Doctor Who and the Star of Arcadia - The Gathering of Intel 2/16
Title: Doctor Who and the Star of Arcadia - The Gathering of Intel 2/16
Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, The Doctor (10), OFC, OMCs, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Benton, Johnson
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Neither Torchwood or Doctor Who are mine
Summary: In the Citadel of the Time Lords, about 250 million light years away from Earth, a number of elements were protected in case they fell into the wrong hands. If an exhibit was deemed to be powerful enough to corrupt in the wrong hands it was usually destroyed, or if that was found to be impossible, it was split into segments and kept apart from itself in case it were stolen.
Spoilers: Children of Earth
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Thoughts of suicide
A/N: This is a sequel to Doctor Who’s End Game. The Whole thing starts with Doctor Who and the Cathedral of Light.
Prologue here
UNIT headquarters was based in the North East of England, away from major towns and industries in case of alien attack. Hidden away in the bowels of Wear View House, few people knew of its existence.
Slowly the Doctor paced about the UNIT workshop, with his hands thrust deeply into his suit pockets, looking more than a little worried. Events over the past few months had spiralled out of his control and that worried him. Normally the Rani would be kept in line by the Time Lords, but they weren’t here any more. It was left up to him to perform tasks they would have done as a matter of course, armed with the knowledge of a race that lived outside of time itself.
‘Was he up to the task,’ was the question he asked himself every day. Help was where he found it and came in the shape of humans that were so fragile it frightened him. What did impress him was their ingenuity, their ability to always look on the bright side of every disaster they met. They could make the most of any given situation no matter how dire it was.
Despite their shortcomings humans were the most innovative creatures he’d ever come into contact with and with few exceptions he loved them all. Some stood out as examples of this sometimes with few people to equal them, the Brigadier being one of them. Others stood out in different ways, such as Louise Ruth. She would stand up against anything to defend what was right, even if it meant risking her own life in the process.
The decision he had to make was whether he could put them through what was necessary to end the path of devastation the Rani had set into motion. He remembered when he’d first discovered the Rani’s ingenious plan and how it had baffled him at the time. It had been in the UNIT lab two weeks previous.
***
Removing his right hand from his pocket he gazed at a small electronic box and smiled. In Varosha, where the Rani had her base, he had taken the opportunity to break into her TARDIS and make a copy of her flight history, which was stored on the box he now held in his hand.
Looking across, the Doctor’s TARDIS stood proudly in one corner as strong and durable as it ever was. With his mind on other things he turned and walked through the open door and headed for the control panel. Connecting the small box to his own consol and using the last forty years as a mark, he plotted the flight path of the Rani’s TARDIS marking down every time and location.
To his surprise and exhilaration there were only seven different locations. Some occurred more than once but no more than seven different times and places were recorded. As the locations came up on the screen the Doctor smiled.
‘Oh yes come on you beauty… yes,’ then for no apparent reason his total demean changed. ‘Oh no… no, no, no.’ quickly, he ran around to the opposite side of the centre consol and tapped in the coordinates that had appeared on the Rani’s travel recorder.
The Doctor’s worst fears were realised as he shook his head in disappointment. ‘She knew it was the only place I can’t go… would never go. It breaks all the rules… it can’t be done.’ Stepping back from the consol and scrubbing his hand through his hair, he walked out of the TARDIS still shaking his head.
Sitting on a near-by stool he held his head in his hands and thought. ‘Come on… come on… there must be a way.’
The Doctor’s frustration was interrupted by the Brigadier who strolled into the lab with his usual army, stiff upper lip stride. Taken aback slightly by the Doctor’s persona, which seemed, he thought, totally out of character, Lethbridge-Stewart stood ram rod straight and waited.
‘The Rani’s been dabbling in my time line and I don’t know why,’ the Doctor said through steepled fingers.
‘This might not be too much help but I find it best to tackle one problem at a time. Gives one something manageable to achieve and motivates you to tackle the next obstacle.’ The Brigadier felt uneasy. He was not used to giving the Doctor advice. It was always the other way round.
The Doctor smiled and stood, nodding at the Brigadier as if he’d just simplified the space time continuum.
‘Brilliant Brigadier… reasoned and well thought out.’ The Doctor added as he looked again at the Rani’s travel coordinates. ‘The easiest destination we can travel to is to a graveyard near a place called Seaham Harbour, in County Durham.’
The Brigadier nodded, ‘I’ll round up all interested parties and we’ll see what clues she’s left us.’
***
Now back in the UNIT lab on the fifth floor of Wear View House in Sunderland, the Doctor sat once again, looking perplexed, the Brigadier looking on in wonder. Gazing through his fingers the Doctor suddenly smiled and stood so quickly, with such purpose that even the Brigadier was momentarily shocked.
‘I’ve got it… it’s so simple… I’m a genius.’ The Doctor proceeded to dance around the Brigadier who, used to his outlandish behaviour, waited for him to calm down. ‘I can’t go but you can.’ The Brigadier looked mystified but nodded and waited.
Sitting back on his stool the Doctor looked at the Brigadier, still standing impassive. ‘The Rani, before her untimely demise, placed the points of the Arcadia Star as far from each other as she could to stop them activating.’
The Brigadier nodded, ‘I understand that much. You told us at the graveside.’ The Doctor nodded then continued.
‘She was worried that if they had even two pieces in the same location, then the energy given off would alert me and I would hunt for them making sure she never found them.’ Again the Brigadier nodded, so far he was following the Doctor’s reasoning. ‘She also put a contingency plan together on the off chance that I might find out about the star anyway.’
Both of the Brigadier’s eyebrows rose in surprise. ‘Ahh… now you have me Doctor. What is this contingency plan?’ The Doctor stood, the frustration he’d felt earlier still bubbled in his mind.
‘It was a brilliant plan, one worthy of the sheer genius the Rani was.’ Again the Brigadier waited. The Doctor would get to the meat of the problem in his own sweet time. ‘What’s the only place I can’t, or should I say won’t, normally go to?’ This stumped the Brigadier who took one look at the TARDIS then turned back to the Doctor.
‘Everywhere… I mean nowhere… I mean with the TARDIS you can pretty much travel every place in the universe and at any time-’ The Doctor cut the Brigadier off in mid sentence.
‘Except… my own time line; that’s one place all Time Lords fear to tread. Get one thing wrong in your own time line and it would set off a series of events that could be catastrophic. If I were to bump into myself and we touched it would cause, what we call, the Blinovitch limitation effect and could destroy the entire galaxy.’ The Brigadier looked suitably impressed.
‘And the Rani knew this?’ The Brigadier asked, wondering what the Blinovitch limitation effect was and how it related to this particular situation.
The Doctor nodded, ‘All Time Lords know this… I said… you have to keep up Brigadier or what’s the point.’ Suitably chastised the Brigadier remained quiet letting the Doctor do the talking while he listened.
‘The Rani has placed the four remaining points in four locations in my time line, placed them where I might bump into myself and cause a catastrophic event that could mean the destruction of the universe… you with me so far?’ The Brigadier nodded. If any other man had said that to him he would have laughed and had him carted away, but the Doctor had such a reach and influence in events throughout the universe and time that any change, however slight, could lead to the particular event he was talking about.
‘So where does that leave us Doctor… I mean how do we recover the star points without you jumping into the police box over there and picking them up?’ The Doctor looked hurt and walking towards the TARDIS slid a hand down the exterior.
‘I think you’ve hurt her feelings… she has feelings you know… just like you and me.’
‘Doctor, the Universe could implode and you’re worried about an inanimate objects feelings.’
‘Hardly inanimate Brigadier but I take your point.’ Patting the TARDIS the Doctor whispered, ‘Don’t let the nasty man upset you.’ Then turning back to the Brigadier he smiled. ‘I can’t pick up the Arcadia points but you can… or at least you could put a team together that could.’ The Brigadier’s frustration calmed as he thought things through.
‘The biggest problem is that if two or three points are together in the same time period, without the others, time itself would become unbalanced.’ The Doctor thought for a moment then smiled. ‘What we need to do is coordinate the collection so that each team returns at the same time so all five points can be placed together before they cause any damage to the space-time continuum.’
‘I know you have the locations, in time, but how can my people travel without a time machine?’ The Doctor became more animated as he thought the problem through whilst talking to the Brigadier.
‘What we need are four vortex manipulators fitted with tracking devices so they can travel back through time to the exact time and place the points are at, then return at the same time and at the same place.’ The Brigadier again looked mystified but continued on sticking to an area her thought he understood.
‘Are these vortex things easy to make?’ The Brigadier asked knowing the answer to his question before he’d asked it.
‘Yes and no Brigadier. Yes and no. If I had the right materials I could knock up a few without any problems… but I don’t.’ The Brigadier looked worried as the Doctor paced the room, then almost smiled when he saw that all too familiar look in his eyes.
‘Brigadier… the Rani must have a base around here somewhere… a house or farm or something away from populated areas.’ The Brigadier nodded as the Doctor continued pacing as he thought. ‘UNIT has facial recognition software and can monitor all CCTV out there and she knew that. If she had a building in a populated area her face would be picked up sooner or later whether she meant it or not.’ The Brigadier nodded again seeing the logic in the Doctor’s argument.
‘And… as she focused most of her operations in and around the North East of England her base must be around here… somewhere.’ Again the Brigadier nodded accepting his explanation. ‘Now… to create a vortex manipulator, which can be used to travel short distances through time is relatively easy… if you have the components… as I said.’ Again the Brigadier nodded realising where the Doctor was going with his explanation.
‘So Doctor… if I’ve got this right… you can’t travel to the areas where the points are located but, if you build a few vortex… thingy majigies, then we can send our teams to pick them up.’ With a smile the Doctor nodded then paused and shook his head.
‘Sort of… but…to build a basic vortex manipulator, as I said, I need the right parts, which… in the main you can get me… but there is something that you can’t find on this planet… with one exception…’
‘Some place in the North East of England where the Rani had her base.’ The Brigadier finished off causing the Doctor to smile more animatedly than before.
‘It’s a specific metal that’s time sensitive…. And… used in the construction of the Rani’s rift manipulator.’
‘Great,’ the Brigadier added then changed his mind. ‘Not great… that thing blew up back in Varosha.’ The Doctor nodded, but his enthusiasm wasn’t curbed in the slightest.
‘The Rani must have brought a lot of it with her to have built it in the first place, which means, Brigadier…’
‘She’ll have a work shop where it was constructed and there should be some left over?’ With a smile the Doctor nodded and patted the Brigadier on the back as if chasing him from the room.
‘I’ll get cracking on the basic design while you find her base of operations and bring back any alien technology you find there.’ Turning his back on the Brigadier, the Doctor began writing a shopping list of supplies he would need for the construction of the manipulators. Looking up for a moment he was surprised that the brigadier was still standing there.
‘Well don’t just stand there Brigadier get a move on. Time is wasting… literally.’
Shaking his head the Brigadier turned and walked out, wondering how he was going to find the Rani’s base.
‘Brigadier…’ the Doctor shouted after him. Moments later the Brigadier burst back through the door with a suppressed look of anger and frustration on his face after being called back like some kind of lackey.
‘What is it Doctor?’ He said with a forced smile on his face. The Doctor passed him a peace of paper he had just written on.
‘You’ll need this… the only two places, other than Varosha and the holding warehouse where we found the Autons, where the Rani’s TARDIS landed in this time period… and remember one of them is the grave side in Seaham Harbour we’ve already visited.’ Smiling the Brigadier snatched the paper out of the Doctor’s outstretched hand. Now all he had to do was put a team together to storm the building and take anything and everything that looked out of place.
***
A week later life changed dramatically for many people, especially for those that needed it to.
Agent Johnson was a trained government enforcer and the first woman to pass the gruelling SAS selection course. She had rose to the rank of sergeant and worked for six years with a team of troopers fighting terrorism all over the world, until she’d been seconded to work directly for the government.
She had originally been tasked with infiltrating Torchwood three to assess how well equipped they were to tackle an alien invasion. Not one for asking questions she’d performed her role with emotionless efficiency and courage, stopping at nothing to achieve the outcome set for her by her superiors. This was the job she knew, felt comfortable with and did well, until it all fell apart during the 456 crisis.
She was ruthless and affective and good at her job until the day she saw Steven Carter die in front of her and she couldn’t do anything to save him. His sacrifice had undoubtedly saved the world but that didn’t change the fact that a boy had died. Not just any boy, but the grandson of Captain Jack Harkness.
She would have gladly given her life to stop the 456 if tasked to do so, it was what she did, it was what they all did. That was the way it was for the likes of her, to lay down her life for the greater good, but not a child, a young boy who had his whole life ahead of him. He was what she was fighting to protect. She fought in the shadows so that children like him could live freely in the light, not die screaming in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere.
Slowly she removed the SIG Sauer P228 and released the clip. Drawing back the slide she ejected a cartage that was housed in the breach and caught it in one hand. Thrusting it back in the clip, forcing it against the spring, she checked the gun by holding it up to the light and looking down the barrel. Satisfied she let the slid return to its original position before slamming in the clip and chambering the round.
Turning she picked up a glass of Jack Daniels and downed the contents in one throat-burning gulp. If she stayed working for the government she knew she’d end up killing someone she shouldn’t, or perhaps getting herself killed in the process. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction, she knew. With tears rolling down her cheeks she placed the barrel of the SIG between her lips and flicked off the safety. ‘Is this what it’s come to,’ she thought as she took first pressure on the trigger. Her knuckles turned white as she continued to squeeze.
***
‘Bring out the LT,’ Sergeant Stephen Howard shouted as the men formed up around him, combat kit at the ready. The ultrasonic line-of-sight laser transmitter was loaded into the back of the first vehicle and without a word, sent on its way.
‘What the hell is that thing?’ Trooper Evans asked, new to the regiment and the youngest member of D Squadron.
‘It’s the last word in listening equipment. Developed by the CIA, it’s recorded many a Russian conversation even as far back as the late eighties.’
Trooper Evans looked on with interest. He’d always been amazed at what he didn’t know and what had been going on around him long before he’d even been born.
‘You see a laser beam is fitted to and controlled by a small portable computer. The beam is fired at any window where people are talking on the opposite side. The vibrations from their speech are picked up by the window and subsequently by the laser, which guides them back to the computer. Then the computer decodes the signals back into spoken English and Bob’s your uncle, Robert’s your mother’s brother and Fanny’s your aunt.’ Evans looked suitably impressed.
‘The only drawback is that you have to have direct line-of-sight on the target, as the name implies but that’s where you come in.’ Evan’s heart sank, ‘You’re going to be the one holding the LT in line of sight with the building.’ This also meant that the building would be in line of sight with him.
***
Johnson walked from her room, the SIG Sauer P228 neatly returned to its holster. Perhaps she’d take her life another day. Today she had someone that needed to be killed more than she did and that always cheered her up. Quickly she counted heads as they assembled in Boat troop’s interest room. Satisfied that all were present she began in earnest.
‘Okay, it’s going to be a fast ball operation and we’re going tooled up for bear. We have a house to hit and we’re going to do it by the numbers. I want everyone in the wheels and mobile in fifteen minutes, got that?’ Everyone nodded their understanding as the adrenalin began to surge amongst the listeners.
‘You’ll receive your instructions over the Net when you’re heading towards the target house. There’ll be no “Parliament,” when we get there. It’ll be straight out and straight in. It’s a simple close quarter battle and you’ve practiced it often enough in the killing house. Now move it.’
They didn’t have to be told twice. One second they were all lounging around on the armchairs provided, each holding hot cups of tea, and the next they exploded into action, Johnson leading the rush for the main door.
The drive to the target house took an hour with agent Johnson giving a running commentary to the four teams over her Net communicator, as they went.
‘I want three teams at the front and one covering the rear. We’re going to keep this one simple so listen up. You’ve had more than enough training at the Killing House to be able to walk through this blind folded, but I don’t want anyone getting cocky.’ Things went quiet in the vehicles as each sergeant issued areas of responsibility to their men. Five miles from the target they heard Johnson’s voice coming over the Net.
‘All stations this is your commander, listen up. The target house is named Milkweed, but don’t let that fool you. Whisky team will enter from the north end of the street and make the frontal assault. Delta will cover the rear and block off any escape routs. Foxtrot will stay in reserve in case help is needed to support the other teams while Kilo splits into two, two-man groups and assaults from either side. I want everyone to hit the target at the same time so keep your approach speed down.
‘If anyone is hit let us know so we can re-evaluate. As soon as we de-bus get into your start positions. Delta, I want you to de-bus as close to the rear as possible but don’t enter the house unless I give you the word. Take the ground if you have to and get as close to the rear door as you can. Come down hard on anyone you see leaving. You got that?’
‘Roger that’ came the disembodied reply.
Turning to the driver of her vehicle she said, ‘Slow down and tuck in behind Whisky team.’ The driver nodded and immediately removed his foot from the accelerator as he adjusted his night vision goggles that illuminated the road in front of the vehicle without giving away their position. In her earpiece Johnson heard Whisky team’s sergeant, Stephen Howard, giving out instructions.
‘You two start clearing out the downstairs and we’ll start with the upstairs.’ Johnson turned her Net communicator back to send.
‘Whiskey, keep your approach speed down.’
‘Roger that.’
‘Control, are you monitoring our position?’
Roger that, you’ll be visible in five, repeat five minutes.’ Johnson looked across at the rest of the troopers in the rear of her vehicle, the signs of adrenalin rush showing clearly on their faces.
‘Knock the lights off and use the NVGs.’ she said as she pulled down her own pair and switched them on. The road ahead was instantly bathed in a green haze, as each object in front of her took shape and form. ‘Delta position?’
‘Hanging back and ready to move; have eyes on target; will advance on your word.’
‘That’s a Roger. Whiskey position?’
‘One hundred meters into target street.’
Johnson stopped the team as soon as she saw the outline of the house appearing out of the rain. The silence was unnerving; the feeling that this was a trap ready to spring on them was present in the minds of every soldier there. They knew that it was inhabited but at first sight it appeared empty.
Waiting, they observed the target house but nothing moved, no light shone, not one sound which could be described as human, was made. Apart from the rain falling and the wind gushing around the building there was nothing.
Johnson swept the building using night vision and contacted trooper Evans, who held the LT, to check for sound of any kind, but he reported back all quiet. She tried to get a more accurate picture of what they were up against, hungry for every little detail that might save a team members life but none was forth coming. She gave the order to stand by.
Looking across the roof Johnson’s heart nearly skipped a beat. She just managed to pick out the two guards in the pouring rain. Each wore rain ponchos and carried SLR’s under the canvas’s protection. Johnson estimated the size of the building, which was square and had four storeys to it. Each window was evenly spaced, five on each side, with the same on each floor. The front had a series of stone steps that lead to the main entrance, which consisted of a set of double doors, thick and heavy, impossible to break down. After completing their search the two operatives moved back from the building to check security.
‘Contact… wait out.’ She gave the order to make ready. Taking the sniper rifle from her second in command she quickly attached the suppresser to the end of the barrel.
Moving into a more comfortable position she looked up at the roof. Of all the people in her team she knew that she was the only one that could take the roof guards out silently. Wrapping the rifles sling tightly around her arm for support she raised the rubber butt to her shoulder.
Taking a bead on the guard standing at the far end of the building, with the lightest of touch she placed her finger on the trigger. Tracking his movement she followed him as he patrolled the rear end of the building, loosing him periodically as he moved behind the heating and ventilation ducts.
Lowering the rifle she looked out across the wet expanse between herself and the target building and waited for both guards to be in line at the same time. The second guard walked into view then stopped and did what most guards do during a night shift. Cupping his hands against the rain he lit a cigarette. At that moment the second guard came back into view and leaned over the guardrail gazing down at the open ground below. She knew that a shot now would be too risky as his body would fall over the rail and the sound would set off the alarm.
Turning he too drew out a cigarette and inhaled on it greedily. Immediately she lifted the rifle back into position and tightened her grip on the trigger, taking first pressure as she focused between the eyes of the first guard. Gently she squeezed the trigger and saw a third eye opened up on the smoker’s forehead. There was no muzzle flash to worry about, she knew. That was only in movies.
Quickly she fed a second bullet into he chamber and tracked back to the second guard, who was turning to see his companion fall backwards to the roof. Johnson gave him no time to raise the alarm as she blew the back of his head off in a spray of blood and brain matter. The force of the impact sent him flying across the roof to land just in front of his fallen comrade. The rain extinguishing the cigarettes as they fell next to the two dead soldiers. Only the sound of the rain filled the night as she handed back the rifle and exhaled deeply.
‘Two down, the roof and clear,’ she whispered into the Net communicator.
The assault team wore night vision goggles fastened to their eyes by means of a head harness helmet. Others had assault rifles with state-of-the-art ‘Raptor,’ infrared, night-vision weapons sights. They were lightweight, with extreme long-range accuracy allowing them to see in almost total darkness by enhancing any ambient light available.
The two four man assault teams were invisible to Johnson until she replaced the pair of night vision goggles. Now she could pick them out as dancing spectres bathed in an eerie green light as they moved onto their target. With a nod the first man was up and running; edging along the wall out of the wind and rain, where a second trooper joined him. It was a drill they had practised often. One searched while the other provided cover, reversing their role as they leapfrogged each other. In seconds she realised that the team was in place. Two men were flattened on either side of the front door, crouched under windows, and their backs against the wall.
Using the glasses she scanned the front of the house looking for any movement at the windows. On the ground floor she could see the bright strip of light penetrating the side of a curtain, which hadn’t been closed properly, otherwise everything else was still and appeared unoccupied.
Looking up at the roof she noticed four black shapes poised on the ledge of the upper windows silhouetted against the moonlit sky. They had made the roof without a shot being fired. Coils of rope hung from their bodies and the barrels of their weapons protruded from their packs. As one they moved down and edged across the windowsill. The team on the roof was perched precariously on the thin plastic ledge with their backs to the ground and their heads half turned as they looked down, waiting patiently for the word to go. Johnson flicked on the Net communicator while gazing intently through the goggles.
‘All signs…Standby, Standby. Go, go, go.’ The sniped took aim at the first terrorist whose head appeared at one of the windows. Without effort or thought he fired the bolt-action rifle. In the sight he saw the human head explode into fragments.
The four black shapes dropped down on their ropes with the grace and ease of silk dancers. Reaching the upper windows they pushed away from the wall then sent a short burst through their corresponding windows then let the momentum of the swing throw them into the room beyond.
Flashes given off by M84 Flash Bangs illuminated the interior as the second team of four burst in at ground level following their stun grenades. The adrenalin started to pump as the team broke into the house and began to clear it room by room. Johnson knew that the terrorists would be intimidated, not only by the sound of the explosions, but also by the sight of the team dressed in black their faces hidden behind gas masks.
After only sixty seconds of room clearance and close quarter fighting the house and its occupants went quiet. All call signs called in a successful nights work. The hard part was keeping specific security forces from invading the house before UNIT had combed the building for, what they called ‘Alien tech.’
Withdrawing her team she watched as Brigadier, Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart led a select team of UNIT soldiers into the building. It was then that she first noticed the metal bracelet he wore around his wrist. Funny that, she thought, she’d never noticed it before. To her surprise Sergeant Benton, the Brigadier’s long suffering sidekick also wore one.
She smiled to herself as she pondered on the idea that they were lovers. Then remembering the Brigadier from many a briefing, ruled that thought out as quickly as it had come.
Leaving trooper Evans in place, she ordered him to concentrate the LT on rooms where the Brigadier entered. Perhaps she could find out what was going on this time before she made a fool of herself.
After half an hour the Brigadier and his team left carrying a silver case between them. Withdrawing the rest of her men she nodded for the green army to move forward and the building fell into the hands of the second Parachute Regiment. Sergeant Stephen Howard, closely followed by Trooper Evans, came out of the surrounding bush, a look of satisfaction on the sergeant’s face.
‘A job well done boss. Trooper Evans performed his duties with the professionalism of a seasoned trooper. Johnson nodded and motioned for them to join her in the back of the Land Rover. She couldn’t help noticing the mystified look on Trooper Evan’s face and knew that he’d heard something from his eavesdropping that he couldn’t and wouldn’t understand. Signalling her driver the Land Rover skidded slightly on the damp earth, then acquiring traction, pulled away.
***
On the desk before the Doctor stood four metal tubes with a small LCD screen in the centre of each one. The Brigadier had produced a single case from the Rani’s hidden residence and handed it over to him with a look of disappointment on his face.
‘Sorry Doctor… this was all that we found.’ The Doctor opened the case, which contained a series of organic samples floating around in glass jars. Looking at the Brigadier the Doctor realised what it had taken for him to come up with the case and the disappointment he felt with himself and what he had found, showed clearly in the Brigadier’s eyes.
Smiling the Doctor took the case and walked towards the nearest hazardous waist bin. Opening the lid, he let the contents fall out and shatter. Looking across at the Brigadier he almost burst out laughing as he stood gazing back at him in horror. The Doctor gave him a reassuring smile as he placed the case back on the bench.
‘Perfect Brigadier… the case is made of the metal I need to complete the star trackers.’ With a sigh of relief and a feeling that the Doctor had cheated him in some way the Brigadier shook his head.
‘Well… I’ll leave you to it then. Got this Whitehall chap to appease. He didn’t like the assault on the house… said it was over the top. The worrying thing is he has the power to shut this branch down.’ The Brigadier left with a worried look on his face.
The Drawing of Groups 3/16
Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, The Doctor (10), OFC, OMCs, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Benton, Johnson
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Neither Torchwood or Doctor Who are mine
Summary: In the Citadel of the Time Lords, about 250 million light years away from Earth, a number of elements were protected in case they fell into the wrong hands. If an exhibit was deemed to be powerful enough to corrupt in the wrong hands it was usually destroyed, or if that was found to be impossible, it was split into segments and kept apart from itself in case it were stolen.
Spoilers: Children of Earth
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Thoughts of suicide
A/N: This is a sequel to Doctor Who’s End Game. The Whole thing starts with Doctor Who and the Cathedral of Light.
Prologue here
UNIT headquarters was based in the North East of England, away from major towns and industries in case of alien attack. Hidden away in the bowels of Wear View House, few people knew of its existence.
Slowly the Doctor paced about the UNIT workshop, with his hands thrust deeply into his suit pockets, looking more than a little worried. Events over the past few months had spiralled out of his control and that worried him. Normally the Rani would be kept in line by the Time Lords, but they weren’t here any more. It was left up to him to perform tasks they would have done as a matter of course, armed with the knowledge of a race that lived outside of time itself.
‘Was he up to the task,’ was the question he asked himself every day. Help was where he found it and came in the shape of humans that were so fragile it frightened him. What did impress him was their ingenuity, their ability to always look on the bright side of every disaster they met. They could make the most of any given situation no matter how dire it was.
Despite their shortcomings humans were the most innovative creatures he’d ever come into contact with and with few exceptions he loved them all. Some stood out as examples of this sometimes with few people to equal them, the Brigadier being one of them. Others stood out in different ways, such as Louise Ruth. She would stand up against anything to defend what was right, even if it meant risking her own life in the process.
The decision he had to make was whether he could put them through what was necessary to end the path of devastation the Rani had set into motion. He remembered when he’d first discovered the Rani’s ingenious plan and how it had baffled him at the time. It had been in the UNIT lab two weeks previous.
***
Removing his right hand from his pocket he gazed at a small electronic box and smiled. In Varosha, where the Rani had her base, he had taken the opportunity to break into her TARDIS and make a copy of her flight history, which was stored on the box he now held in his hand.
Looking across, the Doctor’s TARDIS stood proudly in one corner as strong and durable as it ever was. With his mind on other things he turned and walked through the open door and headed for the control panel. Connecting the small box to his own consol and using the last forty years as a mark, he plotted the flight path of the Rani’s TARDIS marking down every time and location.
To his surprise and exhilaration there were only seven different locations. Some occurred more than once but no more than seven different times and places were recorded. As the locations came up on the screen the Doctor smiled.
‘Oh yes come on you beauty… yes,’ then for no apparent reason his total demean changed. ‘Oh no… no, no, no.’ quickly, he ran around to the opposite side of the centre consol and tapped in the coordinates that had appeared on the Rani’s travel recorder.
The Doctor’s worst fears were realised as he shook his head in disappointment. ‘She knew it was the only place I can’t go… would never go. It breaks all the rules… it can’t be done.’ Stepping back from the consol and scrubbing his hand through his hair, he walked out of the TARDIS still shaking his head.
Sitting on a near-by stool he held his head in his hands and thought. ‘Come on… come on… there must be a way.’
The Doctor’s frustration was interrupted by the Brigadier who strolled into the lab with his usual army, stiff upper lip stride. Taken aback slightly by the Doctor’s persona, which seemed, he thought, totally out of character, Lethbridge-Stewart stood ram rod straight and waited.
‘The Rani’s been dabbling in my time line and I don’t know why,’ the Doctor said through steepled fingers.
‘This might not be too much help but I find it best to tackle one problem at a time. Gives one something manageable to achieve and motivates you to tackle the next obstacle.’ The Brigadier felt uneasy. He was not used to giving the Doctor advice. It was always the other way round.
The Doctor smiled and stood, nodding at the Brigadier as if he’d just simplified the space time continuum.
‘Brilliant Brigadier… reasoned and well thought out.’ The Doctor added as he looked again at the Rani’s travel coordinates. ‘The easiest destination we can travel to is to a graveyard near a place called Seaham Harbour, in County Durham.’
The Brigadier nodded, ‘I’ll round up all interested parties and we’ll see what clues she’s left us.’
***
Now back in the UNIT lab on the fifth floor of Wear View House in Sunderland, the Doctor sat once again, looking perplexed, the Brigadier looking on in wonder. Gazing through his fingers the Doctor suddenly smiled and stood so quickly, with such purpose that even the Brigadier was momentarily shocked.
‘I’ve got it… it’s so simple… I’m a genius.’ The Doctor proceeded to dance around the Brigadier who, used to his outlandish behaviour, waited for him to calm down. ‘I can’t go but you can.’ The Brigadier looked mystified but nodded and waited.
Sitting back on his stool the Doctor looked at the Brigadier, still standing impassive. ‘The Rani, before her untimely demise, placed the points of the Arcadia Star as far from each other as she could to stop them activating.’
The Brigadier nodded, ‘I understand that much. You told us at the graveside.’ The Doctor nodded then continued.
‘She was worried that if they had even two pieces in the same location, then the energy given off would alert me and I would hunt for them making sure she never found them.’ Again the Brigadier nodded, so far he was following the Doctor’s reasoning. ‘She also put a contingency plan together on the off chance that I might find out about the star anyway.’
Both of the Brigadier’s eyebrows rose in surprise. ‘Ahh… now you have me Doctor. What is this contingency plan?’ The Doctor stood, the frustration he’d felt earlier still bubbled in his mind.
‘It was a brilliant plan, one worthy of the sheer genius the Rani was.’ Again the Brigadier waited. The Doctor would get to the meat of the problem in his own sweet time. ‘What’s the only place I can’t, or should I say won’t, normally go to?’ This stumped the Brigadier who took one look at the TARDIS then turned back to the Doctor.
‘Everywhere… I mean nowhere… I mean with the TARDIS you can pretty much travel every place in the universe and at any time-’ The Doctor cut the Brigadier off in mid sentence.
‘Except… my own time line; that’s one place all Time Lords fear to tread. Get one thing wrong in your own time line and it would set off a series of events that could be catastrophic. If I were to bump into myself and we touched it would cause, what we call, the Blinovitch limitation effect and could destroy the entire galaxy.’ The Brigadier looked suitably impressed.
‘And the Rani knew this?’ The Brigadier asked, wondering what the Blinovitch limitation effect was and how it related to this particular situation.
The Doctor nodded, ‘All Time Lords know this… I said… you have to keep up Brigadier or what’s the point.’ Suitably chastised the Brigadier remained quiet letting the Doctor do the talking while he listened.
‘The Rani has placed the four remaining points in four locations in my time line, placed them where I might bump into myself and cause a catastrophic event that could mean the destruction of the universe… you with me so far?’ The Brigadier nodded. If any other man had said that to him he would have laughed and had him carted away, but the Doctor had such a reach and influence in events throughout the universe and time that any change, however slight, could lead to the particular event he was talking about.
‘So where does that leave us Doctor… I mean how do we recover the star points without you jumping into the police box over there and picking them up?’ The Doctor looked hurt and walking towards the TARDIS slid a hand down the exterior.
‘I think you’ve hurt her feelings… she has feelings you know… just like you and me.’
‘Doctor, the Universe could implode and you’re worried about an inanimate objects feelings.’
‘Hardly inanimate Brigadier but I take your point.’ Patting the TARDIS the Doctor whispered, ‘Don’t let the nasty man upset you.’ Then turning back to the Brigadier he smiled. ‘I can’t pick up the Arcadia points but you can… or at least you could put a team together that could.’ The Brigadier’s frustration calmed as he thought things through.
‘The biggest problem is that if two or three points are together in the same time period, without the others, time itself would become unbalanced.’ The Doctor thought for a moment then smiled. ‘What we need to do is coordinate the collection so that each team returns at the same time so all five points can be placed together before they cause any damage to the space-time continuum.’
‘I know you have the locations, in time, but how can my people travel without a time machine?’ The Doctor became more animated as he thought the problem through whilst talking to the Brigadier.
‘What we need are four vortex manipulators fitted with tracking devices so they can travel back through time to the exact time and place the points are at, then return at the same time and at the same place.’ The Brigadier again looked mystified but continued on sticking to an area her thought he understood.
‘Are these vortex things easy to make?’ The Brigadier asked knowing the answer to his question before he’d asked it.
‘Yes and no Brigadier. Yes and no. If I had the right materials I could knock up a few without any problems… but I don’t.’ The Brigadier looked worried as the Doctor paced the room, then almost smiled when he saw that all too familiar look in his eyes.
‘Brigadier… the Rani must have a base around here somewhere… a house or farm or something away from populated areas.’ The Brigadier nodded as the Doctor continued pacing as he thought. ‘UNIT has facial recognition software and can monitor all CCTV out there and she knew that. If she had a building in a populated area her face would be picked up sooner or later whether she meant it or not.’ The Brigadier nodded again seeing the logic in the Doctor’s argument.
‘And… as she focused most of her operations in and around the North East of England her base must be around here… somewhere.’ Again the Brigadier nodded accepting his explanation. ‘Now… to create a vortex manipulator, which can be used to travel short distances through time is relatively easy… if you have the components… as I said.’ Again the Brigadier nodded realising where the Doctor was going with his explanation.
‘So Doctor… if I’ve got this right… you can’t travel to the areas where the points are located but, if you build a few vortex… thingy majigies, then we can send our teams to pick them up.’ With a smile the Doctor nodded then paused and shook his head.
‘Sort of… but…to build a basic vortex manipulator, as I said, I need the right parts, which… in the main you can get me… but there is something that you can’t find on this planet… with one exception…’
‘Some place in the North East of England where the Rani had her base.’ The Brigadier finished off causing the Doctor to smile more animatedly than before.
‘It’s a specific metal that’s time sensitive…. And… used in the construction of the Rani’s rift manipulator.’
‘Great,’ the Brigadier added then changed his mind. ‘Not great… that thing blew up back in Varosha.’ The Doctor nodded, but his enthusiasm wasn’t curbed in the slightest.
‘The Rani must have brought a lot of it with her to have built it in the first place, which means, Brigadier…’
‘She’ll have a work shop where it was constructed and there should be some left over?’ With a smile the Doctor nodded and patted the Brigadier on the back as if chasing him from the room.
‘I’ll get cracking on the basic design while you find her base of operations and bring back any alien technology you find there.’ Turning his back on the Brigadier, the Doctor began writing a shopping list of supplies he would need for the construction of the manipulators. Looking up for a moment he was surprised that the brigadier was still standing there.
‘Well don’t just stand there Brigadier get a move on. Time is wasting… literally.’
Shaking his head the Brigadier turned and walked out, wondering how he was going to find the Rani’s base.
‘Brigadier…’ the Doctor shouted after him. Moments later the Brigadier burst back through the door with a suppressed look of anger and frustration on his face after being called back like some kind of lackey.
‘What is it Doctor?’ He said with a forced smile on his face. The Doctor passed him a peace of paper he had just written on.
‘You’ll need this… the only two places, other than Varosha and the holding warehouse where we found the Autons, where the Rani’s TARDIS landed in this time period… and remember one of them is the grave side in Seaham Harbour we’ve already visited.’ Smiling the Brigadier snatched the paper out of the Doctor’s outstretched hand. Now all he had to do was put a team together to storm the building and take anything and everything that looked out of place.
***
A week later life changed dramatically for many people, especially for those that needed it to.
Agent Johnson was a trained government enforcer and the first woman to pass the gruelling SAS selection course. She had rose to the rank of sergeant and worked for six years with a team of troopers fighting terrorism all over the world, until she’d been seconded to work directly for the government.
She had originally been tasked with infiltrating Torchwood three to assess how well equipped they were to tackle an alien invasion. Not one for asking questions she’d performed her role with emotionless efficiency and courage, stopping at nothing to achieve the outcome set for her by her superiors. This was the job she knew, felt comfortable with and did well, until it all fell apart during the 456 crisis.
She was ruthless and affective and good at her job until the day she saw Steven Carter die in front of her and she couldn’t do anything to save him. His sacrifice had undoubtedly saved the world but that didn’t change the fact that a boy had died. Not just any boy, but the grandson of Captain Jack Harkness.
She would have gladly given her life to stop the 456 if tasked to do so, it was what she did, it was what they all did. That was the way it was for the likes of her, to lay down her life for the greater good, but not a child, a young boy who had his whole life ahead of him. He was what she was fighting to protect. She fought in the shadows so that children like him could live freely in the light, not die screaming in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere.
Slowly she removed the SIG Sauer P228 and released the clip. Drawing back the slide she ejected a cartage that was housed in the breach and caught it in one hand. Thrusting it back in the clip, forcing it against the spring, she checked the gun by holding it up to the light and looking down the barrel. Satisfied she let the slid return to its original position before slamming in the clip and chambering the round.
Turning she picked up a glass of Jack Daniels and downed the contents in one throat-burning gulp. If she stayed working for the government she knew she’d end up killing someone she shouldn’t, or perhaps getting herself killed in the process. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction, she knew. With tears rolling down her cheeks she placed the barrel of the SIG between her lips and flicked off the safety. ‘Is this what it’s come to,’ she thought as she took first pressure on the trigger. Her knuckles turned white as she continued to squeeze.
***
‘Bring out the LT,’ Sergeant Stephen Howard shouted as the men formed up around him, combat kit at the ready. The ultrasonic line-of-sight laser transmitter was loaded into the back of the first vehicle and without a word, sent on its way.
‘What the hell is that thing?’ Trooper Evans asked, new to the regiment and the youngest member of D Squadron.
‘It’s the last word in listening equipment. Developed by the CIA, it’s recorded many a Russian conversation even as far back as the late eighties.’
Trooper Evans looked on with interest. He’d always been amazed at what he didn’t know and what had been going on around him long before he’d even been born.
‘You see a laser beam is fitted to and controlled by a small portable computer. The beam is fired at any window where people are talking on the opposite side. The vibrations from their speech are picked up by the window and subsequently by the laser, which guides them back to the computer. Then the computer decodes the signals back into spoken English and Bob’s your uncle, Robert’s your mother’s brother and Fanny’s your aunt.’ Evans looked suitably impressed.
‘The only drawback is that you have to have direct line-of-sight on the target, as the name implies but that’s where you come in.’ Evan’s heart sank, ‘You’re going to be the one holding the LT in line of sight with the building.’ This also meant that the building would be in line of sight with him.
***
Johnson walked from her room, the SIG Sauer P228 neatly returned to its holster. Perhaps she’d take her life another day. Today she had someone that needed to be killed more than she did and that always cheered her up. Quickly she counted heads as they assembled in Boat troop’s interest room. Satisfied that all were present she began in earnest.
‘Okay, it’s going to be a fast ball operation and we’re going tooled up for bear. We have a house to hit and we’re going to do it by the numbers. I want everyone in the wheels and mobile in fifteen minutes, got that?’ Everyone nodded their understanding as the adrenalin began to surge amongst the listeners.
‘You’ll receive your instructions over the Net when you’re heading towards the target house. There’ll be no “Parliament,” when we get there. It’ll be straight out and straight in. It’s a simple close quarter battle and you’ve practiced it often enough in the killing house. Now move it.’
They didn’t have to be told twice. One second they were all lounging around on the armchairs provided, each holding hot cups of tea, and the next they exploded into action, Johnson leading the rush for the main door.
The drive to the target house took an hour with agent Johnson giving a running commentary to the four teams over her Net communicator, as they went.
‘I want three teams at the front and one covering the rear. We’re going to keep this one simple so listen up. You’ve had more than enough training at the Killing House to be able to walk through this blind folded, but I don’t want anyone getting cocky.’ Things went quiet in the vehicles as each sergeant issued areas of responsibility to their men. Five miles from the target they heard Johnson’s voice coming over the Net.
‘All stations this is your commander, listen up. The target house is named Milkweed, but don’t let that fool you. Whisky team will enter from the north end of the street and make the frontal assault. Delta will cover the rear and block off any escape routs. Foxtrot will stay in reserve in case help is needed to support the other teams while Kilo splits into two, two-man groups and assaults from either side. I want everyone to hit the target at the same time so keep your approach speed down.
‘If anyone is hit let us know so we can re-evaluate. As soon as we de-bus get into your start positions. Delta, I want you to de-bus as close to the rear as possible but don’t enter the house unless I give you the word. Take the ground if you have to and get as close to the rear door as you can. Come down hard on anyone you see leaving. You got that?’
‘Roger that’ came the disembodied reply.
Turning to the driver of her vehicle she said, ‘Slow down and tuck in behind Whisky team.’ The driver nodded and immediately removed his foot from the accelerator as he adjusted his night vision goggles that illuminated the road in front of the vehicle without giving away their position. In her earpiece Johnson heard Whisky team’s sergeant, Stephen Howard, giving out instructions.
‘You two start clearing out the downstairs and we’ll start with the upstairs.’ Johnson turned her Net communicator back to send.
‘Whiskey, keep your approach speed down.’
‘Roger that.’
‘Control, are you monitoring our position?’
Roger that, you’ll be visible in five, repeat five minutes.’ Johnson looked across at the rest of the troopers in the rear of her vehicle, the signs of adrenalin rush showing clearly on their faces.
‘Knock the lights off and use the NVGs.’ she said as she pulled down her own pair and switched them on. The road ahead was instantly bathed in a green haze, as each object in front of her took shape and form. ‘Delta position?’
‘Hanging back and ready to move; have eyes on target; will advance on your word.’
‘That’s a Roger. Whiskey position?’
‘One hundred meters into target street.’
Johnson stopped the team as soon as she saw the outline of the house appearing out of the rain. The silence was unnerving; the feeling that this was a trap ready to spring on them was present in the minds of every soldier there. They knew that it was inhabited but at first sight it appeared empty.
Waiting, they observed the target house but nothing moved, no light shone, not one sound which could be described as human, was made. Apart from the rain falling and the wind gushing around the building there was nothing.
Johnson swept the building using night vision and contacted trooper Evans, who held the LT, to check for sound of any kind, but he reported back all quiet. She tried to get a more accurate picture of what they were up against, hungry for every little detail that might save a team members life but none was forth coming. She gave the order to stand by.
Looking across the roof Johnson’s heart nearly skipped a beat. She just managed to pick out the two guards in the pouring rain. Each wore rain ponchos and carried SLR’s under the canvas’s protection. Johnson estimated the size of the building, which was square and had four storeys to it. Each window was evenly spaced, five on each side, with the same on each floor. The front had a series of stone steps that lead to the main entrance, which consisted of a set of double doors, thick and heavy, impossible to break down. After completing their search the two operatives moved back from the building to check security.
‘Contact… wait out.’ She gave the order to make ready. Taking the sniper rifle from her second in command she quickly attached the suppresser to the end of the barrel.
Moving into a more comfortable position she looked up at the roof. Of all the people in her team she knew that she was the only one that could take the roof guards out silently. Wrapping the rifles sling tightly around her arm for support she raised the rubber butt to her shoulder.
Taking a bead on the guard standing at the far end of the building, with the lightest of touch she placed her finger on the trigger. Tracking his movement she followed him as he patrolled the rear end of the building, loosing him periodically as he moved behind the heating and ventilation ducts.
Lowering the rifle she looked out across the wet expanse between herself and the target building and waited for both guards to be in line at the same time. The second guard walked into view then stopped and did what most guards do during a night shift. Cupping his hands against the rain he lit a cigarette. At that moment the second guard came back into view and leaned over the guardrail gazing down at the open ground below. She knew that a shot now would be too risky as his body would fall over the rail and the sound would set off the alarm.
Turning he too drew out a cigarette and inhaled on it greedily. Immediately she lifted the rifle back into position and tightened her grip on the trigger, taking first pressure as she focused between the eyes of the first guard. Gently she squeezed the trigger and saw a third eye opened up on the smoker’s forehead. There was no muzzle flash to worry about, she knew. That was only in movies.
Quickly she fed a second bullet into he chamber and tracked back to the second guard, who was turning to see his companion fall backwards to the roof. Johnson gave him no time to raise the alarm as she blew the back of his head off in a spray of blood and brain matter. The force of the impact sent him flying across the roof to land just in front of his fallen comrade. The rain extinguishing the cigarettes as they fell next to the two dead soldiers. Only the sound of the rain filled the night as she handed back the rifle and exhaled deeply.
‘Two down, the roof and clear,’ she whispered into the Net communicator.
The assault team wore night vision goggles fastened to their eyes by means of a head harness helmet. Others had assault rifles with state-of-the-art ‘Raptor,’ infrared, night-vision weapons sights. They were lightweight, with extreme long-range accuracy allowing them to see in almost total darkness by enhancing any ambient light available.
The two four man assault teams were invisible to Johnson until she replaced the pair of night vision goggles. Now she could pick them out as dancing spectres bathed in an eerie green light as they moved onto their target. With a nod the first man was up and running; edging along the wall out of the wind and rain, where a second trooper joined him. It was a drill they had practised often. One searched while the other provided cover, reversing their role as they leapfrogged each other. In seconds she realised that the team was in place. Two men were flattened on either side of the front door, crouched under windows, and their backs against the wall.
Using the glasses she scanned the front of the house looking for any movement at the windows. On the ground floor she could see the bright strip of light penetrating the side of a curtain, which hadn’t been closed properly, otherwise everything else was still and appeared unoccupied.
Looking up at the roof she noticed four black shapes poised on the ledge of the upper windows silhouetted against the moonlit sky. They had made the roof without a shot being fired. Coils of rope hung from their bodies and the barrels of their weapons protruded from their packs. As one they moved down and edged across the windowsill. The team on the roof was perched precariously on the thin plastic ledge with their backs to the ground and their heads half turned as they looked down, waiting patiently for the word to go. Johnson flicked on the Net communicator while gazing intently through the goggles.
‘All signs…Standby, Standby. Go, go, go.’ The sniped took aim at the first terrorist whose head appeared at one of the windows. Without effort or thought he fired the bolt-action rifle. In the sight he saw the human head explode into fragments.
The four black shapes dropped down on their ropes with the grace and ease of silk dancers. Reaching the upper windows they pushed away from the wall then sent a short burst through their corresponding windows then let the momentum of the swing throw them into the room beyond.
Flashes given off by M84 Flash Bangs illuminated the interior as the second team of four burst in at ground level following their stun grenades. The adrenalin started to pump as the team broke into the house and began to clear it room by room. Johnson knew that the terrorists would be intimidated, not only by the sound of the explosions, but also by the sight of the team dressed in black their faces hidden behind gas masks.
After only sixty seconds of room clearance and close quarter fighting the house and its occupants went quiet. All call signs called in a successful nights work. The hard part was keeping specific security forces from invading the house before UNIT had combed the building for, what they called ‘Alien tech.’
Withdrawing her team she watched as Brigadier, Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart led a select team of UNIT soldiers into the building. It was then that she first noticed the metal bracelet he wore around his wrist. Funny that, she thought, she’d never noticed it before. To her surprise Sergeant Benton, the Brigadier’s long suffering sidekick also wore one.
She smiled to herself as she pondered on the idea that they were lovers. Then remembering the Brigadier from many a briefing, ruled that thought out as quickly as it had come.
Leaving trooper Evans in place, she ordered him to concentrate the LT on rooms where the Brigadier entered. Perhaps she could find out what was going on this time before she made a fool of herself.
After half an hour the Brigadier and his team left carrying a silver case between them. Withdrawing the rest of her men she nodded for the green army to move forward and the building fell into the hands of the second Parachute Regiment. Sergeant Stephen Howard, closely followed by Trooper Evans, came out of the surrounding bush, a look of satisfaction on the sergeant’s face.
‘A job well done boss. Trooper Evans performed his duties with the professionalism of a seasoned trooper. Johnson nodded and motioned for them to join her in the back of the Land Rover. She couldn’t help noticing the mystified look on Trooper Evan’s face and knew that he’d heard something from his eavesdropping that he couldn’t and wouldn’t understand. Signalling her driver the Land Rover skidded slightly on the damp earth, then acquiring traction, pulled away.
***
On the desk before the Doctor stood four metal tubes with a small LCD screen in the centre of each one. The Brigadier had produced a single case from the Rani’s hidden residence and handed it over to him with a look of disappointment on his face.
‘Sorry Doctor… this was all that we found.’ The Doctor opened the case, which contained a series of organic samples floating around in glass jars. Looking at the Brigadier the Doctor realised what it had taken for him to come up with the case and the disappointment he felt with himself and what he had found, showed clearly in the Brigadier’s eyes.
Smiling the Doctor took the case and walked towards the nearest hazardous waist bin. Opening the lid, he let the contents fall out and shatter. Looking across at the Brigadier he almost burst out laughing as he stood gazing back at him in horror. The Doctor gave him a reassuring smile as he placed the case back on the bench.
‘Perfect Brigadier… the case is made of the metal I need to complete the star trackers.’ With a sigh of relief and a feeling that the Doctor had cheated him in some way the Brigadier shook his head.
‘Well… I’ll leave you to it then. Got this Whitehall chap to appease. He didn’t like the assault on the house… said it was over the top. The worrying thing is he has the power to shut this branch down.’ The Brigadier left with a worried look on his face.
The Drawing of Groups 3/16