Fic: Putting It Back Together Again - Torchwood - PG 13 (2/7)
Author: Book_Junkie007
Pairing: Ianto/Gwen, Tosh/OMC, team
Rating: PG 13
Wordcount: 2789 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 glanced at the address he had written on a scrap of paper, then at the derelict building in front of him. It wasn’t exactly what he had been expecting when Gwen gave him the address the night before. He’d anticipating something a bit more ... office-like. Still, he rolled back his shoulders and prepared to enter the tourist office.
He pushed open the door and saw the man who had come with Gwen (Ianto, was it?) sitting at the desk in the room.
“Benjamin,” Ianto said, nodding at him.
“Hi,” Benjamin said. “Gwen said to come here for work...?” he trailed off.
“Right.” Ianto pressed a button or switch of some kind beneath the desktop. A door opened in the wall behind him. “Just down the corridor to the lift, and Gwen will meet you at the bottom.”
“Thanks.” Benjamin started down the dimly lit hallway, which was as dilapidated as the tourist office he had just left.
As Benjamin headed down the hall, and then down into the lift, oddly out of place in this building, into what he hoped was the main part of the base, he became more intrigued by the apparent depth to which he was descending and that he still hadn’t reached Gwen.
The lift discharged him in front of what seemed to be a cog-shaped doorway, and it rolled back with a siren’s wail at his approach, revealing Gwen standing on the other side.
“Good, you’re here,” Gwen said. “Come in and I’ll start showing you around. Ianto will be down in a bit.”
“Okay,” Benjamin said uncertainly.
“Great, let’s get started! First things first, you need to meet the others. You’ve already met Ianto, my second-in-command, now you’ll meet our technical analyst and medic. Tosh, Owen!” Gwen called. “Come here when you have a moment, please!”
A petite Japanese woman walked over from one of the computers. Benjamin squinted at the monitor she had been working at, but couldn’t decipher the program she had running. She was rather attractive, though. Benjamin decided he would probably ask her for a drink later, when he was more settled into the job and what it entailed.
“Toshiko Sato, meet Benjamin Stratford,” Gwen said.
“Hi.” Toshiko held out her hand.
“Pleasure to meet you.” Benjamin took her hand.
“What’s the fuss about?” A man in a lab coat said, walking up a set of stairs from another level, wiping his hands on a towel.
“Nice of you to join us,” Gwen greeted him. “Owen Harper, meet Benjamin Stratford.”
“It’s Doctor Owen Harper,” he reminded Gwen. “You’re the replacement, eh?” Owen said, holding out a hand.
“Replacement?” Benjamin said. “I didn’t think I was a replacement for anyone,” he was a bit confused.
“’Course you are, you’re replacing our illustrious leader, who did a bunk on us,” Owen snorted. “You’re helping to even out the numbers again.”
“Leader? I was under the impression that Gwen is your leader,” Benjamin said, bemused.
“She is, at least until Jack comes back, if he ever does,” Owen said sardonically.
“Ah. So Jack was the leader? What was he like?” Benjamin asked.
“Jack’s brave, loyal, and fearless. He does whatever it takes to save the world. And he isn’t gone forever, he will come back,” someone said quietly behind Benjamin, with the tone of someone repeating something to themselves so it will eventually become true. He turned around to see Ianto. “You can learn more about him later. For right now, let’s get started with your training.”
“Owen, would you be able to show Benjamin your area?” Gwen asked. “It’s where he’s going to be needed the most, so it would be helpful for him to start there.”
“Sure thing, leader,” Owen said sardonically and headed back to the medical bay.
Benjamin looked toward Gwen, who gave a nod of encouragement to him, so he followed Owen, wondering if Owen was always like this.
“Right, so this is my space,” Owen said over his shoulder. “But I guess you’ll be sharing it.”
“If that’s all right,” Benjamin said hesitantly.
“Do you have any more of that tissue that you thought was alien?” Owen asked.
“Yeah, right here.” Benjamin dug the sample out of the bag he had been carrying with him.
“Let’s see what you can do.”
Benjamin was a bit nervous setting up his experiments and using the unfamiliar equipment, but he eventually got used to it. Labs were his home; there was a rhythm and flow to them that soothed him. Finally, he leaned back from the microscope which held a slide of his alien tissue so Owen could get a look.
“Good work, Sherlock,” Owen said, after taking a look at the sample. “It’s alien all right. A bit of tissue from an alien from the Small Magellanic Cloud.”
Benjamin stood in shock for a moment. He honestly hadn’t expected the vindication. He felt a smile spread across his face.
“What are you smiling about?” Owen asked.
Benjamin composed his face into a more serious expression. “Nothing,” he said. “Just that I was right.”
Owen looked at him then shrugged. “All right, then. Now let’s see if you can figure out what this tissue is, alien or human...” he said as he set up another slide for Benjamin to look at.
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
A few days later, Benjamin stood beside one of the computers, listening to Toshiko explain the mainframe system to him in more detail. It had been nonstop training so far. There were apparently many protocols to follow when catching aliens, even if the rest of the team could be believed about the organisation being totally outside the influence of major law enforcement.
Benjamin’s thoughts wandered towards Toshiko, and how he was enjoying learning more about her. From what he had learned so far, she was brave and passionate about her work. He had asked her to go out for a drink when things settled down for him, and she hadn’t outright said no. He was taking that as a good sign. He came out of his reverie and tried to catch up with what Toshiko was saying. She was a good analyst, but sometimes she got caught up in the technical side of things in her explanations. As opposed to Owen, who was slightly grating. Working with him was...interesting, to say the least.
Benjamin looked up when Gwen banged out of the glass office.
“Conference room in five minutes, please!” she called across the Hub, heading in that direction.
Benjamin watched as she passed by Ianto, briefly touching him on the arm and saying something to him. Ianto nodded and went off in the direction of the kitchen. He was going to get coffee, Benjamin guessed. He had only been here a few days, but he was getting the feeling that coffee was the main drink of the team. He preferred tea himself, and Ianto had made sure the kitchen was stocked with some of his favorites. His love of tea made him a bit of an oddity on this team, but he was less of an outsider here compared with how he had felt in his last job.
Toshiko finished her explanation and said, “Come on, might as well get to the conference room now.”
Benjamin nodded and followed her.
As the rest of the team sat in their accustomed places around the large table, Benjamin contemplated how smoothly the team seemed to work together, and how easily he himself was being assimilated. It was nice, in a way. There was more of a sense of camaraderie in this workplace. The team tended to rely on and to trust each other unconditionally. Benjamin hoped he would soon be part of the fold.
Ianto entered with a tray full of mugs and cups, and started handing coffees around the table, along with Benjamin’s tea, before sitting down next to Gwen.
Benjamin took a sip, and smiled to himself. It seemed Ianto had figured out fairly quickly how Benjamin liked his tea: black, no matter what type of tea it was.
Gwen stood at the head of the table. “Right,” she started. “I just received a call from the Prime Minister. He said he had something for us.”
“What does he want?” Owen asked. “He hasn’t been as interested in our affairs as Harriet Jones was.”
“Apparently he’s received reports of some kind of being in the Himalaya, and would like us to go check it out,” Gwen replied. “I told him it would take a few days for us to prepare, but we could leave straight after that.”
“Did he say what it was?” Toshiko asked with interest, leaning forward a bit.
“The Yeti,” Gwen stated. “He says it’s real, and it may be an alien, therefore it needs our help.”
Ianto took a sip of his coffee. “Torchwood has records of an alien creature crash landed in the Himalaya, starting in the 1950s. It was decided that it wasn’t a threat, because it was in such an isolated setting, but an eye should be kept on it. I guess the Prime Minister feels differently. What do we need to do?”
“Travel arrangements, entry documents, the usual. Tosh, would you be able to sort something out?” Gwen asked. “I’ll put in a call to UNIT, ask if they would be able to help with the organization of our trek when we get to Nepal.”
“Certainly,” Toshiko nodded. “Do you know specifically where in the Himalaya we will be going so I can get the right permits?”
“I’d say we should try to start in Kanchenjunga,” Benjamin suggested. The others stared at him until he began to feel uncomfortable. “I’ve read it’s where the majority of Yeti sightings occur,” he explained.
Benjamin felt Gwen’s eyes on him, considering. He wondered if she would take him seriously, considering he’d only been on the team for a few days. “Fine,” she said. “Tosh, permits for Kanchenjunga.”
“On it,” Toshiko said, already working on her PDA.
“Anything else we need?” Ianto asked.
“Yeah,” Gwen said. “Cold-weather camping gear.”
“We’ll get that later then,” Ianto decided. “First things first.”
The rest of the day and part of the next was a flurry of activity in the Hub. Toshiko found flights to and from Nepal: Cardiff to Glasgow to Dubai to Kathmandu. Permits and travel visas were acquired, requiring so many photos that Benjamin was afraid he was going to be seeing lights in front of his eyes for days.
Benjamin rode in the SUV for the first time, which was an interesting experience in itself. He had never seen so many pieces of technology crammed into such a small space. He spent most of the ride peppering Toshiko with questions about the equipment which she gladly explained.
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
Gwen led the team toward the camping supply store. There were backpacks, tents, camping stoves, and clothing everywhere. Toshiko had done a fair amount of research on what would be needed in Nepal, so they had some idea of what they were looking for.
“All right, what’s first? Let’s get this over with,” Owen said, trying to sound like he knew what he was doing and that he didn’t loathe camping. Gwen knew his opinion of camping hadn’t changed since the trip to the Brecon Beacons which had gone so horribly wrong, not that she could blame him. She tried to shake off her memories of that excursion. It felt like a lifetime ago.
“Backpacks, I guess,” Gwen responded, trying to sound confident, and led the way to that section of the store.
The team looked at backpacks for a few minutes, trying to puzzle out what the various labels meant, before a salesperson wandered over.
“Can I help you find anything today?” he asked. He had reddish hair in a shaggy cut and startling green eyes.
Toshiko looked up from the backpack she was holding. “If it’s not too much trouble,” she responded. “We’re looking for camping gear for a trek to Nepal. I’m Toshiko, by the way,” she added, holding out a hand.
“Jake,” he responded, and shook her hand. “Well, first things first. You,” he nodded at Gwen, “are holding a man’s hiking backpack. It’s completely unsuitable for you. And you,” he nodded at Benjamin, “are holding a woman’s daypack. I’m sorry, but I don’t think you have the curves for it.”
Benjamin flushed and put the backpack down quickly. “So, what do you suggest instead?”
Jake wandered through the selection of backpacks and chose one, holding it out to Benjamin, who took it. “Try this one,” he suggested. “How long are you going for?”
“Six weeks,” Gwen replied. “We’re hiking the north and south Kanchenjunga circuits.”
“Cool, and when are you leaving? Jake asked.
“In two days,” Ianto responded.
“Blimey, you’re not giving yourselves a lot of time to get ready, are you?” Jake asked, astonished. “Most people who are going to Nepal plan months in advance.”
“It was kind of a last-minute thing,” Ianto replied defensively.
Jake didn’t push further and instead helped figure out the best backpacks for them before moving on to tents, where they found a four-person tent for the men and a three-person tent for Gwen and Toshiko.
“Your equipment’s always going to take up more room than you thought it would,” Jake had explained.
They accumulated camp stoves and heavy sleeping bags, as well as many other miscellaneous items needed for an extended trek in the Nepalese Himalaya. The pile of “necessaries” was growing exponentially.
Then it was onto the “fun” portion of the shopping trip: clothing. Toshiko had researched basic packing lists for trekking in Nepal and had printed a personalised list for each of them.
“Nepal is weird in that it has a warm climate in the lowlands, where Kathmandu and the Terai is situated, where everything can be muggy and hot, but as you go up the mountains, it gets colder because of the higher altitudes.” Toshiko explained, as she handed out the lists. “So it’s best to be prepared for all four seasons when you're trekking: the warm days in the lowlands and then the freezing cold ones when you're halfway up the side of a mountain.”
“What does this mean, no leather jacket or boots?” Gwen asked, pointing at the note printed neatly in blue ink at the top of her list.
“Cows are sacred to the Hindus,” Toshiko explained. “It would just be easier all around if you didn’t take them: fewer headaches.”
“All right,” Gwen grumbled, perusing the rest of her list, “but I’ll miss it.” Later, Gwen was looking at herself in a wraparound skirt in a mirror, “I will not wear a skirt whilst trekking.”
“Come on, Gwen,” Toshiko cajoled. “I’m going to take some. They’re comfortable and practical, even on a trek. I read blogs suggesting it. The skirts will also help you blend in with the culture: women usually don’t wear pants in Nepal.”
“Tosh is right,” Ianto added.
“Well, I do look rather good in it,” Gwen mused. “I guess I could take a couple,” she relented. “But I’m taking some quick-drying trousers as well.”
“Fair enough,” Ianto responded, smiling slightly.
Gwen paid for the equipment with the Torchwood credit card, and the multiple bags were sorted by person, gathered up and stuffed in the back of the SUV. Each member of the team went to their respective homes and gathered the personal bits and pieces they would need for the trip, before reconvening in the Hub and hunkering down to the most important part of the pre-travel checklist: packing. Owen’s medical kit was split amongst the five of them, as well as some alien technology which Toshiko insisted would be useful.
Once everything was packed, and visas and permits had been double and triple checked, Gwen stood up.
“Good work, everyone, thank you!” she said. “You can go home now, get some sleep. Just remember that we’re meeting here at five am, so we can be at the airport by seven. Thanks everyone!”
The team started to gather their things that they needed to take home with them. They had decided to leave their bulkier luggage at the Hub and take a couple cabs to the airport together. It would be less stress on everybody.
Gwen caught up with Ianto and looped her arm through his. “Mind if I come home with you tonight?” she asked seductively.
“What were you thinking of doing? Maybe I can see what you look like without the skirt,” Ianto smirked.
“I think you’ll get lucky tonight,” she smiled sultrily back as they walked to his car.
It was going to be a long day tomorrow.
Section 3
Pairing: Ianto/Gwen, Tosh/OMC, team
Rating: PG 13
Wordcount: 2789 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 glanced at the address he had written on a scrap of paper, then at the derelict building in front of him. It wasn’t exactly what he had been expecting when Gwen gave him the address the night before. He’d anticipating something a bit more ... office-like. Still, he rolled back his shoulders and prepared to enter the tourist office.
He pushed open the door and saw the man who had come with Gwen (Ianto, was it?) sitting at the desk in the room.
“Benjamin,” Ianto said, nodding at him.
“Hi,” Benjamin said. “Gwen said to come here for work...?” he trailed off.
“Right.” Ianto pressed a button or switch of some kind beneath the desktop. A door opened in the wall behind him. “Just down the corridor to the lift, and Gwen will meet you at the bottom.”
“Thanks.” Benjamin started down the dimly lit hallway, which was as dilapidated as the tourist office he had just left.
As Benjamin headed down the hall, and then down into the lift, oddly out of place in this building, into what he hoped was the main part of the base, he became more intrigued by the apparent depth to which he was descending and that he still hadn’t reached Gwen.
The lift discharged him in front of what seemed to be a cog-shaped doorway, and it rolled back with a siren’s wail at his approach, revealing Gwen standing on the other side.
“Good, you’re here,” Gwen said. “Come in and I’ll start showing you around. Ianto will be down in a bit.”
“Okay,” Benjamin said uncertainly.
“Great, let’s get started! First things first, you need to meet the others. You’ve already met Ianto, my second-in-command, now you’ll meet our technical analyst and medic. Tosh, Owen!” Gwen called. “Come here when you have a moment, please!”
A petite Japanese woman walked over from one of the computers. Benjamin squinted at the monitor she had been working at, but couldn’t decipher the program she had running. She was rather attractive, though. Benjamin decided he would probably ask her for a drink later, when he was more settled into the job and what it entailed.
“Toshiko Sato, meet Benjamin Stratford,” Gwen said.
“Hi.” Toshiko held out her hand.
“Pleasure to meet you.” Benjamin took her hand.
“What’s the fuss about?” A man in a lab coat said, walking up a set of stairs from another level, wiping his hands on a towel.
“Nice of you to join us,” Gwen greeted him. “Owen Harper, meet Benjamin Stratford.”
“It’s Doctor Owen Harper,” he reminded Gwen. “You’re the replacement, eh?” Owen said, holding out a hand.
“Replacement?” Benjamin said. “I didn’t think I was a replacement for anyone,” he was a bit confused.
“’Course you are, you’re replacing our illustrious leader, who did a bunk on us,” Owen snorted. “You’re helping to even out the numbers again.”
“Leader? I was under the impression that Gwen is your leader,” Benjamin said, bemused.
“She is, at least until Jack comes back, if he ever does,” Owen said sardonically.
“Ah. So Jack was the leader? What was he like?” Benjamin asked.
“Jack’s brave, loyal, and fearless. He does whatever it takes to save the world. And he isn’t gone forever, he will come back,” someone said quietly behind Benjamin, with the tone of someone repeating something to themselves so it will eventually become true. He turned around to see Ianto. “You can learn more about him later. For right now, let’s get started with your training.”
“Owen, would you be able to show Benjamin your area?” Gwen asked. “It’s where he’s going to be needed the most, so it would be helpful for him to start there.”
“Sure thing, leader,” Owen said sardonically and headed back to the medical bay.
Benjamin looked toward Gwen, who gave a nod of encouragement to him, so he followed Owen, wondering if Owen was always like this.
“Right, so this is my space,” Owen said over his shoulder. “But I guess you’ll be sharing it.”
“If that’s all right,” Benjamin said hesitantly.
“Do you have any more of that tissue that you thought was alien?” Owen asked.
“Yeah, right here.” Benjamin dug the sample out of the bag he had been carrying with him.
“Let’s see what you can do.”
Benjamin was a bit nervous setting up his experiments and using the unfamiliar equipment, but he eventually got used to it. Labs were his home; there was a rhythm and flow to them that soothed him. Finally, he leaned back from the microscope which held a slide of his alien tissue so Owen could get a look.
“Good work, Sherlock,” Owen said, after taking a look at the sample. “It’s alien all right. A bit of tissue from an alien from the Small Magellanic Cloud.”
Benjamin stood in shock for a moment. He honestly hadn’t expected the vindication. He felt a smile spread across his face.
“What are you smiling about?” Owen asked.
Benjamin composed his face into a more serious expression. “Nothing,” he said. “Just that I was right.”
Owen looked at him then shrugged. “All right, then. Now let’s see if you can figure out what this tissue is, alien or human...” he said as he set up another slide for Benjamin to look at.
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
A few days later, Benjamin stood beside one of the computers, listening to Toshiko explain the mainframe system to him in more detail. It had been nonstop training so far. There were apparently many protocols to follow when catching aliens, even if the rest of the team could be believed about the organisation being totally outside the influence of major law enforcement.
Benjamin’s thoughts wandered towards Toshiko, and how he was enjoying learning more about her. From what he had learned so far, she was brave and passionate about her work. He had asked her to go out for a drink when things settled down for him, and she hadn’t outright said no. He was taking that as a good sign. He came out of his reverie and tried to catch up with what Toshiko was saying. She was a good analyst, but sometimes she got caught up in the technical side of things in her explanations. As opposed to Owen, who was slightly grating. Working with him was...interesting, to say the least.
Benjamin looked up when Gwen banged out of the glass office.
“Conference room in five minutes, please!” she called across the Hub, heading in that direction.
Benjamin watched as she passed by Ianto, briefly touching him on the arm and saying something to him. Ianto nodded and went off in the direction of the kitchen. He was going to get coffee, Benjamin guessed. He had only been here a few days, but he was getting the feeling that coffee was the main drink of the team. He preferred tea himself, and Ianto had made sure the kitchen was stocked with some of his favorites. His love of tea made him a bit of an oddity on this team, but he was less of an outsider here compared with how he had felt in his last job.
Toshiko finished her explanation and said, “Come on, might as well get to the conference room now.”
Benjamin nodded and followed her.
As the rest of the team sat in their accustomed places around the large table, Benjamin contemplated how smoothly the team seemed to work together, and how easily he himself was being assimilated. It was nice, in a way. There was more of a sense of camaraderie in this workplace. The team tended to rely on and to trust each other unconditionally. Benjamin hoped he would soon be part of the fold.
Ianto entered with a tray full of mugs and cups, and started handing coffees around the table, along with Benjamin’s tea, before sitting down next to Gwen.
Benjamin took a sip, and smiled to himself. It seemed Ianto had figured out fairly quickly how Benjamin liked his tea: black, no matter what type of tea it was.
Gwen stood at the head of the table. “Right,” she started. “I just received a call from the Prime Minister. He said he had something for us.”
“What does he want?” Owen asked. “He hasn’t been as interested in our affairs as Harriet Jones was.”
“Apparently he’s received reports of some kind of being in the Himalaya, and would like us to go check it out,” Gwen replied. “I told him it would take a few days for us to prepare, but we could leave straight after that.”
“Did he say what it was?” Toshiko asked with interest, leaning forward a bit.
“The Yeti,” Gwen stated. “He says it’s real, and it may be an alien, therefore it needs our help.”
Ianto took a sip of his coffee. “Torchwood has records of an alien creature crash landed in the Himalaya, starting in the 1950s. It was decided that it wasn’t a threat, because it was in such an isolated setting, but an eye should be kept on it. I guess the Prime Minister feels differently. What do we need to do?”
“Travel arrangements, entry documents, the usual. Tosh, would you be able to sort something out?” Gwen asked. “I’ll put in a call to UNIT, ask if they would be able to help with the organization of our trek when we get to Nepal.”
“Certainly,” Toshiko nodded. “Do you know specifically where in the Himalaya we will be going so I can get the right permits?”
“I’d say we should try to start in Kanchenjunga,” Benjamin suggested. The others stared at him until he began to feel uncomfortable. “I’ve read it’s where the majority of Yeti sightings occur,” he explained.
Benjamin felt Gwen’s eyes on him, considering. He wondered if she would take him seriously, considering he’d only been on the team for a few days. “Fine,” she said. “Tosh, permits for Kanchenjunga.”
“On it,” Toshiko said, already working on her PDA.
“Anything else we need?” Ianto asked.
“Yeah,” Gwen said. “Cold-weather camping gear.”
“We’ll get that later then,” Ianto decided. “First things first.”
The rest of the day and part of the next was a flurry of activity in the Hub. Toshiko found flights to and from Nepal: Cardiff to Glasgow to Dubai to Kathmandu. Permits and travel visas were acquired, requiring so many photos that Benjamin was afraid he was going to be seeing lights in front of his eyes for days.
Benjamin rode in the SUV for the first time, which was an interesting experience in itself. He had never seen so many pieces of technology crammed into such a small space. He spent most of the ride peppering Toshiko with questions about the equipment which she gladly explained.
~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~
Gwen led the team toward the camping supply store. There were backpacks, tents, camping stoves, and clothing everywhere. Toshiko had done a fair amount of research on what would be needed in Nepal, so they had some idea of what they were looking for.
“All right, what’s first? Let’s get this over with,” Owen said, trying to sound like he knew what he was doing and that he didn’t loathe camping. Gwen knew his opinion of camping hadn’t changed since the trip to the Brecon Beacons which had gone so horribly wrong, not that she could blame him. She tried to shake off her memories of that excursion. It felt like a lifetime ago.
“Backpacks, I guess,” Gwen responded, trying to sound confident, and led the way to that section of the store.
The team looked at backpacks for a few minutes, trying to puzzle out what the various labels meant, before a salesperson wandered over.
“Can I help you find anything today?” he asked. He had reddish hair in a shaggy cut and startling green eyes.
Toshiko looked up from the backpack she was holding. “If it’s not too much trouble,” she responded. “We’re looking for camping gear for a trek to Nepal. I’m Toshiko, by the way,” she added, holding out a hand.
“Jake,” he responded, and shook her hand. “Well, first things first. You,” he nodded at Gwen, “are holding a man’s hiking backpack. It’s completely unsuitable for you. And you,” he nodded at Benjamin, “are holding a woman’s daypack. I’m sorry, but I don’t think you have the curves for it.”
Benjamin flushed and put the backpack down quickly. “So, what do you suggest instead?”
Jake wandered through the selection of backpacks and chose one, holding it out to Benjamin, who took it. “Try this one,” he suggested. “How long are you going for?”
“Six weeks,” Gwen replied. “We’re hiking the north and south Kanchenjunga circuits.”
“Cool, and when are you leaving? Jake asked.
“In two days,” Ianto responded.
“Blimey, you’re not giving yourselves a lot of time to get ready, are you?” Jake asked, astonished. “Most people who are going to Nepal plan months in advance.”
“It was kind of a last-minute thing,” Ianto replied defensively.
Jake didn’t push further and instead helped figure out the best backpacks for them before moving on to tents, where they found a four-person tent for the men and a three-person tent for Gwen and Toshiko.
“Your equipment’s always going to take up more room than you thought it would,” Jake had explained.
They accumulated camp stoves and heavy sleeping bags, as well as many other miscellaneous items needed for an extended trek in the Nepalese Himalaya. The pile of “necessaries” was growing exponentially.
Then it was onto the “fun” portion of the shopping trip: clothing. Toshiko had researched basic packing lists for trekking in Nepal and had printed a personalised list for each of them.
“Nepal is weird in that it has a warm climate in the lowlands, where Kathmandu and the Terai is situated, where everything can be muggy and hot, but as you go up the mountains, it gets colder because of the higher altitudes.” Toshiko explained, as she handed out the lists. “So it’s best to be prepared for all four seasons when you're trekking: the warm days in the lowlands and then the freezing cold ones when you're halfway up the side of a mountain.”
“What does this mean, no leather jacket or boots?” Gwen asked, pointing at the note printed neatly in blue ink at the top of her list.
“Cows are sacred to the Hindus,” Toshiko explained. “It would just be easier all around if you didn’t take them: fewer headaches.”
“All right,” Gwen grumbled, perusing the rest of her list, “but I’ll miss it.” Later, Gwen was looking at herself in a wraparound skirt in a mirror, “I will not wear a skirt whilst trekking.”
“Come on, Gwen,” Toshiko cajoled. “I’m going to take some. They’re comfortable and practical, even on a trek. I read blogs suggesting it. The skirts will also help you blend in with the culture: women usually don’t wear pants in Nepal.”
“Tosh is right,” Ianto added.
“Well, I do look rather good in it,” Gwen mused. “I guess I could take a couple,” she relented. “But I’m taking some quick-drying trousers as well.”
“Fair enough,” Ianto responded, smiling slightly.
Gwen paid for the equipment with the Torchwood credit card, and the multiple bags were sorted by person, gathered up and stuffed in the back of the SUV. Each member of the team went to their respective homes and gathered the personal bits and pieces they would need for the trip, before reconvening in the Hub and hunkering down to the most important part of the pre-travel checklist: packing. Owen’s medical kit was split amongst the five of them, as well as some alien technology which Toshiko insisted would be useful.
Once everything was packed, and visas and permits had been double and triple checked, Gwen stood up.
“Good work, everyone, thank you!” she said. “You can go home now, get some sleep. Just remember that we’re meeting here at five am, so we can be at the airport by seven. Thanks everyone!”
The team started to gather their things that they needed to take home with them. They had decided to leave their bulkier luggage at the Hub and take a couple cabs to the airport together. It would be less stress on everybody.
Gwen caught up with Ianto and looped her arm through his. “Mind if I come home with you tonight?” she asked seductively.
“What were you thinking of doing? Maybe I can see what you look like without the skirt,” Ianto smirked.
“I think you’ll get lucky tonight,” she smiled sultrily back as they walked to his car.
It was going to be a long day tomorrow.
Section 3