. Might need to get closer.”

“How much closer?”

“Half the distance at least. Even then, I can’t guarantee the first shot would hit it.”

“Add to that we don’t know how thick its hide is, or even whether the tranquilliser would be effective…” Ianto trailed off.

“This is the same stuff zoos use on lions and tigers,” Owen pointed out. “It should work, if the needle goes deep enough and delivers the full dose.”

“If.” Ianto huffed a sigh. “And just suppose it doesn’t. Our friend there goes down and we think it’s out, but when we get closer we find it’s just temporarily stunned. Have you seen those teeth? I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong end of those; they’re like knives, must be a good eight inches. We wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“What do you want to do about it then?” Jack asked, getting exasperated with Ianto’s negativity. “Do you want to just kill it?”

“Want to? No, of course not. I’m just saying we might not have much of a choice. If we try to tranquillise it and fail, we probably won’t get another chance. It could either turn and attack us, or get spooked and run the other way, in which case we’d have to try to find it again before anyone got hurt or killed. We’ve been lucky so far, the trip through the Rift and the unfamiliar surroundings have left it disoriented, but it’s already beginning to adapt. Sooner or later it’ll go after more substantial prey than pigeons.”

By now, the sabretooth was chowing down on the pigeon, which hadn’t been smart enough to fly away.

“Teaboy’s got a point,” Owen admitted. “If we spook it, things could get very bad, very fast.”

Jack glared at his team. “We’re supposed to be better than Torchwood One. We don’t kill unless we have to.”

“Which is what I’ve been saying,” Ianto pointed out. “We can try capturing it, but we need to accept that killing it might be unavoidable.”

“We’re not killing it, and that’s final.” Jack stalked away, scowling.

Owen grimaced. “Well, that’s us told.”

“Yep.”

“We can’t stand around here doing nothing just because Jack refuses to face facts.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“I don’t know, but you heard him; he’s dead set on snagging himself another prehistoric pet.”

“Don’t be too hard on him, Owen; he’s remembering the space whale. It still bothers him that he couldn’t save it.”

“Funny that he’s not so squeamish when it comes to killing Bozogs.”

“Yeah, well, they’re not as appealing. They stink to high heaven, for one thing. Bozogs and personal hygiene…”

“Point taken.”

“Anyway, so far all Kitty there’s done is kill a pigeon, which could probably be considered a public service.”

Jack came stalking back to where Ianto and Owen were standing by the SUV. “I put a call through to the Doctor; he’s…” Whatever else he was about to say was drowned out by the sound of the TARDIS materialising barely six feet away.

The Doctor struck his head out the door. “Jack! There you are! You said you had an emergency?”

“Sabretooth tiger,” Ianto cut in before Jack could say anything. “Not the kind on thing anyone wants wandering around a park in the middle of a city. Jack wants to tranquillise and capture it, but…”

“It’s a bit risky,” Owen finished for his colleague.

“Ah.”

“I was hoping if we could catch it, you’d take it back where it belongs,” Jack said. “Like when he had that herd of dinosaurs.”

The Doctor clapped his hands together. “Yes! Lovely! I’ll just go and get it.” He turned towards the prehistoric cat.

“Oi!” Owen protested. “I haven’t tried to tranquillise it yet!”

“Oh, no need for that.” The Doctor beamed at them. “I speak sabretooth!” With that he was off, striding across the grass, roaring lustily.

“I can’t look.” Owen turned away, covering his eyes.

He needn’t have worried; the sabretooth sat up and roared back. As conversations went, Ianto thought it was a bit… on the loud side. Still, whatever the Doctor was saying seemed to be working. In less than five minutes, he was on his way back, the massive cat walking sedately beside him.

“Right, we’ll be off then.” The Doctor sounded a bit hoarse from all the roaring. “Good seeing you again Jack, Ianto, um…”

“Owen,” Ianto said, watching the sabretooth warily.

“Right, Owen, of course.”

The sabretooth stared back and roared at Ianto.

“He says he likes your stripes,” the Doctor translated.

Ianto self-consciously smoothed his black and silver striped tie. “Ah. Thanks.”

“You could all come with us if you’d like,” the Doctor offered. “Meet his mate and cubs.”

“Perhaps next time.” Jack smiled as his old friend led the sabretooth into the TARDIS. With its usual wheezing and groaning, it faded out and vanished. “There, problem solved. I told you we didn’t need to kill it!” He turned to his team. “Don’t you just love happy endings?”

“We got lucky; we can’t expect the Doctor to always be available.”

“You’re right.” Jack draped his arm around Ianto’s shoulders. “What we really need is a TARDIS of our own. Do you think if I asked nicely…”

Shaking his head, Ianto opened the driver’s side door. “Doubtful. Come on, we’d better get back to the Hub and come up with a cover story. I’m driving.”

Surprisingly, Jack didn’t put up so much as a token protest, too busy poking at his Vortex Manipulator. “If I could just fix the time travel circuit…”


The End