Fic: Valiant 8/38
Title: Valiant Chapter 8/38
Author: MeiLin
Characters/pairing in this chapter: Gwen, Ianto, Toshiko, Owen
Rating for this chapter: PG
Summary for this chapter: Torchwood meets its fate in the Himalayas.
A/N for this chapter: A version of this chapter originally appeared as part of "We'll Meet Again." It has been revised and expanded.
Valiant Central Page
"Fairy Meadow?" Owen had said, Googling away. "We're going to bloody New South Wales?"
"No," Ianto had replied, staring intently at his workstation readouts. "The Himalayas. Near Nanga Parbat. Ninth-highest mountain on Earth. It's a tourist spot, primarily--spectacular views of the mountain. Some climbers use it as a preparation point before heading to the northern base camp."
"I don't care how serious this is, I don't like it," Toshiko had murmured as she packed her gear. "I don't like leaving with Jack away like this. We don't even know where he is!"
"Can't be helped, can it?" Gwen had answered, but her face had been troubled.
Now, here they were, all four of them and their gear on a gently bowl-shaped plateau. Tall pine trees ringed it all round, branches covered in white. Nothing else could be seen other than a few off-season tourists and climbing enthusiasts, and the mountain itself rising above the pines like a white wall.
"No sign of anything the least bit out of the ordinary, at least for Pakistan at 33-hundred meters," grumped Owen, unshouldering his pack. "Any of you finding anything?"
"Nothing," said Gwen, fingering her earpiece as she strode up to the other three. "No one in local government has the faintest idea what I'm talking about, and I've been trying since before we left." She turned away and began speaking very slowly to the air. "Yes. Can I PLEASE...speak with someone...who understands...English?"
Peering over the tops of her glasses, Tosh shook her head at her laptop, precariously balanced on a pile of gear. "Nothing. Ianto," she said, looking up at him, "why are we here?"
He looked down with a small frown. "You'd almost think someone wanted us gone from Cardiff."
"You're sure it wasn't New South Wales?" said Owen, scanning the tourists.
Ianto ignored him. "It is beautiful, though." He brought his field glasses up to his eyes and scanned the mountain. "Wait." Something small and bright--no, several small, bright somethings--appeared over the tree line.
Gwen turned at the sound of his voice, her face pale. "Something's wrong. I finally reached the right intelligence officer in Islamabad--" She pulled the earpiece off and thrust it into her jeans pocket. "He just started screaming. There's nothing but screaming."
Ianto watched as the metallic dots grew into little spheres, whizzing through the air under their own power. "I think I see our aliens."
The spheres playfully buzzed the meadow, scattering the three dozen or so sightseers like a herd of spooked sheep. Tosh struggled to her feet in rapt fascination, laptop forgotten as she watched the spheres dance through the air.
And then they began to fire on the fleeing tourists.
Owen took up his pack and grabbed Tosh's hand.
"Run!"
"Where are Ianto and Gwen! Owen! Slow down! We've lost Ianto and Gwen!"
Owen was dragging her, crashing through the the pine trees. Tosh struggled to keep up with Owen's much longer strides.
"We can't stop, Tosh, it can't be helped," he said, breathing hard as he ran. "They're adults, and they're armed. First we get to safety, then we figure out what the fuck is going on, then we meet back up."
They ran on in silence, Tosh clinging to Owen's hand.
"Owen!" Tosh gasped as they broke into a small clearing. "Please, we have to stop." She dropped his hand and bent, hands braced on her knees. Her breath came in white puffs in the cold. Owen's lungs felt as if they were on fire, and his wiry chest heaved as he sucked in the thin air.
"My laptop...all my gear...it's all back there, I don't have anything with me," Tosh panted. She brushed her black hair out of her face. Her glasses were lost somewhere back in the underbrush and snow. "Do we have anything with us? Anything at all?"
"Just my pack," Owen answered, catching his breath. "I think we've got some rations...ammunition. I've got ammunition. My sidearm." He scanned the trees ahead, trying to gauge their position.
From the too-near distance came the sound of terrified screams. "We have to keep going," Owen rasped out, taking her hand again. He turned--
--and there at the clearing's edge stood a team of commandos, dressed all in snow camoflage, faces masked. Owen ran his eyes over them. Elite outfit, obviously. No insignia. "What flag?" he called, still panting. There was no answer. "What flag!"
Finally, the point man spoke. "British."
"Oh thank God," said Tosh, relaxing slightly.
"Listen," said Owen, stepping forward, "We're Torchwood--"
Eight machine gun barrels came up. "Whoa, steady on!" cried Owen, backpedaling. He put himself between the soldiers and Tosh.
"Wait," said Tosh. "We were sent here by Prime Minister Saxon--there are people back in the Fairy Meadows dying--"
One of the men spoke. "Doctor Toshiko Sato. Doctor Owen Harper." It wasn't a question, and it wasn't addressed to them. The squad leader aimed his submachine gun straight at Owen.
Tosh clutched Owen's shoulder, dark eyes showing white all around. "What are you doing!" she screamed. "We're on your side!"
Owen felt the bullet hit him square in the chest. Probably nicked his heart, definitely punctured a lung, he thought objectively as he hit the ground. His vision went dark almost immediately. Hm, he thought. Bleeding out internally. Hard to think. Fuck. This hurts.
Somewhere above him he heard Tosh screaming his name. He felt her pull his head into her lap; now she was kissing him, kissing his eyes, his forehead, stroking his hair. He felt something like warm raindrops--tears, must be her tears. Why was she crying over him? he wondered. He'd been such a bastard to her.
"Owen!" he heard her sob. "Owen, I love you!" There was a second crack. Tosh made a gurgling sound, and her body fell against his chest. With great effort, he raised one arm and brought it across her back. She was still. He pulled her as close as he could, and felt Tosh's blood, warm and sticky, flowing over his fingers and onto his body.
I'm dying, thought Owen. Tosh is dead, and I'm dying.
*Owen.*
A voice came through the stillness, filling his mind.
*Mum? Gran? Grandad?* No. All three--and many more voices, all speaking as one voice.
*Owen. It's going to be all right. Everything is going to be all right.*
Owen's breathing slowed, and then stopped. All right. It was going to be--
Author: MeiLin
Characters/pairing in this chapter: Gwen, Ianto, Toshiko, Owen
Rating for this chapter: PG
Summary for this chapter: Torchwood meets its fate in the Himalayas.
A/N for this chapter: A version of this chapter originally appeared as part of "We'll Meet Again." It has been revised and expanded.
Valiant Central Page
"Fairy Meadow?" Owen had said, Googling away. "We're going to bloody New South Wales?"
"No," Ianto had replied, staring intently at his workstation readouts. "The Himalayas. Near Nanga Parbat. Ninth-highest mountain on Earth. It's a tourist spot, primarily--spectacular views of the mountain. Some climbers use it as a preparation point before heading to the northern base camp."
"I don't care how serious this is, I don't like it," Toshiko had murmured as she packed her gear. "I don't like leaving with Jack away like this. We don't even know where he is!"
"Can't be helped, can it?" Gwen had answered, but her face had been troubled.
Now, here they were, all four of them and their gear on a gently bowl-shaped plateau. Tall pine trees ringed it all round, branches covered in white. Nothing else could be seen other than a few off-season tourists and climbing enthusiasts, and the mountain itself rising above the pines like a white wall.
"No sign of anything the least bit out of the ordinary, at least for Pakistan at 33-hundred meters," grumped Owen, unshouldering his pack. "Any of you finding anything?"
"Nothing," said Gwen, fingering her earpiece as she strode up to the other three. "No one in local government has the faintest idea what I'm talking about, and I've been trying since before we left." She turned away and began speaking very slowly to the air. "Yes. Can I PLEASE...speak with someone...who understands...English?"
Peering over the tops of her glasses, Tosh shook her head at her laptop, precariously balanced on a pile of gear. "Nothing. Ianto," she said, looking up at him, "why are we here?"
He looked down with a small frown. "You'd almost think someone wanted us gone from Cardiff."
"You're sure it wasn't New South Wales?" said Owen, scanning the tourists.
Ianto ignored him. "It is beautiful, though." He brought his field glasses up to his eyes and scanned the mountain. "Wait." Something small and bright--no, several small, bright somethings--appeared over the tree line.
Gwen turned at the sound of his voice, her face pale. "Something's wrong. I finally reached the right intelligence officer in Islamabad--" She pulled the earpiece off and thrust it into her jeans pocket. "He just started screaming. There's nothing but screaming."
Ianto watched as the metallic dots grew into little spheres, whizzing through the air under their own power. "I think I see our aliens."
The spheres playfully buzzed the meadow, scattering the three dozen or so sightseers like a herd of spooked sheep. Tosh struggled to her feet in rapt fascination, laptop forgotten as she watched the spheres dance through the air.
And then they began to fire on the fleeing tourists.
Owen took up his pack and grabbed Tosh's hand.
"Run!"
"Where are Ianto and Gwen! Owen! Slow down! We've lost Ianto and Gwen!"
Owen was dragging her, crashing through the the pine trees. Tosh struggled to keep up with Owen's much longer strides.
"We can't stop, Tosh, it can't be helped," he said, breathing hard as he ran. "They're adults, and they're armed. First we get to safety, then we figure out what the fuck is going on, then we meet back up."
They ran on in silence, Tosh clinging to Owen's hand.
"Owen!" Tosh gasped as they broke into a small clearing. "Please, we have to stop." She dropped his hand and bent, hands braced on her knees. Her breath came in white puffs in the cold. Owen's lungs felt as if they were on fire, and his wiry chest heaved as he sucked in the thin air.
"My laptop...all my gear...it's all back there, I don't have anything with me," Tosh panted. She brushed her black hair out of her face. Her glasses were lost somewhere back in the underbrush and snow. "Do we have anything with us? Anything at all?"
"Just my pack," Owen answered, catching his breath. "I think we've got some rations...ammunition. I've got ammunition. My sidearm." He scanned the trees ahead, trying to gauge their position.
From the too-near distance came the sound of terrified screams. "We have to keep going," Owen rasped out, taking her hand again. He turned--
--and there at the clearing's edge stood a team of commandos, dressed all in snow camoflage, faces masked. Owen ran his eyes over them. Elite outfit, obviously. No insignia. "What flag?" he called, still panting. There was no answer. "What flag!"
Finally, the point man spoke. "British."
"Oh thank God," said Tosh, relaxing slightly.
"Listen," said Owen, stepping forward, "We're Torchwood--"
Eight machine gun barrels came up. "Whoa, steady on!" cried Owen, backpedaling. He put himself between the soldiers and Tosh.
"Wait," said Tosh. "We were sent here by Prime Minister Saxon--there are people back in the Fairy Meadows dying--"
One of the men spoke. "Doctor Toshiko Sato. Doctor Owen Harper." It wasn't a question, and it wasn't addressed to them. The squad leader aimed his submachine gun straight at Owen.
Tosh clutched Owen's shoulder, dark eyes showing white all around. "What are you doing!" she screamed. "We're on your side!"
Owen felt the bullet hit him square in the chest. Probably nicked his heart, definitely punctured a lung, he thought objectively as he hit the ground. His vision went dark almost immediately. Hm, he thought. Bleeding out internally. Hard to think. Fuck. This hurts.
Somewhere above him he heard Tosh screaming his name. He felt her pull his head into her lap; now she was kissing him, kissing his eyes, his forehead, stroking his hair. He felt something like warm raindrops--tears, must be her tears. Why was she crying over him? he wondered. He'd been such a bastard to her.
"Owen!" he heard her sob. "Owen, I love you!" There was a second crack. Tosh made a gurgling sound, and her body fell against his chest. With great effort, he raised one arm and brought it across her back. She was still. He pulled her as close as he could, and felt Tosh's blood, warm and sticky, flowing over his fingers and onto his body.
I'm dying, thought Owen. Tosh is dead, and I'm dying.
*Owen.*
A voice came through the stillness, filling his mind.
*Mum? Gran? Grandad?* No. All three--and many more voices, all speaking as one voice.
*Owen. It's going to be all right. Everything is going to be all right.*
Owen's breathing slowed, and then stopped. All right. It was going to be--