Evil Incarnate. Part 1.

Please note, this story occurs between the stories "The Girl in the Fireplace" and "Rise of the Cybermen" and also takes place during the classic story "The Android Invasion"

The sounds of the Tardis engines faded and there was a gentle thump as the space around, and more importantly under, the newly arrived vessel became accustomed to the new arrival.

The door opened and voices drifted through the open door, "Well, we're still on Earth, it looks to be around 1979, maybe 1980. Ish, give or take a year or so on either side."

"Or a decade or two." A female voice added with a laugh.

"Oi, that's enough of your cheek Rose Tyler, you should know better than most, the Tardis is a very sensitive girl. Aren't you my darling."

"I swear, if he strokes that console again, I'm going to get him psychiatric help."

"I'm starting to regret letting you come along Mickey." The Doctor said, a laugh mere seconds away from erupting out of him.

The trio finally emerged from the Tardis to be met by a brusque looking man in a military uniform. "It's about time you got back Doctor. Hold on, you're not the Doctor."

"Brigadier!" The Doctor cried as he ran forward to embrace the man. "It has been far too long old friend, how are you, and Sergeant Benton? Oh wait, hang about, where am I?"

"What?.." The Brigadier started.

"I mean, where is the me that you were expecting?" The Doctor asked, his voice serious.

"You mean you've done it again? You've regenerated, I was only just getting used to the other one. To answer your question, you are, or he is I should say, off on a joyride with Miss Smith."

The Doctor spotted the calendar on the wall, "Oh, right, the Kraals." He smiled gently. "So, what's the problem Brigadier?" The sudden change in the pace as this stranger smiled glowingly at the Brigadier, took the soldier somewhat by surprise.

"What do you mean?" The Brigadier asked coyly. "What makes you think there's a problem?"

"Oh, come on Brigadier, you're in my lab, you've obviously been pacing, you've got a worried look on your face, and if I'm not mistaken that's the recall device on that table there." The man, who the Brigadier was believing more and more to be the Doctor smiled again.

"This is a lab?" Mickey asked, sarcasm flowing from his simple question. "It looks more like an old recording studio, I mean, look at this big tape recorder thing."

The Doctor's hand slapped Mickey's away "That happens to be a very state of the art computer system."

"State of the art for the stone age maybe." Mickey retorted.

The Doctor snorted as he turned back to the Brigadier. "Where are my manners?"

"You never had any, not even before you regenerated." Rose quipped.

"I'll ignore that. This is Rose Tyler, and hairless ape here is Mickey the idiot. I'd like you both to meet one of my oldest and dearest friends, Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge Stewart."

"I'm not an idiot, I know who he is, he's in charge of UNIT."

"How do you know about UNIT?" The Brigadier asked, "The existence of this organisation is covered by the official secrets act."

"Yeah, well, in my time, we've got another act called the Freedom of Information act, all of your files are available for anyone to read. The only organisation that I couldn't get access to was Torchwood."

"Torchwood? You know about them too?"

"Yes, yes, everyone knows about UNIT, and Torchwood. Wait a minute, I don't know about Torchwood, who are they?"

"Well, they're some super top secret alien fighting organisation."

"Oh, is that all?" The Doctor replied flippantly. Now back to the matter in hand, what's the problem Brigadier?"

"Why don't you tell me? You seem to know everything already? You're obviously a future version of the Doctor, don't you know already?"

"Well, I do know quite a bit, well, more than quite a bit actually. In fact, I know quite a stupendous amount, but I don't know about this? I did always wonder why you weren't around when Sarah and I got back, so tell me, what's got you so anxious?"

"Well, it could be something, it could be nothing. I'm not entirely sure. But you have to promise me Doctor, you wont scream, you wont shout, and you will not begin one of your anti establishment rants."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed, "Why? What have they done now?"

"Well, it seems that the Yeti have gone missing." The Brigadier answered quietly, taking a slight step backwards, perhaps having a premonition about what was to come.

The Doctor slumped onto a stool in the lab. "The Yeti?" The Brigadier nodded. "That wouldn't be the Yeti that you assured me had been destroyed? The Yeti that could easily conquer this entire planet if they were in the mind to?"

"I'm afraid so."

"But why are they still around to go missing?"

"It was decided by the defence ministry that they should be studied, in hopes that one day we could decipher their workings and make them operate for our benefit."

"So, some pin stripe wearing half wit from Whitehall over ruled your express orders for their destruction, pulled them apart, or at least tried to, and now suddenly they've gone missing and so it's our problem again?"

"That's the long and the short of it Doctor."

"So, how many people have died so far?" The Doctor asked.

"None as far as we can tell, the chap leading the research has vanished though, he's being presumed dead at the moment."

"Who was he?"

"Never actually met the chap, Italian I think, some kind of expert in cybernetics, whatever that is. Went by the name of Professor padrone."

"Padrone?" The Doctor asked. Then not even waiting for a response, continued. "Do you people actually carry out any security checks on anyone? Do you even own an Italian dictionary?"

"What are you getting at Doctor?"

"Padrone. Brigadier, is Italian for Master! You've let the Master get his hands on the Yeti."

To be continued.