Fic: Putting It Back Together Again - Torchwood - PG 13 (5/7)
Author: Book_Junkie007
Pairing: Ianto/Gwen, Tosh/OMC, team
Rating: PG 13
Wordcount: 3325 words
Warnings: Set between End of Days and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.
Notes:
It took a village to write this fic, so thanks goes out to:
- karaokegal and veritas6.5 for being absolutely fabulous betas
- @kaddison_ on Twitter for sharing her experiences in Nepal and making sure I had Kathmandu accurate
- @CCTerry_ for listening to my rants and giving me feedback on scenes I wasn't sure about
- @AsphyxiaPallida for cheering me on
- @Miss_T2011 for reading things over, giving me feed back, and cheering me on
- My boyfriend for helping me figure out machinery, which I'm useless at
- Everyone on Twitter, LJ, and in real life who have put up with me babbling about this fic for the last six months. I love you all. <3
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood as I am Canadian. I kind of live in the wrong country. :P
Summary: Sequel to It All Falls Apart
Set during the four months between End of Days and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. The team is still coming to terms with Jack's abandonment, while Gwen, the new head of Torchwood, is also dealing with the fact that Rhys is truly gone. The Prime Minister's phone call to the remaining members of the team takes them, along with Benjamin Stratford, a new recruit, to the mysterious Himalaya to see if the Yeti is real, and if it needs their help getting home.
Master List
Benjamin woke up and stared at the tent canvas. Today was the first day of the trek to find the Yeti, which would most likely make or break how well he fit in with the group. He was excited about going, and thought that maybe this would be a chance to help him earn a permanent post, if what Owen said about himself being a replacement was to be believed. If the next five weeks went well, he would have a solid, positive workplace, one where he fit in and wasn’t considered odd. He was a bit amused with himself that he was more concerned with fitting in than the adventure which lay ahead. He needed somewhere to fit in: he’d felt like an outcast for too long.
His mum was a banker and his father an engineer, but they responded badly to him having a boyfriend. His mum had packed his bags for him and his father had gone along with her wishes to never hear from him again. He hadn’t heard from either of them in seven years, since he’d started at Uni. Sometimes he wished he had a safe place to go back to, but he couldn’t change anything; he could only keep moving forward.
He rolled his head to the side and looked at Ianto, whose eyes were starting to blink open. Ianto looked back at him with a slight smile. “Morning,” he said softly.
“Morning,” Benjamin replied.
Owen let out a grunt and opened his eyes. “It’s too bloody early to be up.”
There was a tapping at the door to the tent.
Benjamin crawled out of his sleeping bag and unzipped the door. “Yes?”
“Tea,” the cook said, handing him a mug. He motioned to Ianto with another mug that he wanted to give it to him. Ianto accepted the tea. “One moment, please.”
He returned a few minutes later and handed a mug to Owen who accepted it grudgingly.
“Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes,” the cook said, leaving. Benjamin zipped up the door.
Owen took a sip. “Bloody hell, that’s awful!”
Benjamin tried his. “It’s better than what they had at the hotel. I could get used to drinking this for the next five weeks.”
Benjamin, Ianto, and Owen talked quietly about the upcoming day, and what they hoped would happen while dressing and drinking their tea.
“What do you think it will be like?” Benjamin asked, pulling a shirt over his head.
“Horrible,” Owen said, pulling on pants. “The smell of grass is disgusting.” Ianto and Owen exchanged a glance that Benjamin couldn’t quite figure out.
“Do you think we’ll find something?” Benjamin asked.
“Yes,” Ianto said, “whether it’s positive or not, there’s definitely something out there.”
When their tea was finished, they pulled on their hiking boots and stepped out of the tent.
“Morning!” Gwen waved them over. “How did you sleep?”
“Not the best,” Owen said, flopping down on the ground. “You?”
“All right,” Gwen grinned. “Breakfast is going to be served soon.”
Benjamin noticed Toshiko sitting quietly on the other side of Gwen. “How did you sleep?”
She looked up and smiled at him. Benjamin felt his heart flip. Damn it, he was starting to sound like a teenager. “Well, thank you. You?”
“Good. How did you like the tea?”
Benjamin and Toshiko talked to each other while Gwen, Ianto, and Owen chatted with each other. Soon a server came over to them. “Breakfast,” he said.
Benjamin and the rest of the team ate their breakfast while the camp staff broke camp and got made preparations for the trek. Benjamin and the rest of the team grabbed their daypacks which they had packed themselves with everything they needed and followed their guide when they were ready to leave their campsite at eight a.m.
After three hours of solid hiking, they arrived at their lunch site, where the cook and his staff had prepared a meal of dal bhat, or rice and beans. After finishing their meal, Benjamin and the rest of the team got ready for the next three hours of their hike. Benjamin had been into hiking during university, going on hiking trips with friends, but he hadn’t hiked properly in years, and he was starting to feel it. He was sure his feet would hurt by the time they arrived at their camp, and having not had a chance to break in the hiking boots properly meant that he was expecting some discomfort later on. Toshiko seemed to be doing okay, as well as Gwen and Ianto. Owen had a pained look on his face, but Benjamin thought that may be from the fact that he was in the open air, something Benjamin thought didn’t happen very often if Owen could help it.
When they finally arrived at their set-up camp, all Benjamin wanted to do was check for blisters. He followed Owen toward their tent. Apparently, Ianto had gone to the women’s tent to talk with Gwen about something.
“Change your socks,” Owen suggested, kicking off his hikers before entering the tent.
“What? Why?” Benjamin asked, following him.
“It’s just one of those things,” Owen said with a shrug. “Dry socks and mitts keep you happier longer.”
“How do you know?” Benjamin enquired.
“Picked it up the last time we went camping,” Owen replied with a slight shudder.
“Oh,” Benjamin said, deciding not to ask further. Over the past week that he had been with Torchwood, he had quickly learned that there were some things that were not talked about.
Benjamin started pulling pajamas, long johns, and socks out of his pack so he could find them when it was time for bed, but looked up when Ianto came into the tent.
“This wasn’t what I was expecting,” Ianto said, ducking so he wouldn’t hit the roof of the tent.
“You were expecting sunshine and rainbows?” Owen asked with a snicker.
“No,” Ianto sighed. “I was expecting more hiking or something, I’m not quite sure. At least there’s no way we can come across a refrigerator on this trip.”
“Are you sure about that?” Owen mused. “There could be one on the trail, solar-powered and just waiting to be used.”
“No, thank you,” Ianto shuddered. “I have no idea what would be in there, and I’m not sure I want to.”
Benjamin listened to Owen and Ianto banter back and forth about things that made little sense to him, before Owen turned to Benjamin. “Can I see your feet?”
“Sure,” Benjamin replied, finally pulling off his socks. Owen took a quick look at Benjamin’s feet and put some moleskin on the blisters that were starting to develop. “Thank you,” Benjamin said when Owen was finished and pulled on a fresh pair of socks.
“No problem,” Owen said dismissively. “Now how about you?” he asked Ianto.
After Ianto and Owen’s feet were checked for blisters and fresh socks were put on, Benjamin and Ianto went outside to sit on mats while Owen said he was going to the women’s tent to check their feet for blisters as well.
Soon they were all sitting in a circle on sit-upons, talking about their day and what they thought of the trek. Bantering occurred among the original team members, who were talking about which was better, football and rugby. Benjamin chipped in a few comments, earning himself looks of approval from Gwen. He smiled to himself.
At five p.m. another meal of dal bhat was served, which Benjamin wolfed down. He was hungry from hiking all day, and knew tomorrow would be much the same.
Toshiko ran a scan of the area, checking for alien activity, and, finding none, remarked, “We must not be close enough yet.”
“Keep checking as we go, Tosh,” Gwen said, “and let us know when there’s a smidgen of alien activity.”
“All right.”
After dinner was done, Toshiko and Benjamin went back to their tents to grab paperbacks while the rest of the team talked with each other. It had been agreed before the trip that each person would bring two books for the plane rides and entertainment in the evening and they would all swap.
“What are you reading?” Toshiko asked as they walked back.
Benjamin showed her a battered paperback. “Edgar Rice Burroughs. I found him when I was young, and he’s still one of my favourite authors. How about you?”
“Charles Dickens’ Martin Chuzzlewit,” she said, showing him.
“Sounds about right,” Benjamin remarked. “What do you like about this job?” He paused. That hadn’t been completely out of nowhere, had it? Hopefully she would understand that he was nervous and not think that he had no idea how to talk to a woman.
Benjamin and Toshiko chatted back and forth when they sat down with the others, their books sat beside them, forgotten. Soon it was time to head to bed. They would be up early again tomorrow.
“Good night, Tosh,” Benjamin smiled.
“Good night, Ben,” Toshiko answered and went inside her tent.
Benjamin changed into his pajamas and quickly fell asleep.
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
Gwen woke up the next morning feeling a bit sore. Mountain hiking was much more physical than she had expected. She had trained while working for the police, but since joining Torchwood, she could never quite find the time to exercise, other than when she was called upon to chase a Weevil. How she was going to survive thirty-four more days of this, she wasn’t quite sure. At least I’ll be quite fit by the time this case is over, she thought. I won’t have to worry about my weight for a while.
She got up and pulled on her trekking outfit; a skirt, a sleeveless down vest, a fleece, and a lightweight waterproof shell. It wasn’t quite cold enough to start layering tights under her skirt yet. She looked over at Toshiko, who was starting to get dressed in a skirt, shirt, and jacket herself, then waited for the staff who would come to give them tea.
“Morning,” she said, glancing over.
“Morning,” Tosh replied. “How did you sleep?”
“Well, thank you. You?”
“All right.”
A tapping on the tent door announced that their tea had arrived. Gwen accepted hers gratefully, just wanting to drink something hot, and not caring whether it was coffee or not. After tea was drunk, breakfast consumed, and camp broken, it was time to head to Gupa Pokhari.
The hike was rather uneventful; Gwen chatted with Ianto for most of the way. It wasn’t until they reached Gupa Pokhari, a small village with a large Tibetan population with a small Buddhist shrine off to one side, which Gwen found rather charming.
A child ran up to the Torchwood team. “Mithai,” he said, holding out his hand to Gwen.
“What does mithai mean?” Gwen asked Raju, who was turned slightly away from the child, as if embarrassed by him.
“Candy.”
Gwen started to reach into her pocket to pull out a hard candy when Ianto pulled her aside. “I wouldn’t do that,” he muttered in a low voice.
“Why not?” Gwen asked. “It’s only candy.”
“Not exactly,” Ianto continued. “It’s encouraging begging, and his teeth are going to rot, because people don’t give toothbrushes to go along with the candy.”
“Ah,” Gwen said, understanding. She turned back to the child and Raju, being careful not to touch the child on the head. “Would we be able to make a donation to a local organisation to help these people?” she asked. The child turned away empty-handed.
“Of course,” Raju nodded. “We can even bookmark the donation for Gupa Pokhari, if you like.”
“That sounds great,” Gwen grinned. “Thank you so much for your help.”
“It’s no problem.”
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
For Gwen the trek from Gupa Pokhari to Ghunsa was quiet. The next six days were spent with Toshiko taking readings every night with no indication of an alien presence. She sensed that they must be getting closer, though. There was a presence in the air which Gwen couldn’t quite shake. Something was out there, and she was intent on finding it.
When they reached Ghunsa, the team was required to show their permits to continue their trek. It was also suggested that they take an additional day in Ghunsa which would reduce the chances of them falling ill due to acute mountain sickness later on the trek. They were at 3140 m in altitude, and they were only going to ascend higher until they reached Pang Pema, their ultimate destination.
Gwen had given the team leave to do as they liked today, as long as they remained within the town or told her if they were going off on a hike. She didn’t want to lose anyone here; not when they were so far from home. Ianto and Toshiko had decided to go on a day-trek to a local lake, partially to see if they could get more readings of the area. Owen had decided to go explore the town on his own, and Gwen had decided to stay at the campsite and read, with Benjamin to accompany her.
Gwen looked up when Benjamin softly said her name. She looked up to see him standing over her. “Yes, Ben?”
“I was wondering what the company policy was on dating,” he said, as he scuffed his foot on the ground.
“You mean like is it allowed or not?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Benjamin answered.
Gwen made sure her face would give nothing away before she thought carefully for a moment. Jack had had a “laissez-faire” policy, which stretched to relationships within the company. She wasn’t sure if that had been the best decision. She personally thought it would be better to know what was occurring, if only for the fact that it would be easier to understand what was happening during a mission when there was a disagreement between two people who were a pair. It would still be ultimately their decision, though. She had noticed the way Benjamin had been looking at Toshiko over the past fortnight, and hoped that this might be a way for her to have a positive relationship. Mary hadn’t been the best of girlfriends, and the pining for Owen was getting a bit old, especially when Gwen privately thought that Owen would never see Toshiko as potential dating material. She hoped Benjamin would be able to give Toshiko a healthy relationship which she deserved.
“We’re pretty loose with relationship policies at Torchwood,” Gwen said. “I had an affair with Owen, which is in the past now, and Ianto had a thing with Jack, maybe he still has, I don’t know. Just as long as your relationship doesn’t affect the team, it’s all right.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“By the way, who were you thinking about when you asked?” Gwen said with a tilt of her head although she thought she knew the answer.
“Tosh,” Benjamin muttered but Gwen still heard him.
A smile spread across Gwen’s face. “That’s good. It will be good for her...” she said, almost to herself.
Dinner that night was yet another meal of dal bhat. The traditional Nepali custom required that you eat with your hand, and Gwen was getting very good at eating that way, although she still used a fork on occasion. It was interesting to experience the culture wholeheartedly, but also she couldn’t wait to be back in Cardiff, where she could eat with a knife and fork without someone giving her a strange look or marking her as a foreigner. The conversation centered around the team’s experiences that day, with Toshiko reporting that there was still no reading of alien residue, but there should be soon, if her calculations were right. Gwen asked her to keep her updated, even though she knew Toshiko would.
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
Ianto woke to his muscles aching. He was starting to get used to them hurting every time he moved. He hadn’t been very physical when he was younger, and he had only grown to like playing sports as a teenager, which helped him keep up with Torchwood Cardiff. Today was day thirteen of the trek, and they were going from Khambachen to Lhonak. They had hiked from Ghunsa to Khambachen, where they were required to take another acclimatisation day. After Lhonak was Pang Pema, where they would hopefully find some evidence of alien activity. He had talked with Gwen on the trek, and the higher they went, the more convinced she was that they would encounter traces of alien activity although when he asked her how she knew, she couldn’t explain it better than a vague impending sense. “I have a feeling.”
At the end of the five-hour trek, after Ianto had gone into his tent to change his socks, and grab his journal, he came back out and sat beside Toshiko, who was reading Dickens.
“All right, Tosh?” he asked.
“I guess so,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “I’ve just got a bit of a headache.”
“How long have you had it for?”
“Since lunch.”
“Why didn’t you tell any of us? Tell Owen?”
“I thought it would go away on its own.”
“Fair enough. Do you think you’re going to have supper tonight?”
“No, I’m not feeling that hungry.”
“Would you mind if I called Owen over to make sure it’s not something severe?”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
“Owen!” Ianto called.
“Yeah, mate?” Owen turned around from where he was talking with Benjamin.
“Would you mind taking a look at Tosh?” Ianto asked.
“Sure,” Owen walked over to where Ianto and Toshiko were sitting and sat down beside Toshiko. “What seems to be the problem?”
Ianto listened as Toshiko described her symptoms to Owen. Owen, even though he had a rough bedside manner, was still very good at what he did, which Ianto appreciated. After Owen listened to everything Toshiko said, Ianto watched as he considered all the evidence before making a decision.
“Right, it sounds like you have the beginning symptoms of acute mountain sickness. Worst case scenario is if you went ahead and kept trekking, you might fall severely ill and possibly die,” he tried to say kindly. “Best thing to do will be to stay here for another day, to not make the symptoms worse. I’ll go speak with Gwen, let her know what’s going on, and Ianto, if you could go talk to the guide with Gwen and explain what’s going on, I’m sure they would be more than happy to stay here another day.”
“Okay, sounds good. Thank you, Owen,” Ianto said with a nod.
The extra day at Lhonak allowed some of the stiffness in Ianto’s body to leave, along with the massage Gwen had given him. It was a rare moment of intimacy that they both had missed since leaving Cardiff.
The four-hour ascent to Pang Pema seemed short, especially after some of the distances they had gone over the past two weeks. Soon they were at their destination of Pang Pema, 5140 m above sea level. It had been a hard two weeks, but something should pop up on the readings. It was maddening to think there would be nothing in the mountain range at all. After yet another supper of dal bhat, which Ianto was starting to get sick of, quite frankly, Toshiko pulled out her machine to take the daily readings.
Ianto watched as she gasped, fiddled with the equipment, and stared at the screen again.
“What is it, Tosh?” he asked, getting slightly concerned by the look on her face.
“There’s alien activity here,” she answered.
“How strong is it?” Gwen asked, as Ianto felt her leaning forward beside him.
“Fairly strong. It’s not enough to give me a proper location, but there is definitely an alien presence here.”
“All right,” Gwen said, leaning back. “We’ll get better readings tomorrow, tonight we’ll rest. Thanks, Tosh.”
“No problem,” Toshiko smiled back, her expression showing excitement.
Section 6
Pairing: Ianto/Gwen, Tosh/OMC, team
Rating: PG 13
Wordcount: 3325 words
Warnings: Set between End of Days and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.
Notes:
It took a village to write this fic, so thanks goes out to:
- karaokegal and veritas6.5 for being absolutely fabulous betas
- @kaddison_ on Twitter for sharing her experiences in Nepal and making sure I had Kathmandu accurate
- @CCTerry_ for listening to my rants and giving me feedback on scenes I wasn't sure about
- @AsphyxiaPallida for cheering me on
- @Miss_T2011 for reading things over, giving me feed back, and cheering me on
- My boyfriend for helping me figure out machinery, which I'm useless at
- Everyone on Twitter, LJ, and in real life who have put up with me babbling about this fic for the last six months. I love you all. <3
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood as I am Canadian. I kind of live in the wrong country. :P
Summary: Sequel to It All Falls Apart
Set during the four months between End of Days and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. The team is still coming to terms with Jack's abandonment, while Gwen, the new head of Torchwood, is also dealing with the fact that Rhys is truly gone. The Prime Minister's phone call to the remaining members of the team takes them, along with Benjamin Stratford, a new recruit, to the mysterious Himalaya to see if the Yeti is real, and if it needs their help getting home.
Master List
Benjamin woke up and stared at the tent canvas. Today was the first day of the trek to find the Yeti, which would most likely make or break how well he fit in with the group. He was excited about going, and thought that maybe this would be a chance to help him earn a permanent post, if what Owen said about himself being a replacement was to be believed. If the next five weeks went well, he would have a solid, positive workplace, one where he fit in and wasn’t considered odd. He was a bit amused with himself that he was more concerned with fitting in than the adventure which lay ahead. He needed somewhere to fit in: he’d felt like an outcast for too long.
His mum was a banker and his father an engineer, but they responded badly to him having a boyfriend. His mum had packed his bags for him and his father had gone along with her wishes to never hear from him again. He hadn’t heard from either of them in seven years, since he’d started at Uni. Sometimes he wished he had a safe place to go back to, but he couldn’t change anything; he could only keep moving forward.
He rolled his head to the side and looked at Ianto, whose eyes were starting to blink open. Ianto looked back at him with a slight smile. “Morning,” he said softly.
“Morning,” Benjamin replied.
Owen let out a grunt and opened his eyes. “It’s too bloody early to be up.”
There was a tapping at the door to the tent.
Benjamin crawled out of his sleeping bag and unzipped the door. “Yes?”
“Tea,” the cook said, handing him a mug. He motioned to Ianto with another mug that he wanted to give it to him. Ianto accepted the tea. “One moment, please.”
He returned a few minutes later and handed a mug to Owen who accepted it grudgingly.
“Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes,” the cook said, leaving. Benjamin zipped up the door.
Owen took a sip. “Bloody hell, that’s awful!”
Benjamin tried his. “It’s better than what they had at the hotel. I could get used to drinking this for the next five weeks.”
Benjamin, Ianto, and Owen talked quietly about the upcoming day, and what they hoped would happen while dressing and drinking their tea.
“What do you think it will be like?” Benjamin asked, pulling a shirt over his head.
“Horrible,” Owen said, pulling on pants. “The smell of grass is disgusting.” Ianto and Owen exchanged a glance that Benjamin couldn’t quite figure out.
“Do you think we’ll find something?” Benjamin asked.
“Yes,” Ianto said, “whether it’s positive or not, there’s definitely something out there.”
When their tea was finished, they pulled on their hiking boots and stepped out of the tent.
“Morning!” Gwen waved them over. “How did you sleep?”
“Not the best,” Owen said, flopping down on the ground. “You?”
“All right,” Gwen grinned. “Breakfast is going to be served soon.”
Benjamin noticed Toshiko sitting quietly on the other side of Gwen. “How did you sleep?”
She looked up and smiled at him. Benjamin felt his heart flip. Damn it, he was starting to sound like a teenager. “Well, thank you. You?”
“Good. How did you like the tea?”
Benjamin and Toshiko talked to each other while Gwen, Ianto, and Owen chatted with each other. Soon a server came over to them. “Breakfast,” he said.
Benjamin and the rest of the team ate their breakfast while the camp staff broke camp and got made preparations for the trek. Benjamin and the rest of the team grabbed their daypacks which they had packed themselves with everything they needed and followed their guide when they were ready to leave their campsite at eight a.m.
After three hours of solid hiking, they arrived at their lunch site, where the cook and his staff had prepared a meal of dal bhat, or rice and beans. After finishing their meal, Benjamin and the rest of the team got ready for the next three hours of their hike. Benjamin had been into hiking during university, going on hiking trips with friends, but he hadn’t hiked properly in years, and he was starting to feel it. He was sure his feet would hurt by the time they arrived at their camp, and having not had a chance to break in the hiking boots properly meant that he was expecting some discomfort later on. Toshiko seemed to be doing okay, as well as Gwen and Ianto. Owen had a pained look on his face, but Benjamin thought that may be from the fact that he was in the open air, something Benjamin thought didn’t happen very often if Owen could help it.
When they finally arrived at their set-up camp, all Benjamin wanted to do was check for blisters. He followed Owen toward their tent. Apparently, Ianto had gone to the women’s tent to talk with Gwen about something.
“Change your socks,” Owen suggested, kicking off his hikers before entering the tent.
“What? Why?” Benjamin asked, following him.
“It’s just one of those things,” Owen said with a shrug. “Dry socks and mitts keep you happier longer.”
“How do you know?” Benjamin enquired.
“Picked it up the last time we went camping,” Owen replied with a slight shudder.
“Oh,” Benjamin said, deciding not to ask further. Over the past week that he had been with Torchwood, he had quickly learned that there were some things that were not talked about.
Benjamin started pulling pajamas, long johns, and socks out of his pack so he could find them when it was time for bed, but looked up when Ianto came into the tent.
“This wasn’t what I was expecting,” Ianto said, ducking so he wouldn’t hit the roof of the tent.
“You were expecting sunshine and rainbows?” Owen asked with a snicker.
“No,” Ianto sighed. “I was expecting more hiking or something, I’m not quite sure. At least there’s no way we can come across a refrigerator on this trip.”
“Are you sure about that?” Owen mused. “There could be one on the trail, solar-powered and just waiting to be used.”
“No, thank you,” Ianto shuddered. “I have no idea what would be in there, and I’m not sure I want to.”
Benjamin listened to Owen and Ianto banter back and forth about things that made little sense to him, before Owen turned to Benjamin. “Can I see your feet?”
“Sure,” Benjamin replied, finally pulling off his socks. Owen took a quick look at Benjamin’s feet and put some moleskin on the blisters that were starting to develop. “Thank you,” Benjamin said when Owen was finished and pulled on a fresh pair of socks.
“No problem,” Owen said dismissively. “Now how about you?” he asked Ianto.
After Ianto and Owen’s feet were checked for blisters and fresh socks were put on, Benjamin and Ianto went outside to sit on mats while Owen said he was going to the women’s tent to check their feet for blisters as well.
Soon they were all sitting in a circle on sit-upons, talking about their day and what they thought of the trek. Bantering occurred among the original team members, who were talking about which was better, football and rugby. Benjamin chipped in a few comments, earning himself looks of approval from Gwen. He smiled to himself.
At five p.m. another meal of dal bhat was served, which Benjamin wolfed down. He was hungry from hiking all day, and knew tomorrow would be much the same.
Toshiko ran a scan of the area, checking for alien activity, and, finding none, remarked, “We must not be close enough yet.”
“Keep checking as we go, Tosh,” Gwen said, “and let us know when there’s a smidgen of alien activity.”
“All right.”
After dinner was done, Toshiko and Benjamin went back to their tents to grab paperbacks while the rest of the team talked with each other. It had been agreed before the trip that each person would bring two books for the plane rides and entertainment in the evening and they would all swap.
“What are you reading?” Toshiko asked as they walked back.
Benjamin showed her a battered paperback. “Edgar Rice Burroughs. I found him when I was young, and he’s still one of my favourite authors. How about you?”
“Charles Dickens’ Martin Chuzzlewit,” she said, showing him.
“Sounds about right,” Benjamin remarked. “What do you like about this job?” He paused. That hadn’t been completely out of nowhere, had it? Hopefully she would understand that he was nervous and not think that he had no idea how to talk to a woman.
Benjamin and Toshiko chatted back and forth when they sat down with the others, their books sat beside them, forgotten. Soon it was time to head to bed. They would be up early again tomorrow.
“Good night, Tosh,” Benjamin smiled.
“Good night, Ben,” Toshiko answered and went inside her tent.
Benjamin changed into his pajamas and quickly fell asleep.
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
Gwen woke up the next morning feeling a bit sore. Mountain hiking was much more physical than she had expected. She had trained while working for the police, but since joining Torchwood, she could never quite find the time to exercise, other than when she was called upon to chase a Weevil. How she was going to survive thirty-four more days of this, she wasn’t quite sure. At least I’ll be quite fit by the time this case is over, she thought. I won’t have to worry about my weight for a while.
She got up and pulled on her trekking outfit; a skirt, a sleeveless down vest, a fleece, and a lightweight waterproof shell. It wasn’t quite cold enough to start layering tights under her skirt yet. She looked over at Toshiko, who was starting to get dressed in a skirt, shirt, and jacket herself, then waited for the staff who would come to give them tea.
“Morning,” she said, glancing over.
“Morning,” Tosh replied. “How did you sleep?”
“Well, thank you. You?”
“All right.”
A tapping on the tent door announced that their tea had arrived. Gwen accepted hers gratefully, just wanting to drink something hot, and not caring whether it was coffee or not. After tea was drunk, breakfast consumed, and camp broken, it was time to head to Gupa Pokhari.
The hike was rather uneventful; Gwen chatted with Ianto for most of the way. It wasn’t until they reached Gupa Pokhari, a small village with a large Tibetan population with a small Buddhist shrine off to one side, which Gwen found rather charming.
A child ran up to the Torchwood team. “Mithai,” he said, holding out his hand to Gwen.
“What does mithai mean?” Gwen asked Raju, who was turned slightly away from the child, as if embarrassed by him.
“Candy.”
Gwen started to reach into her pocket to pull out a hard candy when Ianto pulled her aside. “I wouldn’t do that,” he muttered in a low voice.
“Why not?” Gwen asked. “It’s only candy.”
“Not exactly,” Ianto continued. “It’s encouraging begging, and his teeth are going to rot, because people don’t give toothbrushes to go along with the candy.”
“Ah,” Gwen said, understanding. She turned back to the child and Raju, being careful not to touch the child on the head. “Would we be able to make a donation to a local organisation to help these people?” she asked. The child turned away empty-handed.
“Of course,” Raju nodded. “We can even bookmark the donation for Gupa Pokhari, if you like.”
“That sounds great,” Gwen grinned. “Thank you so much for your help.”
“It’s no problem.”
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
For Gwen the trek from Gupa Pokhari to Ghunsa was quiet. The next six days were spent with Toshiko taking readings every night with no indication of an alien presence. She sensed that they must be getting closer, though. There was a presence in the air which Gwen couldn’t quite shake. Something was out there, and she was intent on finding it.
When they reached Ghunsa, the team was required to show their permits to continue their trek. It was also suggested that they take an additional day in Ghunsa which would reduce the chances of them falling ill due to acute mountain sickness later on the trek. They were at 3140 m in altitude, and they were only going to ascend higher until they reached Pang Pema, their ultimate destination.
Gwen had given the team leave to do as they liked today, as long as they remained within the town or told her if they were going off on a hike. She didn’t want to lose anyone here; not when they were so far from home. Ianto and Toshiko had decided to go on a day-trek to a local lake, partially to see if they could get more readings of the area. Owen had decided to go explore the town on his own, and Gwen had decided to stay at the campsite and read, with Benjamin to accompany her.
Gwen looked up when Benjamin softly said her name. She looked up to see him standing over her. “Yes, Ben?”
“I was wondering what the company policy was on dating,” he said, as he scuffed his foot on the ground.
“You mean like is it allowed or not?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Benjamin answered.
Gwen made sure her face would give nothing away before she thought carefully for a moment. Jack had had a “laissez-faire” policy, which stretched to relationships within the company. She wasn’t sure if that had been the best decision. She personally thought it would be better to know what was occurring, if only for the fact that it would be easier to understand what was happening during a mission when there was a disagreement between two people who were a pair. It would still be ultimately their decision, though. She had noticed the way Benjamin had been looking at Toshiko over the past fortnight, and hoped that this might be a way for her to have a positive relationship. Mary hadn’t been the best of girlfriends, and the pining for Owen was getting a bit old, especially when Gwen privately thought that Owen would never see Toshiko as potential dating material. She hoped Benjamin would be able to give Toshiko a healthy relationship which she deserved.
“We’re pretty loose with relationship policies at Torchwood,” Gwen said. “I had an affair with Owen, which is in the past now, and Ianto had a thing with Jack, maybe he still has, I don’t know. Just as long as your relationship doesn’t affect the team, it’s all right.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“By the way, who were you thinking about when you asked?” Gwen said with a tilt of her head although she thought she knew the answer.
“Tosh,” Benjamin muttered but Gwen still heard him.
A smile spread across Gwen’s face. “That’s good. It will be good for her...” she said, almost to herself.
Dinner that night was yet another meal of dal bhat. The traditional Nepali custom required that you eat with your hand, and Gwen was getting very good at eating that way, although she still used a fork on occasion. It was interesting to experience the culture wholeheartedly, but also she couldn’t wait to be back in Cardiff, where she could eat with a knife and fork without someone giving her a strange look or marking her as a foreigner. The conversation centered around the team’s experiences that day, with Toshiko reporting that there was still no reading of alien residue, but there should be soon, if her calculations were right. Gwen asked her to keep her updated, even though she knew Toshiko would.
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
Ianto woke to his muscles aching. He was starting to get used to them hurting every time he moved. He hadn’t been very physical when he was younger, and he had only grown to like playing sports as a teenager, which helped him keep up with Torchwood Cardiff. Today was day thirteen of the trek, and they were going from Khambachen to Lhonak. They had hiked from Ghunsa to Khambachen, where they were required to take another acclimatisation day. After Lhonak was Pang Pema, where they would hopefully find some evidence of alien activity. He had talked with Gwen on the trek, and the higher they went, the more convinced she was that they would encounter traces of alien activity although when he asked her how she knew, she couldn’t explain it better than a vague impending sense. “I have a feeling.”
At the end of the five-hour trek, after Ianto had gone into his tent to change his socks, and grab his journal, he came back out and sat beside Toshiko, who was reading Dickens.
“All right, Tosh?” he asked.
“I guess so,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “I’ve just got a bit of a headache.”
“How long have you had it for?”
“Since lunch.”
“Why didn’t you tell any of us? Tell Owen?”
“I thought it would go away on its own.”
“Fair enough. Do you think you’re going to have supper tonight?”
“No, I’m not feeling that hungry.”
“Would you mind if I called Owen over to make sure it’s not something severe?”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
“Owen!” Ianto called.
“Yeah, mate?” Owen turned around from where he was talking with Benjamin.
“Would you mind taking a look at Tosh?” Ianto asked.
“Sure,” Owen walked over to where Ianto and Toshiko were sitting and sat down beside Toshiko. “What seems to be the problem?”
Ianto listened as Toshiko described her symptoms to Owen. Owen, even though he had a rough bedside manner, was still very good at what he did, which Ianto appreciated. After Owen listened to everything Toshiko said, Ianto watched as he considered all the evidence before making a decision.
“Right, it sounds like you have the beginning symptoms of acute mountain sickness. Worst case scenario is if you went ahead and kept trekking, you might fall severely ill and possibly die,” he tried to say kindly. “Best thing to do will be to stay here for another day, to not make the symptoms worse. I’ll go speak with Gwen, let her know what’s going on, and Ianto, if you could go talk to the guide with Gwen and explain what’s going on, I’m sure they would be more than happy to stay here another day.”
“Okay, sounds good. Thank you, Owen,” Ianto said with a nod.
The extra day at Lhonak allowed some of the stiffness in Ianto’s body to leave, along with the massage Gwen had given him. It was a rare moment of intimacy that they both had missed since leaving Cardiff.
The four-hour ascent to Pang Pema seemed short, especially after some of the distances they had gone over the past two weeks. Soon they were at their destination of Pang Pema, 5140 m above sea level. It had been a hard two weeks, but something should pop up on the readings. It was maddening to think there would be nothing in the mountain range at all. After yet another supper of dal bhat, which Ianto was starting to get sick of, quite frankly, Toshiko pulled out her machine to take the daily readings.
Ianto watched as she gasped, fiddled with the equipment, and stared at the screen again.
“What is it, Tosh?” he asked, getting slightly concerned by the look on her face.
“There’s alien activity here,” she answered.
“How strong is it?” Gwen asked, as Ianto felt her leaning forward beside him.
“Fairly strong. It’s not enough to give me a proper location, but there is definitely an alien presence here.”
“All right,” Gwen said, leaning back. “We’ll get better readings tomorrow, tonight we’ll rest. Thanks, Tosh.”
“No problem,” Toshiko smiled back, her expression showing excitement.
Section 6