The Trouble with Nessie - Chapter Three

Author: Milady Dragon

Author's Note: I hope everyone has a great New Year!

2 June 2012

Loch Ness

Scottish Highlands

Toshiko climbed out of the passenger side of the lorry Archie had driven to Tulloch, stretching her legs after the ride up to the loch.

They'd needed the lorry because Oscar simply didn't fit well in a conventional vehicle, not even the older Land Rover that was the property of the Institute and that Archie loved so much. Oscar had said he would have been fine, but to Toshiko's surprise Josh had stepped up and claimed they'd need the lorry for his equipment…and he'd been right, of course. Ianto had requisitioned a tonne of gear from the Royal Navy and, even with Josh's expert paring down, it had still ended up being quite a lot. Add to that the scientific equipment…yes, the lorry had been needed.

Josh was handling things well. Toshiko had had some doubts about their newest recruit; after all, Archie had been correct in one thing: Josh Gates had been a television presenter, with no real experience in what Torchwood did. She'd been a bit irritated about that first time he'd been in Cardiff, since he'd been there to hunt down her best friend, and had been surprised when he'd managed to throw off the Retcon. And, when he'd suddenly appeared in Cardiff, looking for a job, she'd been more of Archie's mindset than Jack and Ianto's.

In the last three weeks, however, he'd very nearly completely turned her opinion around. Josh had proved to be hard-working, as well as intelligent and willing to learn. He and Clint seemed to get along like a house on fire, and Toshiko could see the pair of them giving Patrick all sorts of grief in London, if that was where they both ended up.

Josh had only been thrown for a loop a couple of times in his training, but he hadn't let it derail him from whatever task Jack had set for him. And, when this mission had come up, he's accepted it even though Jack had been decidedly cagey about what they would be doing. Jack hadn't even said much to Toshiko herself, which was irritating but she could tell a training exercise when she saw one. So, she'd gone along, letting Jack dictate what they knew – and didn't know – although what it had actually been hadn't been something Toshiko had considered.

Nessie was sick.

Everyone in Torchwood and in the village of Tulloch – despite what had occurred there all those years ago – loved Nessie. She remembered when Archie had gone on the tear about the major television crew going up to the loch, with all sorts of specialised gear, and how he'd had to actually get Nessie out to the North Sea through the channel to the ocean that lay under the surface of Loch Ness. That had been Josh's team back then, so she could understand why the Scotsman was a bit put out by Josh's hiring.

Still, Toshiko knew that she might need the help. If Nessie got too sick to surface before she could fix or replace the implant…they would still need to beach her, in order to perform whatever surgery would be needed to get to the affected region of her power nodes. Hopefully it wouldn't be too serious, and it would be something she and Oscar could fix.

No one wanted to lose their resident Skarasen.

The lorry shifted slightly, the sound of the rear door opening sounding over the nearly deserted parking lot of The Fox Inn, where they would be staying. Torchwood had standing reservations there; they only needed to give fair warning that they were coming, and the landlord, Angus MacRanald, would have everything ready for them. This time, Toshiko knew he was as upset about Nessie's health as the rest of the village, and would do everything in his power to help, even if it was only to keep them in the good local brew, his wife's excellent cooking, and clean sheets.

"This is nice," Josh observed, coming to stand beside her, his hands full of equipment cases. He'd been riding in the back of the lorry with Oscar, to keep the scientist company. "When I was up there, we stayed in Drumnadrochit, where the Exhibition Centre is."

Toshiko was familiar with the place, and for very good reason Torchwood stayed clear. The place was a Loch Ness Monster mecca, and there were tourists and scientists there for quite a bit over the monster-hunting season…which was late spring to early fall, when the weather wasn't too bad out on the water.

Nessie stayed away as well, and she hardly ever got caught on camera anymore. But then, Toshiko believed even she got tired of all the fuss surrounding her existence. Nessie would rather live in peace, and the people of Tulloch took care of her, making sure no one saw her.

"It's not hard to see why this was the forward base to an alien invasion," he continued. "It's isolated and away from the tourist traps."

He had a point. "The Zygons were shapeshifters," she pointed out, "and so they blended in fairly well."

"Not well enough that they weren't finally found out."

Toshiko conceded that he had a point.

"This place just oozes history. I would love to spend some time here and just poke around in the local lore." Josh shifted the cases slightly, reminding Toshiko that they were fairly heavy.

"It is a nice place to visit," Oscar replied. He was wearing a fleece jacket that had been specially made for him, to ward off the cold; even though it was June there was a sharp breeze off the loch. He didn't usually wear anything, relying on his feathers and his scales to keep him warm, but then he did spend a great deal of time in the labs at Torchwood House, in climate-controlled conditions. "The people here accept my presence easily."

"Yeah," Josh sympathised, "it can't be easy getting out and about for you."

"No, it is not. So, finding a place that will let me walk about without anyone screaming is a bonus."

Toshiko could tell he was joking a little; obviously, so could Josh, because he barked a laugh. "At least they're not asking for your autograph."

Oscar looked at him innocently. "I can do that if it would make you feel more at home."

Josh grinned. "I think I sprained my wrist signing all the forms I needed to when I got hired on, so no thanks."

"Come on, you lot," Archie growled, "let's get the equipment up to our rooms and then I'll go and call we can start the initial scans."

Josh looked interested. "I'd certainly like to see that, if it's fine with you."

Ever since he'd learned that the Loch Ness Monster really existed, the former television presenter had been looking forward to meeting her. Penelope had claimed that he'd say things like, "I can't believe she's real" and "The Loch Ness Monster is real" at random intervals; she'd overheard him while they'd been working in the garage, and once coming out of the toilet of all places.

Why Penelope had been loitering outside one of the toilets was something Toshiko hadn't wanted to ask about.

But then, Josh could appreciate it. After all, he'd made his living searching for cryptids, and to find one must seem like a miracle to him. Penelope had been correct, last night, about Josh wanting to preserve more than exploit. It was just a shame that he'd needed a television programme in order to fulfil that need.

Archie sighed, resigned. "Of course, Dr Gates."

He might have seemed to be tolerant of Josh's presence, but Toshiko could tell that her newest teammate was beginning to grow on the older Scotsman. She really could see his point, but at the same time she'd been around Josh for nearly three weeks now, and her own reluctance at having him as a part of Torchwood had oozed away in the face of his pleasant attitude and his excitement at seeing what was out there. His might have been an unconventional hiring, but Josh Gates belonged in Torchwood. She knew that now.

Together, the four of them headed into the inn. Toshiko always found herself comparing it to the Green Dragon Inn in Ddraig Llyn; they both followed the same basic design, but the Green Dragon was considerably older but a lot less old-fashioned thanks to Rhiannon Jones-Davies and her management of the place now that Ianto was gone from the valley all the time. The Fox Inn was much more conventional, holding onto its medieval identity even in the 21st century…although it did have Wi-Fi, thanks to Torchwood.

The front room smelled of woodsmoke and whatever was cooking out in the kitchens, and the air settled about Toshiko like a warm cloak. Even though it was June, it was still chilly up in the Highlands, and there would be fires burning all day to keep the lobby and dining room warm.

Angus MacRanald was waiting for them at the reservation desk. It was original to the inn, and only the computer that sat on the ancient wood gave away that it was actually the present and that they hadn't accidentally stepped into some sort of time warp.

Toshiko had done that before, getting stuck in a time warp, and she didn't recommend it.

The buck that had always been hanging above the desk was still there. It had always given Toshiko the creeps.

As usual, the older Scotsman greeted them warmly, but it was obvious he was worried. "We're glad to see ya," he said, his brogue even stronger than Archie's. "We're all hoping ye'll be able to fix whatever's wrong with our girl."

"We'll do our best, Mr MacRanald," Toshiko assured him.

"Aye, I'm sure ya will, Miss Tosh," the proprietor answered stoutly. "We all have faith in Torchwood."

Sometimes she had to wonder if people had a little too much faith in them, but Toshiko wasn't about to say anything against it. After all, it was nothing to tell anyone that they'd do what they could; she just wasn't able to promise that they'd be able to fix whatever was wrong.

"This is Dr Josh Gates," she introduced their newest member. "He's only been with Torchwood for a couple of weeks, but he's our certified diver." She turned to Josh, who'd set the cases down on the faded carpet. "Josh, this is Angus MacRanald, he's the proprietor here."

"It's nice to meet you," Josh said, holding his hand out, "I only wish it were under better circumstances."

Angus accepted the handshake. "As do I, Doctor…"

Suddenly, his dark eyes unfocused, and Toshiko could see the unmistakable yet faint glitter of gold in their depths. "Ye're a child of the Blue Angels," he murmured.

Josh blinked once, surprised. "Excuse me?"

"Ye're family line goes back to the coming of the Blue Angels," Angus went on in an almost sing-song manner. "Ye'll be called upon to take on ye're ancestral powers soon, Joshua Gates. Don't be afraid when it happens, as it will lead ye and yours to a greater destiny far into the future."

With that, Angus blinked, as if he was waking up from a nap.

More like a trance, really.

"What just happened?" Josh asked warily, withdrawing his hand as soon as Angus let go.

"Mister MacRanald is the seventh son of a seventh son," Toshiko explained, knowing that her teammate would understand that reference.

Archie was intrigued; but he was also wary as he stared at Josh, looking as if he was trying to put together what Angus had said with what he knew about Josh. "What did that mean, Blue Angels?"

"I have no idea…" Josh murmured, his own face contemplative as he digested what Angus had just said.

"I have never seen your second sight utilised before," Oscar said excitedly. "That was quite fascinating, Mr MacRanald."

"Thank ye, Oscar," the proprietor shrugged, "but not at all certain what it means, either." He seemed unsettled by the whole thing.

Some might have scoffed at someone having the second sight, but Toshiko knew differently. With her connection to the Earth Dragon, she could sense the magic that had burst forth upon Angus touching Josh, and knew it was a true seeing. As soon as they got back to Cardiff – or Torchwood House, if she couldn't wait that long – she was going to do a search on the term, Blue Angels, and see what mainframe might have in the depths of her memory.

"The longer I'm in Torchwood," Josh declared, "the less surprised I am by what happens." He nodded to Angus. "Thank you for your gift, Mr MacRanald. I'll do the best I can to work out what to do when the time comes."

Angus looked a little surprised by Josh's words, as well as touched. "No one's ever thanked me before, lad. Usually they roll their eyes and forget all about it."

"I can't pretend to understand it, but I've seen some strange things, even before I came to Torchwood. Second sight is just one more impossible thing to believe before breakfast, to severely paraphrase Louis Carroll."

Toshiko had to admit she was impressed by his casual acceptance of Angus' prophecy. But one of the things she'd noticed about Josh was his open mind…and yet, it wasn't so open that he accepted everything. He still questioned what he didn't understand, which was a good thing.

Besides, to someone with his educational background and his personal interests, perhaps a person having the second sight wasn't so unbelievable, after all.

"Ye're rooms are at the top of the stairs," Angus said, reaching behind him to the cubby hung on the wall behind the desk and pulling out several room keys. "Lunch will be in about an hour, so if ye're hungry come on into the dining room and the Missus will be happy to serve ye."

"Thanks, Angus," Sir Archie said, taking the keys and passing them round. He did seem a little hesitant giving Josh his key, but then Angus' little show appeared to make him a bit uneasy. Toshiko would need to get that out of the way, if they were going to be working together. She couldn't have any member of her team feeling marginalised. The last thing she needed was for them to not get along and Nessie suffer for it.

"No problem, Sir Archie," the man said magnanimously. "At least I know Torchwood pays their bills."

Unlike UNIT, was the unspoken continuation to that sentence. Angus still held that grudge, even after so long.

Not that Toshiko could blame him. She still held her own grudges, but then UNIT was on the way out, and would be gone from the UK soon. She was looking forward to it.

"Let's meet back down here in ten minutes," Toshiko said. "Then we'll head out to the loch."

Archie, Josh, and Oscar all agreed readily.

The four of them trooped up the stairs, each carrying something from the lorry. There was still equipment inside, but Toshiko trusted the villagers with its safety. The citizens of Tulloch were practically Torchwood themselves, what with their connection to Nessie and their need to protect her. That could have gone so wrong, after the Zygons had set her on innocents, but the folk around these parts understood that it hadn't been Nessie's fault, that the Zygons had used her for their own ends, and once they'd been defeated the so-called monster had returned to her natural, peaceful, state. She was more like a gigantic pet now that a horrible creature terrorising the oil rigs out in the North Sea.

Toshiko's room was next to Oscar's. It was comfortable and clean, with a large four-poster bed against one wall and a window that looked out over the moor. The comforter, she knew, was pure down and the bed would be amazingly soft.

Setting her laptop case down on the bed and her case on the rack made for it, Toshiko sighed, wishing she could get in a nap before going out to the loch, but they really needed to get a start on diagnosing what was going on with Nessie's implants.

Turning her back on the bed, Toshiko left the room, in order to meet the rest of her team down in the lobby.