The fan-fic is set after episode 1, series 2.
The Cybermen are back from experimenting. But what are they examining? And why do they need humans?
Toshiko Sato was in the Hub at her workstation. She was calculating Rift info, thinking fondly about numbers and mathematic figures. Ianto Jones was in the Archives, happily sorting the right decades of files out. Owen Harper strode confidently around in the Autopsy, glanced proudly over at his well-watered alien plants. Gwen Cooper sat at her workstation, pretending to be very focused on a file about a fire 100 years ago, but was looking at her desk, where a framed picture of her and Rhys were both smiling wide, teeth showing in laughter. She sighed happily, and smiled at the picture. In Jack's office, the Captain sat, pretending to be doing paperwork, but his thoughts were with Ianto. And they were definitely not archiving in his mind.
It was just in that second, all lost in thoughts, the Rift Activity alarm sounded, and Ianto was back, holding out Jack's coat for him to put it on, before the others even got up. Toshiko looked at her screen, now showing a radar, telling them they would need the SUV. Owen drove the black impressive vehicle, following the sat-nav, telling them to go north. They drove for an hour and a half, ended up in the dark. They all flicked on their torches on. The light lit up trees, dirt and their breaths. They moved forward – Jack in the front, Gwen and Owen right behind him, Ianto and Tosh in the back, looking for possible dangers. Something moved on the ground, Gwen automatically drawing out her gun, pointing her torch on the ground, eyes wide open. There was nothing there. She didn't know whether she should be relieved or scared. The team kept walking, constantly on guard. Jack was feeling impatient, when he turned around to Tosh, who was holding up some kind of alien tech. He was just about to ask her, what they were looking for, when she looked behind him, and he followed her eyes: "I think we found it" she said.
The group, all staring at a huge, dark cave entrance couldn't find any words. It was Ianto who broke the silence. "So er, do you reckon we should take our shoes off before we go in?" they shot him all a glance.
They went in, but kept their shoes on. They could soon hear distant metallic thuds, indicating work. They went closer to some light, and they stood up on a metal staircase, trying not to make any sounds. "Maybe we should've taken our shoes off" Ianto commented dryly, as Gwen's boot hit the metal. They once again shot him a glance, except Jack, who sent him a beaming smile and a wink at him. Ianto replied by smiling discreetly back at him and cleared his throat. They turned their attention back to the mission – what was causing the rift activity? Toshiko was focusing on her PDA, trying to figure it all out. Owen was observing the environment they had ended up in. It was a cave from dirt, with metal stairs, tools sounding from below. Jack looked down on to the lower floor, and saw a metallic glimpse. The sounds from the tools were then drowned from the sound of metallic, rhythmic thuds, indicating footsteps. Jack met Owens, Toshikos and Gwens eyes, but didn't dare to look at Ianto.
