Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or Doctor Who
Beta: RoyalLadyEmma

Written for last year's Reel_Torchwood to the prompt of Raiders of the Lost Ark

Chapter 1

In the 51st Century mankind has moved beyond their own planet and stretched out into the stars and in doing so, they have learned to leave behind their prejudices and beliefs that they are alone in the universe.

Even before man reached the stars however, stories existed of a race that travelled freely through and watched over time and space. Their name was whispered and feared by some, sung and celebrated by others; they were Time Lords. There was no race greater or more revered than them. They were long sought after by those who wanted to learn about – or steal – their ability to travel through time and space. But all efforts to find them or their home planet, Gallifrey, failed and then rumours began floating around that the reason they were no longer around was that the Time Lords had engaged their greatest and deadliest enemy, the Daleks, in a time war that threatened to engulf all the universe. Then suddenly it was over and both terrifyingly powerful races were gone.

All that they ever were or would be was gone. Forever.

Then, years later, stories began circulating of a Gallifreyan relic, a Time Lord treasure full of wonders beyond imagining or believing. Such were the legends surrounding it that locating the last remaining artefacts of the fabled Time Lords became the dream find of every archaeologist and treasure hunter in the known universe.

For it was believed that whomsoever found the treasure would have the power of time at their fingertips.

Thick lush forests of green grew tall and straight, reaching up to the sky, while wild flowers bloomed in riotous colours and vines grew freely around the ancient ruins of Anevia. The first peoples of the planet Daddario were another of the ancient races who, like the Gallifreyans, had perfected space travel long before humans ever dreamt of leaving Old Earth. Like so many other ancient civilisations that formed the basis of myth and legend, no one knew what became of their culture and society but the young man leading the expedition was determined to find out what happened to them.

At the head of the party was a young man whose short leather jacket was definitely not the ideal wear for the hot, humid weather of Anevia, but it didn't seem to bother him a bit. Covering his head at a jaunty angle was an old-fashioned and battered fedora that kept the heat off of his head and the sun out of his eyes and stuck in its band was a very weird-looking feather, acquired from the tail feathers of an exotic dancer in the Vegas Galaxy. Despite his young age, Ianto Jones was one of New Earth's greatest archaeologists, renowned for taking the most life-threatening risks and the greatest chances during his explorations but who usually ended up with truly astounding finds.

Behind Ianto was his guide, Adam, a man Ianto rightfully trusted about as far as he could throw him; the unscrupulous opportunist was well-known for happily stabbing his clients in the back when offered a higher price. Ianto didn't like him and hated doing business with him, but the man had connections that Ianto needed, although that didn't mean that he wasn't keeping a close eye on Adam and his lover/partner, Grey. The man had even fewer ethics than Adam and if given half a chance, Ianto would happily him toss off the nearest cliff.

Following Grey and Adam walked a small group of five Amadeus. Many ages ago they had established trade agreements with the Anevia and they continued to benefit from that trust by showing the ruins to tourists and explorers alike for a hefty price. For an additional fee, the men of the village consented to act as porters for Ianto's group and take care of the pack animals. The Amadeus' language was, as best Ianto could tell, a mixture of old Earth French and ancient Latin, and from the hushed and hurried conversations he'd overheard, they were getting nervous about getting too close to the ruins. It would seem that even in extinction, the Anevia didn't take kindly to outsiders coming to plunder their treasure.

"They're talking about the curse again," Adam growled under his breath, glaring at the Amadeus before snarling back in their own language, "Stop being cowards; there is no such thing as a curse!"

Ianto shook his head and lowered the brim of his hat to hide his knowing eyes; he could– in fact, he was sure everyone could hear – the timber of fear in Adam's voice. One of the first things any explorer learned was that the Anevia were very well known for their deadly traps. In fact, all the newsfeeds in the galaxy had carried a story and/or video of how the last group that came to this particular temple never returned and no trace of them has ever been found.

After many days of walking through dense jungle, of sleeping on the hard ground, of being drenched by torrential downpours and of eating strange food prepared by their native guides, Ianto felt a grateful smile grace his face as his party finally reached the break in the canyon wall. In between its massive ramparts lay a trail that would lead him to his destination, for off in the distance was the hazy yet still majestic outline of the Temple of the Anevia Warriors, rumoured to be thousands, if not millions of years old.

Ianto was struck by its beauty, which was visible at such a distance, and a low whistle of pure admiration escaped his lips. He stood, absorbing the sight, feeling the serenity of it reaching out for him, before terrified mutterings reached his ears and he turned in time to see three of the Amadeus guides drop the heavy packs they were holding then turn tail and run back the way they came.

"Why those no good cowards!" Adam snarled viciously as he pulled out his sonic blaster and aimed for one of the retreating men's back.

"No!" Ianto snapped impatiently as he immediately grabbed Adam's hand in a tight grip so his shot went high and wild, slicing through the leafy canopy. "Let them go! They won't tell anyone where they brought us; this is a forbidden place, after all." Ianto prayed that was enough to stop Adam from killing either of their remaining guides, or anyone else for that matter.

The menacing look Adam cast at the hand he had on his arm sent shivers up and down Ianto's spine; he knew that Adam was a very dangerous man. The last four archaeologists and treasure hunters that had failed him in his pursuit of wealth and renown had mysteriously never been seen again and anyone who dared to lay a finger on him lost that hand. Smiling his most disarming and friendliest smile Ianto casually removed his hand from Adam's arm and turned on the charm, "We don't need them."

A distasteful look twisted Adam's face and Grey watched the confrontation with concern in his eyes as his lover spat out, "I do not carry supplies."

As much as Ianto hated what he was about to suggest, he knew that he had no choice, "Then we'll leave them. Once we've got what we came for, we'll be able to reach the plane by dusk," Ianto declared with a shrug of his shoulders before turning back to the trail.

As Grey got the two remaining Amadeus to follow Ianto, the two lovers shared a silent conversation during which Adam slipped out the knife he always carried and pointed at Ianto's back before making a slicing motion across his throat.

Grey shook his head as he hissed at him, "Be patient, you idiot, we still need him to get the treasure."

Scowling petulantly but knowing his lover was right Adam put the knife away. 'Once your usefulness has run out, Jones, I will take great joy in slitting your throat,' Adam vowed silently at Ianto's back.

Trusting his instincts, Ianto discreetly checked to make sure that his sonic blaster was still tucked safely away and then he steeled his shoulders; he knew the odds of them all getting out alive were slim to none and getting lower every second.

The small party fanned out to fight their way through the entwined trees that had become the silent guardians of the temple. Visibility had been cut due to heavy mist but Ianto made sure to keep Grey and Adam in his line of sight, he was not going to give either man a chance to knife him in the back.

Grey, for the moment at least, had no desire to kill Ianto; he had bigger problems to worry about. His attention had been drawn to a nasty-looking handmade dart sticking out from the middle of a tree trunk. Using extreme care, he extracted it and examined the point gingerly, making sure that none of his skin came in contact with the tip. "The Tarqin are near. This poison is still fresh... three days, maybe less. I'm telling you, they're following us!" Grey snapped out. He flushed as he heard the tinge of fear in his voice, but there was no way to hide the fact that the native tribe terrified him.

The Tarqin were the last sentient life forms on Daddario, but instead of evolving they had slipped back into the primitive ways of their ancestors. They lived in small, tightly-knit family-based clans in mud and bamboo huts that hung from overhead tree limbs to protect them from predators; they hunted for food in the jungle using poison darts and razor-sharp stone-tipped spears.

"Get a grip! If they knew we were here, they would have killed us already," Ianto shot back. The Tarqin were well-known for their dislike of trespassers and anyone caught on their land was dead before they knew what hit them. Rumours persisted that the Tarqin often ate their victims in grisly victory ceremonies.

The last two remaining Amadeus were growing all the more nervous and if Ianto wasn't mistaken, they were slowly becoming hysterical, which did nothing to help calm down Adam's nerves. Ianto noted that his eyes were darting rapidly in every direction both Adam and Grey had begun to sweat profusely. When Adam finally screamed at the Amadeus in near hysteria "to shut the fuck up!" Ianto knew that the situation had suddenly become much more dangerous.

Overwhelmed by the ranting man one of the Amadeus moved sideways, closer to the undergrowth in an effort to get away from Adam. He was weighing his options for escape when a slithering movement caught his attention; cautiously he pulled back the branch that was blocking his view. His eyes went comically wide and he felt blood-curdling horror fill him as he found himself face-to-face with a stone sculpture of a Chachapoyan demon. Unable to scream, he did the only thing he could think of, he turned tail and ran away silently into the jungle they had just left.

After getting no response when he out to called his friend, the last Amadeus allowed his curiosity get the better of him and he looked into the foliage where his friend had looked. A similar look of horror appeared on his face before he spun around and took off after his friend, never to return.

Unaware of the fact that their last remaining guides had abandoned them, Ianto, Adam and Grey had finally cleared the dense trees and stepped into a small clearing where they found themselves standing in front of the temple. It was dark, mysterious and awesome; vegetation had curled around every crevice and over each elaborate frieze. But it was the entrance that had their jaws dropping: round, open and black, it had been designed to look like the gaping maw of open jaws.

Glancing around a distasteful but sad look appeared on Ianto's face. "So this is where Lisa cashed in." He thought it eerie to be standing in the last place anyone had ever heard of Lisa Hallett.

Grey blinked owlishly as he asked, "A friend of yours or maybe even an old lover?"

Ianto shook his head. "No, a competitor and a good one, very good." It made him wonder, 'if Lisa fell into a trap what does that say about our chances?'

It was clear that Adam was beginning to think the same thing, as his eyes darted about nervously. He wasn't given to having second thoughts about an exploration, but then again, he'd never been anywhere that was as menacing as the Anevian temple. "No one has ever come out of there alive. Why should we put our faith in you?"

Not bothering to answer such a stupid question, Ianto reached up and took the weird feather from the band of his hat, ignoring Adam and Grey as they came closer to watch transfixed as from within its point he slipped a tightly rolled piece of parchment from it. A disgusted albeit excited look passed between the two lovers; the piece of the map they had been looking for had been right in front of them the whole time. Silently they joined Ianto who was kneeling in the dirt and spreading out the delicate parchment, which turned out to be one-half of a crudely-drawn floor plan of the temple.

"No one ever had what we have... partners." Calling the two disreputable and unscrupulous men his partners left a nasty taste in Ianto's mouth, and he tried to ignore the flash of guilt that appeared in Grey's eyes before he fixed them with an expectant stare. His body language was clearly shouting, "Well, I'm waiting!"

At Adam's curt nod of permission, Grey produced a similar, but carefully folded, piece of parchment, opening it to reveal the other half of the floor plan. With his heart pounding fiercely in his chest, Ianto carefully matched up both pieces and then studied them for a moment. Then, satisfied that he understood what he was seeing, Ianto grinned at the two men before standing and walking towards the temple.

Adam's eyes shone with deadly excitement as they darted from the floor plan and Grey to Ianto and the temple.

With his back towards his fellow explorers and erstwhile partners, Ianto pointed to his left and began speaking animatedly, "Assuming that pillar there marks the corner and..."

Seeing the perfect opportunity to rid himself of his detested pest Adam jumped to his feet, quietly drew out his sonic blaster and raised it towards Ianto just as Grey realised with great alarm what his lover was going to do and tried to stop him.

But it was too late.

Ianto had turned his head to see what was taking them so long to join him and he saw the weapon in Adam's outstretched hand. What he did next the other two men could only agree was amazingly graceful and fast, yet totally unhurried. Ianto slid his right hand up and under the back of his leather jacket and it emerged a split second later grasping the handle of a neatly curled bullwhip. With the same fluidity of movement Ianto spun his body around to face Adam head-on and the whip uncoiled to its full ten-foot length, lashing out faster than the human eye could track.

The fall of the whip wrapped itself around Adam's hand and blaster, effectively stopping Adam in place; he couldn't drop the gun now even if he wanted to. With a short, sharp pull Ianto jerked Adam's arm down where it involuntarily discharged the blaster into the ground.

Adam's eyes narrowed dangerously and an ugly scowl turned his handsome face into a grotesque mask of evil. He hated the fact that he was impressed with Ianto's 'rather theatrical move,' but that feeling quickly faded as he detected a slight amount of slack in the whip and he immediately took advantage of it by raising his blaster at Ianto again, using his free hand to cock it.

Ianto's face went hard and then sad as he swept his arm in a wide arc, spinning Adam around so that he was completely enclosed within the leather coil of the whip with his blaster hand tucked tightly against his body. Ianto gave the whip handle one more swift jerk and Adam's blaster fired. With one final sharp tug Ianto loosened the whip and Adam's lifeless form fell to the ground with a thud.

For a moment the only sound to be heard was a shrill muted scream as Grey gazed upon his lover's dead body. Even the shrieks and calls of the myriad birds and wildlife in the jungle were quiet, as though shocked by Adam's traitorous actions.

When Ianto's attention turned to him Grey quickly dropped to his knees in the dirt and threw his arms over his head in surrender. "I knew nothing! He was crazy! Please, you have to believe me!" The man was trembling like a leaf and there was the very real possibility that he was going to lose control of his bladder as he desperately prayed that Ianto would believe him.

Ianto gave him one good looking over and he decided that the abject fear in Grey's eyes could not be faked and with an abrupt nod Ianto decided the man's fate.

"Let's go."