Ficlet: Shades Of Grey

[bk_forever]

Title: Shades Of Grey

Author: badly_knitted

Characters: Ianto Jones

Rating: G

Spoilers: Fragments, Cyberwoman

Summary: Torchwood Three is very different from Torchwood One

Word Count: 257

Written For: juliet316’s prompt ‘Torchwood, author's choice, Torchwood didn't deal in black and white, merely in shades of gray.’ at fic_promptly.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.

At Torchwood One, everything had been black and white. Humans were good, aliens were bad and to be destroyed or experimented on. Aliens had no rights because they weren’t people. It was simple, straightforward, and Ianto hated it. All of humanity’s xenophobia, prejudices and discrimination were packed into the tower and he had no choice but to toe the party line, even though he didn’t agree with it.

Torchwood Three is the other way around. Nothing is black and white; it’s all shades of grey. Aliens are good, bad, or indifferent and that can change from one minute to the next. The things that come through the Rift are usually unknown, often unknowable and so they get consigned to the jumbled archives, just more examples of Torchwood’s monumental lack of knowledge. Even the other team members are neither good nor bad, hovering somewhere in between. The same, surprisingly, can be said for Captain Harkness himself. He’s not what Ianto was expecting. He suspects he’s not what Harkness expected him to be either.

But that’s okay, because for once Ianto fits; he’s just not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. Because he’s concealing something from them, something that like everything here, is neither one thing nor the other. Half human, half cyberman, how much is still Lisa he really can’t guess. The only thing he knows for sure these days is that whether he’s right or wrong, he has no choice but to try to save her, regardless of what it might cost them all.

The End

Comments

[milady-dragon.livejournal.com]

Yes, this is just how I see One and Three, and I love how you wrote the differences.

I always wondered what would have happened if Ianto had told them about Lisa once he accepted the differences in Three. But of course, he didn't.

[bk_forever]

I'm not sure it would have made much difference to the outcome. Lisa would still have had to die, because cyber-conversion can't be reversed, though maybe the rest of the team wouldn't have been put in danger in the process.

Thank you!

[owensheart.livejournal.com]

I like how you describe One and three, its so true.

great work.

[bk_forever]

Thank you! It's amazing because I never really thought about the differences until I started writing for the prompt and then all these ideas started to pop up about what made Three so different from One. It all must have been there in my subconscious just waiting for the right opportunity!

[asia27.livejournal.com]

This is one of your most thought-provoking ones. Even down to the area both Torchwoods were located reflected their differences: T1 in a gleaming glass tower; T3 underground, a hub of an old train station. Both reflected their Directors' personalities as well, although I'm not sure Jack is as hidden as T3 is. Ultimately, both were destroyed in the end and Ianto was there for both events; we know what happened to him eventually as well.

You really know how to "word paint" a piece! And with Ianto in the Rift, I think there will eventually be a Torchwood 3:Redux in someone else's hands.

[bk_forever]

Thank you!

Torchwood One wouldn't have been in Canary Wharf originally, the buildings didn't exist when Torchwood was created, by I envisage it moving with the times, taking up residence in the most up-to-date premises available. Torchwood Three was always situated in the old, unused rail station simply because it needed to keep a low profile. One was the flagship, three was the more covert section, because it didn't want to draw attention to its reason for existing - the Rift.

I think One outlived its usefulness while Three was destroyed by the government to keep them from doing their job. With the Rift closed, Three also became obsolete.

There will perhaps be a Torchwood again in the future, but it will be different again, more involved in human/alien relations.

[maldeluxx.livejournal.com]

Even though Ianto will end up losing Lisa, this is still certainly the better, more suitable place for him ;)

[bk_forever]

It is, he can be much more comfortable - not to mention useful - at T3, but he has to go through some bad times first.

Thank you!

[jedi-harkness.livejournal.com]

You hit the nail right on the head with the differences between TW 1 and 3. Nicely done.

[bk_forever]

Thank you!

I must have had a lot of this lurking in the back of my mind for a long time without ever really consciously thinking about the differences between the two branches, because it was surprisingly easy to write.

[timelordshines.livejournal.com]

Love it!
Very poignant and makes perfect sense.

[bk_forever]

Thank you! Contest Week really got my brain working, even if I mostly wrote short pieces.