Anythingdrabble Challenge 86 - Powering up

[m_findlow]

Title: Powering up
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Jack, Ianto
Word Count: 500 words
Rating: PG
Notes: Written for Challenge 86 - Fence at anythingdrabble
Summary: The big moment has finally arrived for Torchwood's newest outpost.

'Excited?' Jack asked, giving Ianto a look of boyish delight.

'I dunno,' Ianto replied.

His feelings were somewhat ambivalent. In his mind he counted up the transmitters one by one, encircling the huge soon to be sanctuary. Forty two in all, including the master control unit they were stood next to right now. Once activated, the series of transmitters would create a protective fence around the valley - one that would be invisible, yet would deter anything from leaving its boundaries, or anything from inadvertently wandering inside as well. Jack hadn't explained it precisely except to say that you'd find yourself being turned around whenever you got within a few hundred feet of it, and that it had some perception filter qualities.

They'd been working on getting everything installed for months, setting up the large transmitters at strategically designated points all around the valley. Strategic however, didn't necessarily mean it'd been easy. To ensure that the entire valley would be protected, they'd had to map out the locations carefully, taking in distance, height above sea level and surrounding land masses.

Most of them needed to be set up in places where vehicle tracks were non-existent, and the only way to transport them there would be on foot over often mountainous terrain. At least they had the anti-gravity clamps which just left them cumbersome instead of ridiculously heavy. As it was, Ianto had lost thirteen pounds in the last three months just from the exertion of hiking all over the place. There were worse jobs, he'd decided, enjoying the fresh air and the stunning scenery of the huge swathe of land he'd inherited, even if his legs were burning and his shirt was clinging to his sweat-soaked back. He certainly didn't feel the usual guilt when indulging in his morning apricot danish whilst eyeing off the second one that had been meant for Jack and justifying to himself that Jack would never be any the wiser.

'Big moment,' Ianto replied. He hoped it worked. If not they'd have a hell of a time trying to trek out to find the one transmitter that wasn't set up correctly or slightly out of place. As easy as it was to pinpoint exact GPS coordinates, it didn't always make for the perfect spot to set up a bulky piece of alien equipment. They couldn't very well have it perched on the side of a steep cliff, or next to a river that might flood. He just had to hope that they were positioned close enough to the right spot to be effective.

Jack flipped several switches on the control panel. If Ianto had expected a hum and a suddenly wave of light to sweep over the valley, creating a protective dome, he was sorely disappointed. It was, as Jack had promised, totally invisible.

'We're now online,' Jack announced, 'or offline depending on how you look at it. Everything inside these bounds is safe and completely hidden from view. Cwm Noddfa is officially open for business.'