Title: The Year of Drums
Rating: T
Warning: Violence, language, hints of slash
Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or Doctor Who. Both belong to BBC and its respected writers. I make not money using these characters or on writing this story.
Summery: The Torchwood team is without Jack for the first time and each have different ideas on how to survive the reign of the Master, and on how to fight.
Author Note: This will be following the Doctor Who schedule from Utopia through Last of the Time Lords. All three came out in the month of June so the story will start there.
Year of Drums
July 20, 2007
"How's it going, Tosh?" asked Gwen looking around nervously. Next to her was Ianto as he crouched on the ground and rocked back and forth.
"Just a little bit longer," said Toshiko. She had a small laptop on her lap covered by a bag with a pre-paid cellular phone hooked up to the internet. Since the Master's take-over, people were afraid to use technology because they feared the Master would find them and take them away. They feared the same, but still needed their resources.
"Hurry up," complained Owen. "We have to get out of here before someone sees."
"Whining ain't going to help her get it done any faster," said Gwen glaring at him. "We all want to be somewhere else right now."
"I've got it!" said Toshiko in quiet excitement. "Saving and backing connection to Orbital Section 28. Gwen, I need a count." Her fingers seemed to dance around the keyboard as she typed as fast as she could. During previous attempts they've learned that they have a thirty second window before the Master's special police found out they were hacked into and find out where they are.
"Fifteen seconds," counted Gwen looking at her watch.
"Tosh, what's taking so long," asked Owen anxiously looking around the market place.
"It's not one of those one plus one equals two things, Owen," said Toshiko. "It's more like trigonometry, or calculus. It's complex. It's not concrete or linear. It's….Done! Let's go!"
"Had it at five seconds," said Gwen as they stood up. "Getting slow, Tosh."
"They've upgraded," said Toshiko as they walked down the street. "I've compensated for it for future attempts."
"That's good," said Gwen. "We'll need every advantage we can get."
Toshiko just nodded as she discreetly threw the phone in a nearby trash bin and the team hurried down the road. They could already hear the sirens coming down the street and they could already see the white truck with the Black Hand emblem on the sides. They hurry into an alley to not be spotted and hid behind a stack of crates, having to squeeze tight to fit. Ianto even grunted when Gwen stepped on his foot but gave no other sign of their hiding place.
The Black Hand was the Master's own international private law enforcement squad. Specially picked men and women from military to the American National Guard, they were specifically trained to undermine any acts of rebellion and to capture all of the Master's enemies.
Since Jack had left Gwen was given the responsibility of commanding Torchwood, and with her being the newest member of the team she didn't really know what she was doing half the time. She went to Ianto for advice a lot. He had been closest to Jack and would know what the Captain would have done during a crisis, so when an urgent call came for them to head for the Himalayas on a suspected alien attack, none of the team members questioned Gwen's decision to check it out. It took only a day to figure out the horrible mistake they all made. Alien contact had been made. The President of the Unites Sates had been killed.
They hurried back to Cardiff, taking the first government flight back and Owen flooring the gas pedal to its limit. It amazed Toshiko that no one stopped them, but the police had their hands full and when they arrived in Cardiff they saw why. Spheres with blades flew around the city, killing people left and right. Torchwood fought with very weapon they had, but even their best didn't dent the spheres.
The Hub was even worse. The equipment was useless, smashed to bits beyond repair, the entire alien tech had been taken, the bodies in cyro-storage had been torn apart and the Weevils set loose. What broke everyone's hearts were the torn, dismembered remains of Myfanwy, Ianto's beloved pterodactyl. Toshiko had never seen a man cry so hard. He had loved the pteradon as he would his own child. He was never the same after that, barely speaking and only when it was serious, but he was quick to act and his ability to fight wasn't impaired, for which the others were thankful for.
Like with any take over, the world was split into two factions, the one's who sided with the Master, and the one's fighting for freedom. The Torchwood team wasn't a member of either. They don't submit to the Master dictatorship, but they don't alley themselves to the rebels either. They kept out of the way. This caused problems when they are looking for supplies. The Master made them traitors to the new empire he created. They were always on the run.
"That was too bloody close," said Owen after the group of men left. Toshiko opened her computer and began to read the file saved. "What do our friend's say?"
"Hang on, I've just gotten the encryption key," said Toshiko.
"I still find it amazing that the rebellion made an internet page to pass on information," said Owen. Toshiko and Gwen just smirked as both attempted to crack the code. When they did both had their eyes wide open in surprise.
"Got it," said Toshiko. "They want to blow a weapons depo. in Yorkshire. If we don't those weapons will cause a lot of trouble."
"Well, let's vote on it," said Gwen. "Who's up for some fireworks?" Four hands raised. "All right. Torchwood, let's move out!"
October 22, 2007
Gwen yawned as she woke and gratefully moved away from the rock that had been digging into her back through the tent floor. Toshiko and Ianto still slept next to her, Owen's bag was empty. Outside she could smell wood smoke, cooking eggs and….Her mouth watered at the next smell and pushed her way out of the tent, not caring that she was wearing only a black tank top and black panties. It wasn't the first time any of the other four had seen Gwen in her undies. She had seen Owen in his skivvies as well and he wasn't embarrassed about his physique.
"Where the hell did you get sausage?!" she asked hurrying over to the camp fire, shivering in the late autumn air. Owen looked up at her with a small smile. They were currently hiding in the Forest of Den. The trees around them gave a woody leafy smell.
"I was saving them since we left Cardiff in the cold storage box," said Owen as he kept an eye on the precious pieces of meat. His hair had grown, his usual somber face almost set in a permanent frown. It still showed even with his attempt at cheerfulness. Gwen knew she looked just as bad. Her face had also grown worn and tired that was the sign of the times. Her dark hair was a permanent tangle no matter how many times she ran a comb through it.
She was glad for his attempt at being cheerful. Since the day the spheres first attacked nothing had been the same between the team mates. The police tried to fight them off, but many died, including Andy, Gwen's former partner, they learned later. Toshiko had to send her mother away, Ianto lost contact with his sister, Owen didn't have any family to worry about and Rhys…..
Gwen lowered her head to hide the tears that come with the memory. She had found Rhys a few days after she had returned. She refused to leave till she did and the team supported her, helping her find her boyfriend. It was on the fifth day that she got the call. The few people that remained on the police force had been taking a body count and were trying to identify them. They found Rhys the first day, shielding a little girl from being killed. They called Gwen to identify and claim the body. She did and buried him in the forest outside of Cardiff so looters wouldn't desecrate his remains. When she finished, she left with the rest of them.
"Do I smell sausage," asked Toshiko walking out of the tent, shaking Gwen from her reverie, wearing cloths similar to Gwen's only in red but also a pair of blue jeans. Another pair was in her hands along with two sweaters and she tossed one set to Gwen. Her face seemed cheerful, but anyone could see the worn lines around her eyes and the sadness behind the dark orbs.
"Owen is actually cooking," said Gwen in a mock surprise as Ianto joined them. He wore only a pair of pants but he had a shirt in one hand. His usual friendly face had turned hard and his blue eyes cold. "And not burning it. I'm surprised."
"Ha fucking ha," said Owen. "Did you think I lived off of take-outs and TV dinners before I joined Torchwood?"
"Yes," said Gwen and Tosh simultaneously. Ianto nodded. Owen scoffed.
"No respect, I tell you. No respect."
"What's the occasion," asked Gwen sitting next to Owen as she put on her pants and sweater.
"Because, it has now been exactly one year since sweet cheeks here joined Torchwood," said Owen. All three looked at him in surprise. "What? I'm good with dates."
"Oh God, he's right," said Gwen in realization. "I have been here a year."
After a few days she lost track of the time, it had all spent running. First it was hours in the day, then days of the week, then one week turned to months. She couldn't tell anymore if it was a Tuesday or a Friday.
She remembered when she first found out about Torchwood. It was completely by stupid accident. She never thought that a pizza delivery service would have the company name on their list after looking for a Jack Harkness for the past two days. When she first heard of Torchwood she thought they were a special operations department that looked into unusual cases, so she didn't see what was so unusual about a knife victim, and when she found out what Torchwood really was it made more sense. They did deal with unusual cases, cases that couldn't be humanly possible.
She was told what Torchwood was. They were alien hunters, making Gwen think of that American movie, Men in Black, only without the massive underground facility and aliens walking around the corners. She was told about aliens and Weevils and the "flotsam and jetsam" that came through the Rift. She was even more surprised at seeing the dinosaur soaring above the Hub.
As soon as she learned all the wonderful things Jack told her, he made her forget. She tried to make herself remember, but someone had hacked her computer. She later learned it was Ianto but she didn't blame him. He was just following orders, nor did she blame Jack. He was following protocol.
The return of her memories hurt her head like hell, but she was too distracted with Suzan Costello, the former second of command to notice the pain. Suzie had gone insane with the thought of doing a supposed great thing with an alien artifact, and almost proved it true through Gwen.
Jack didn't know it at the time, it was learned later after her second death, but Suzie was too emotionally unstable to work in Torchwood, and with no one to talk to outside of work her delusions of grandeur became dangerous to not only the people around her but herself. She killed first Jack to stop him from arresting her and about to kill Gwen if Jack had not revived in time. Not even Suzie had known about Jack's inability to die. With no other way out, Suzie shot herself in the head.
That was how Gwen got the job as police liaison to Torchwood. "Torchwood has a vacancy" was Jack's words. Gwen didn't need to think twice. She signed up on the spot, and she never regretted looking back. Not then and not now.
She felt an arm wrap around her and looked up to see Ianto's smiling face. She looked around the fire to see the Owen and Toshiko smiling at her as well.
"Happy anniversary, Gwen," said Ianto softly, barely audible if they weren't listening for it.
"Happy anniversary, Gwen," said Toshiko and Owen and handed her the first plate of sausage. Gwen couldn't help but grin as she took it.
January 17, 2008
Owen wiped his face with the rag he made into a handkerchief and tucked it back into the back pocket of his shorts. Sweat still ran down his neck to soak into his tank top. He was grateful at the small bit of shade the awning woven from reeds gave but he still wished for a place with air conditioning.
"Remind me again, why we're waiting in a rural village, during a heat wave, in Africa?" he asked using his hat to fan himself. He knew why they were waiting even through he asked the question. They were waiting for Ianto and Toshiko to return with supplies they were running out of.
"Because it's the middle of winter in Britain," said Gwen. "I doubt you want to freeze your balls off as well as your brain."
Since the destruction of Torchwood Cardiff, Owen was lost on what to do. The familiar ground he had didn't exist anymore. Gone were all the sophisticated equipment Jack invented for him to use to analyze chemicals and alien anatomy, gone were his medical equipment to heal the team when they were injured and gone were any chances of their survival. All he had for a pharmaceutical was a bag on his hip that had medicinal herbs that Katy was into while she was alive and taught to him, travel Band-Aids, camphophinque and gauze.
When Cardiff was attacked by the supposed Toclafane, Owen hid. He had no family left, and Katy had died with an alien tumor in her brain. He had joined Torchwood to prevent things like that from happening again, but here he was, sitting in the blistering African sun, waiting for a miracle.
Owen gave Gwen an irritated look. "Right now the only fear I have for my brain is being fried if it stays out here much longer."
Gwen just gave Owen a snippy look when they heard shouting. Looking down the street they saw the Black Hand chasing a woman through the market place. Her face was concealed and she kept her head down, but seemed to know where she was going.
"Who wears a hoodie in a hundred degree heat," asks Owen as they watched the event.
"Someone who doesn't want to get caught," said Gwen. Without saying a word, both got up and walked down the street. Owen "accidentally" knocked down a vegetable stand after the woman ran past in, halting the Black Hand long enough for Gwen to grab the woman and head for safety. She was dark skinned and wore leather even in the African heat.
"Who are you?" she asked glaring at them. They could see she was afraid but hid it well. "What do you want?"
"I'm Gwen and this is Owen," said Gwen. Owen nodded a greeting. "We're the one's that just kept the Black Hand from finding you."
"I'm Martha, Martha Jones."
Gwen and Owen looked at her in surprise. "The Martha Jones?" asked Owen. "The World's Most Wanted?"
Martha nodded. All three didn't stick around after that. Gwen and Owen took Martha to their newest hiding spot and waited for Toshiko and Ianto to arrive.
"Thanks for waiting," said Toshiko as she and Ianto walked in carrying two heavy bags each. "They aren't heavy or anything."
"Tosh, look who we found," said Gwen as Owen went to help them. "Martha Jones."
Toshiko looked at Martha in surprise and further introduction began. Martha then began telling how she came to be in Africa, beginning with how she met the Doctor. When she came to when she arrived at the end of the universe and met Jack all four of them started asking on how the Captain was, even Ianto. Martha looked at them in surprise.
"You all know Jack?" she asked. All four nodded.
"We're Torchwood," said Gwen pointing to the four of them. "He brought us together."
"How….How was he," asked Ianto quietly. Gwen reached over and gently took his hand.
"He…He was fine," said Martha giving them a forced smile. "Fought like the soldier he is."
"He died again, didn't he," asked Owen blankly and Martha looked at him in surprise. "Yeah, we know about that."
"He didn't abandon us," said Ianto in relief. Gwen drew him close and held him with his head tucked in her shoulder.
"When I first met him, he said he was waiting for a doctor," she said. "I guess he found him. Please finish, Martha."
And Martha did, telling them the Doctor's plan on stopping the Master. The team was amazed by it, but didn't say anything against it. If it came from the Doctor it had to work, right?
"Are you with me?" asked Martha. Gwen looked at the other three and they nodded.
"Count us in," said Gwen. "If you need anything, just let us know. You're an honorary Torchwood member now."
"You don't have to….." started Martha but Ianto took her hands in his with the biggest smile the team saw on him since the disaster struck.
"As Jack would say, welcome to the family, Martha," he said. Martha smiled back and squeezed his hands in gratitude.
June 30, 2008
They watched as the Valiant hovered over the city from the shade of the alley, a menacing ship that had once been the greatest achievement of man and was now the stronghold of the greatest tyrant Earth had ever seen.
"I wish they were here," said Gwen, wiping a stray tear. "I wish he was here."
"They are," said Ianto and Gwen looked up at him. Since the news about Jack Ianto began talking more, even if it sounded like Jack talking with the Welsh's voice. Gwen didn't care. She was ecstatic her friend was talking again. "And he is. They never left."
"They should still be here." Gwen turned to Ianto with eyes red from many sleepless nights and crying. Ianto looked just as bad but his eyes weren't red from grief. They held the fierceness of a man who intended to survive. "It was as much their dream as it was ours," she finished. Ianto reached over and firmly took her hand.
It wasn't long after they found Martha that their camp had been attacked. They were taking Martha out of Africa to head for the States when the Black Hand surrounded them. They managed to find a hiding spot in the basement of an abandoned building, but knew it wouldn't last with the Black Hand searching the area. Owen and Toshiko didn't say anything to Gwen or Ianto; they just looked at each other and ran out the door, providing the distraction they needed to get Martha to safety. Gwen and Ianto had gotten Martha to the rebel boat waiting at the rendezvous point and saw her off, and found Owen and Toshiko dead returning to the town. They clasped each other in a death's grip, unable to be freed by anyone. Ianto had to physically drag Gwen away before they were caught as well and fled the city before their friend's funeral pyres were lit. The death of their friends threw Gwen into deeper depression, and it took all of Ianto's support to keep her sane. Ianto still remembered the last thing Owen said to him before he and Toshiko left them forever.
"Owen, what are you doing?!" Ianto yelled as Owen and Toshiko ran out from their hiding place. Ianto reached up to grab his sleeve but Owen moved away before he could touch the fabric.
"Something brave," said Owen. He and Toshiko looked one last time at the three before yelling at the Black Hand to get their attention and ran off in the opposite direction.
"Are they crazy?" hissed Martha under her breath beside Gwen as they watched the two run off. Gwen shook her head.
"No, their Torchwood," she said.
"Are we crazy," asked Gwen her eyes filling with tears again, remembering the day as well. "Do we even know if this plan is going to work? How can we be sure it's not just another shot in the dark?"
"In case you haven't noticed, Gwen, we've made a living on crazy," said Ianto with what he hoped to be a comforting smile. Gwen gave him a sad angered look and Ianto sighed. "What else do we have to go on, Gwen? We've spent a year running and working with two dozen different resistance cells, on two continents. Martha said the Doctor came up with this, the same Doctor Jack's always talking about. If he can't think of something that may stop the Master, I don't know who will."
"I know, Ian, it's just after a year of running it's hard to think of anything else," said Gwen. Ianto's eyes softened at the nickname and held her close. Only Lisa and Jack had called him by that name, but when Gwen started calling him by it, Ianto couldn't say no. They were the last ones left of what was once a great organization. They were all they had left.
"Come on, Gwen," said Ianto, pulling her away and kissed her comfortingly on the head. There wasn't intimate in the gesture. It was more of a brother kissing his sister. They never sought each other out for comfort, through there were nights that came close. Gwen was still in love with Rhys, and Ianto knew Jack was still alive. He wasn't about to cheat on the man he loves. "Let's go. We have to get into position."
Gwen nodded and they walked into view. No one took notice of them, despite their ragged and dirty appearance. What was one more downtrodden human compared to the devastation of the last year?
Ianto looked up at the ship and couldn't help but remember his deceased girlfriend, Lisa. She had been officially dead at the Canary Wharf battle but Ianto rescued her from the chaos and hide her beneath Torchwood Three, but Jack and the others found her because Lisa's cyber programming took over and began to convert people. Jack had no choice but to kill her. Ianto had been angry at Jack for a long time before he realized that it was his fault. He had wanted to believe that Lisa had still been human somewhere in the programming and the metal, but there was no Lisa left. It was all cybernetic.
A low hum caught Ianto's attention and he looked over at Gwen. She was looking up at the Valiant with a slight smile, humming under her breath. The song made it hard for Ianto to breathe, because it was a song that had meaning for him.
"Paham mae dicter, O Myfanwy, Yn llenwi'th lygaid duon di? A'th ruddiau tirion, O Myfanwy, Heb wrido wrth fy ngweled i? Pa le mae'r wên oedd ar dy wefus Fu'n cynnau 'nghariad ffyddlon ffôl? Pa le mae sain dy eiriau melys, Fu'n denu'n nghalon ar dy ôl?"
"Myfanwy," he breathed. Gwen seemed to hear him and gave him an embarrassed smile.
"I'm sorry. It just popped in my head."
Ianto shook his head. "No, it's all right," he said. "It was…It was Lisa's favorite song."
"It was," said Gwen in interest. She paused in thought for a moment. "Was that why you named the pterodactyl "Myfanwy?" Because you captured her to get into Torchwood?"
"Partially," said Ianto with a half smile looking over at Gwen. "I thought it would be a good name for her. Who else was there to love her but us?"
Gwen smiled up at him and took his hand, both humming the song till the end, watching the clock. It was a few seconds till the launch till Gwen spoke again, watching the Valiant overhead.
"Do you think Jack's up there, with the Doctor and Martha?" she asked. Ianto couldn't help but laugh.
"I know he's up there. You know Jack. He's always where the action is." Gwen nodded
The clock struck the hour of the launch and as one Gwen and Ianto spoke the name that would save the world. Ianto couldn't help but send a small thought to the one that gave him a place to belong.
xxxxxxx
This story was originally titled "Year of Hell" but I decided it was too colorful to use as a title so I changed it to "Year of Drums".
-"Myfanwy" is a popular Welsh song written in 1875 by a man named Joseph Parry. The song is still a favorite in male voice choirs despite it being old fashion.
Paham mae dicter, O Myfanwy,
Yn llenwi'th lygaid duon di?
A'th ruddiau tirion, O Myfanwy,
Heb wrido wrth fy ngweled i?
Pa le mae'r wên oedd ar dy wefus
Fu'n cynnau 'nghariad ffyddlon ffôl?
Pa le mae sain dy eiriau melys,
Fu'n denu'n nghalon ar dy ôl?
Pa beth a wneuthum, O Myfanwy
I haeddu gwg dy ddwyrudd hardd?
Ai chwarae oeddit, O Myfanwy
 thanau euraidd serch dy fardd?
Wyt eiddo im drwy gywir amod
Ai gormod cadw'th air i mi?
Ni cheisiaf fyth mo'th law, Myfanwy,
Heb gael dy galon gyda hi.
Myfanwy boed yr holl o'th fywyd
Dan heulwen disglair canol dydd.
A boed i rosyn gwridog iechyd
I ddawnsio ganmlwydd ar dy rudd.
Anghofia'r oll o'th addewidion
A wnest i rywun, 'ngeneth ddel,
A dyro'th law, Myfanwy dirion
I ddim ond dweud y gair "Ffarwél".
English translationWhy is it anger, O Myfanwy,
That fills your eyes so dark and clear?
Your gentle cheeks, O sweet Myfanwy,
Why blush they not when I draw near?
Where is the smile that once most tender
Kindled my love so fond, so true?
Where is the sound of your sweet words,
That drew my heart to follow you?
What have I done, O my Myfanwy,
To earn your frown? What is my blame?
Was it just play, my sweet Myfanwy,
To set your poet's love aflame?
You truly once to me were promised,
Is it too much to keep your part?
I wish no more your hand, Myfanwy,
If I no longer have your heart.
Myfanwy, may you spend your lifetime
Beneath the midday sunshine's glow,
And on your cheeks O may the roses
Dance for a hundred years or so.
Forget now all the words of promise
You made to one who loved you well,
Give me your hand, my sweet Myfanwy,
But one last time, to say "farewell".