General Finch: Waiting for this mysterious scientific advisor of yours to turn up?
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: That's right, sir.
General Finch: [Sarcastically] I suppose he'll just materialize out of thin air.
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart:Very probably.
-Season 11, Invasion of the Dinosaurs
Third Doctor.
UNIT headquarters, early 1970s.
The white-haired Doctor, flamboyantly dressed as usual, walked alongside the UNIT commander, Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart.
Sergeant Benton followed a few steps behind.
"It looks like we really might need your help on this one. I'm glad you were able to return, Doctor," said the Brigadier.
"So am I," he replied
They walked down a narrow corridor, turning numerous times, until at last they came to a heavy steel door. A sentry stood on either side of the door. They snapped to attention and saluted as the group approached.
Sergeant Benton came forward with a ring of keys and began to open several locks. He soon had them open, and the group strode into the room, the Doctor acknowleging the sentries with an absent wave and the Brigadier with a nod. After the latter, both dropped their salutes and returned their rifles to ready.
"This arrived from one of our contacts in a research station in the Yukon a few weeks ago," said the Brigadier. "An innocuous-looking piece, but they did mention that four men had died soon after it was shipped, all from various cellular malignancies."
"I see," said the Doctor. "Well, let's have a look."
He pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket, wrapped it around the handle of a screwdriver, and reached over to press a green button on the front of the strange device. As he pressed it, there was a sharp 'click'! and a panel slid aside on top. A mechanical arm came out, holding a vial with a blue glowing liquid.
The Doctor gasped.
"What's wrong, Doc-" began Sergeant Benton, but he was cut off as the Doctor turned and started running for the door, pushing both men ahead of him.
"Get out!" he shouted. "Now!"
Benton complied, still stammering. The Brigadier, however, had wasted no time, putting on his own turn of speed in diving out of the room. As the Doctor left the room, he slammed the door behind them.
The Brigadier was already pulling himself back to his feet. "Your analysis, Doctor?"
"Yes, well," said the Doctor, catching his breath, "I did recognise the type of radiation it was giving off. I could deal with it if I had to directly, but that specific kind can cause rapid onset of several cancers in humans."
The Brigadier's eyes widened at this, but all he said was, "I see."
"Yes, I believe we'll need to have radiation suits to be able to further research this device," mused the Doctor, starting to walk back down the corridor. "I'll make up a serum to deal with any radiation sickness, first. That should be a simple matter."
They turned a corner, and entered the Doctor's laboratory. He walked over to his worktable, and began to busy himself with various chemicals and burners, occaisionally helping the process along with momentary passes of his sonic screwdriver.
The Brigadier and Sergeant Benton stood discreetly over near the Doctor's TARDIS in the corner. The sentry at the door had already been ordered not to let anyone in or out - standard quarantine procedures.
An hour later, the Doctor held aloft a tube full of an orange liquid. "I believe this will do it!" he announced. He poured half into another tube, and extended them both to the men. "Drink up," he said. "This should deal with any... oh, dear."
Both the Brigadier and Benton lay sprawled on the floor, in various states of agony. The Doctor rushed over.
"Drink this. Quickly!" The Doctor grabbed each man's head in turn, and poured the contents of one of the tubes into their mouths, making sure they swallowed. He stayed crouched by their sides, face lined with concern. After a few minutes, they stopped thrashing about. The Brigadier was the first to prop himself up.
"Do I need to declare a base quarantine, Doctor?"
"Not yet," said the Doctor. "Just to be safe, though, perhaps you should order all personel away from that sector until we have this thing worked out." He produced a radio from his pocket, keyed in the proper frequency, and held it to the Brigadier's mouth.
"This is Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. All personnel are to evacuate Sector Twenty-Five-Gamma-Twelve. Repeat, evacuate Sector Twenty-Five-Gamma-Twelve. This is not a drill!" He slumped back down.
"Don't move too much," said the Doctor, removing his ever-present cape and forming it into a pillow, then after a moment's thought, doing the same with his coat. He placed them beneath the two men's heads. "Just get some rest. I'll be back with a full report." He stood up and started out the door, but found himself rapidly back-pedalling as the two sentries, already in bio-hazard suits, pressed the muzzles of their rifles into his chest.
From behind him, the Brigadier's voice weakly rang out. "Biohazard protocol countermand seven seven alpha genia. Now let him through!"
The Doctor managed to find the armory, flashed his ID card and let himself in. He pulled on a radiation suit, buckling it carefully and fastening the latches, then making his way past the suited guards and back to the store room where the strange box sat. The arm had retracted itself, but it looked no less menacing to the Doctor as he laid out a set of tools and pulled several small items from a pouch at his belt.
"Well, now," he said softly. "Let's see if we can find out just who hates people this much."
"Well," said the Doctor, pulling off his leaded gloves, "I believe I' ve established what that was. Here's an exact list of the other toxins, radioactives and weapons I found in that box."
The Brigadier took the list and gave it a cursory look. "All of these?" He studied the list closer. "I don't think I'll pretend to understand half of these, Doctor," he said. "What have you found out about these?"
The Doctor gave him a very tired look.
"The first bit of bad news, Brigadier, is that every single one of those items appears to have been custom-designed to attack humans. In fact, some are so specialized that even species and races very similar to yours would suffer no more than a sunburn or a bad cold, while any human in range would die painfully." He took a shaky breath. "A most horrible genocidal mix."
The Brigadier seemed to take this in, nodding thoughtfully. "And the second?"
"The construction of the box itself, and the devices inside, are a most haphazard collection of alien technologies, from three entirely seperate empires," said the Doctor. "That's not the most disturbing part, though.
Alistair, the unifying technology, the construction of the box itself - it's human."
"What?!" said Sergeant Benton. "Who could have done this?! Have the Russians-" The Brigadier cut him off with a chop of his hand, then turned back.
"That is a serious point, Doctor. Who could have kept this to themselves, built this..."
"Not from here," said the Doctor quickly. "According to my findings, both the techniques and the metal themselves date from the future. Now, the adaptation and melding of the alien technology has blurred the signatures somewhat, but I believe I can nail it down to the middle to late twenty-first century."
The Brigadier stood in thought for a moment. "Thank you, Doctor. If not for your help, this invasion from the future would have taken us completely unawares." He turned to the sergeant. "Benton, get together anyone trained in radioactives and biohazard disposal. They are to meet at briefing room Gamma in half an hour!"
"Yes, sir!'" The sergeant saluted and trotted out the door.
"Really, I don't think it was an invasion item," said the Doctor. "If it had been intended as such, it would have been targeted at the major population..."
"Doctor," snapped the Brigadier, "I do appreciate your scientific aid, and your defusing of this mess. But you are not in a position to decide the military footing of this base!" He turned, and began to walk off.
"Wait!" said the Doctor, catching up with him as he strode down the hall. "Look, I can appreciate your need to deal with this mess. I've seen lots of military action myself. But please, before you send in your men, at least allow me to investgate!"
"And how would you go about that?"
"Well, I could follow the time signature to its origin point," said the Doctor. "If it is an invasion, I'll be back here instantly to warn you."
And may God help us if it is, he said under his breath.
"Hm." The Brigadier stopped a moment. He turned to the Doctor. "Very well. I'll order emergency preparedness, and we'll wait for your word. But we will not wait long!"
"Just a look is all I ask," said the Doctor. "Thank you, Brigadier."
The Doctor, back in the TARDIS, started working the dials and knobs carefully, occaisionally pressing buttons. He pushed up two levers, then looking carefully at the main screen, pushed up a third...
Vuarp vuarp vuarp...
The Brigadier stood watching the TARDIS disappear as Sergeant Benton returned. "The briefing has been readied, Brigader," he said, saluting.
"Very good," said the Brigadier, giving one last look towards the empty spot. "Benton?"
"Yes, Brigadier?
"Get a call in to the main research laboratories, and have them send over some bio-warfare men. We may need their assistance in this."
Vwarp vhoarp vhapfazz
The Doctor jumped back as the console began to spit purple sparks, then staggered as the TARDIS landed rather heavily.
"Blast and botheration!" he snapped. " I hope I've at least landed near where I aimed this time! Drat these memory holes..." He straightened his cape, walked over, and opened the door of the TARDIS.
Outside, it was pitch black. He took a step forward to see better...
He felt the muzzle of some weapon press against his spine.
"Been looking for you, I have, Doctor."
The Doctor slowly, grimly, raised his hands.
