Brushbys: School's Out

"It's just like the reports stated," the National Guard soldier informed the international team gathered before him. The tone was completely hushed; confusion filled the air like the stale dust that was left at the crater site.

"But this doesn't make any sense," the blond FBI soldier said, looking over the dossier on the incident she had been handed. "How could a building filled with more than three thousand people just disappear off the face of the planet?"

"Oh there are actually quite a few ways it could happen," a handsome man in a World War II longcoat stated simply as he entered the tent. A young black woman followed him, writing down some notes on a clipboard. "Could be a perception filter applied to the exterior, a concentrated temporal-spatial Rift disturbance…"

"It could be the Judoon," his companion suggested in a London accent. "I mean, Royal Hope was more than five times the size of this secondary school."

"I'm sorry," the FBI agent said in confusion. "Who are you two?"

"Right, how rude of me," the man said with a smile. "Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood, and this is Doctor Martha Jones, with UNIT. We were brought in as special consultants."

"By who," the woman asked, more confused than ever.

"I invited them Agent Scully," the older gentleman at the head of the table who had simply given a name of K said. "With the recent upswing in paranormal disturbances in Britain, I thought they might be familiar enough to help us."

"Well we'll do our best," Harkness replied with a grin. "First things first, were there any eyewitnesses?"

"There was just one," Scully informed them, handing her dossier over the doctor. "A senior by the name of Sharpay Evans. According to her testimony, she left class in the middle of the day to retrieve an audition costume for the winter musical. When she returned, she noticed quote, 'Rain falling up', and the school disappeared."

"Definitely the Judoon then," Jack said firmly. "Martha, remind me, I owe you a Coke."

"What are Judoon," Scully asked him.

"Intergalactic police for hire," Martha answered, fielding the question. "About a year and a half ago, they transported Royal Hope Hospital from the middle of London in a similar manner to locate a fugitive."

"There's another alien race interested in the Earth," Scully asked, her brow raised in confusion.

"We try to let you main government types have only one or two," K explained flatly. "Distract you from getting too close."

"So why tell me now," she responded. "Why let me in on the big secret now?"

K and Jack traded a quick glance. With a bit of a nod, Jack licked his lips softly and looked at Scully.

"Your partner was in the school when it was taken," Jack explained. "The ties you two share may help our equipment get a lock on where they've transported the school."

An all-too-familiar sick feeling hit the pit of her stomach at those words. He had managed to get himself into another situation out of his league, and he might not make it back. Breathing softly to ease her emotions she looked at Jack.

"Then we'd better get started," she said softly.