Strickland was located in the Powell Estate, back in his skin suit. "Right, you head off. Inform Control I have got one or two things that still need doing. I haven't quite finished with that creature yet."
*
"Soon." McAllister said to Green and Margaret whilst they were waiting in the clock room.
Green nodded his head, "Oh yes, soon." Upon hearing this, McAllister clumped away. Green waited for McAllister to finish clumping before looking at Margaret curiously, "Is that all of us?"
Margaret acknowledged the question. "All the family except Sip Fel Fotch. He's found a hunt of his own."
Green approved with a malevolent smile, "Ah!"
*
The Doctor dragged Ganesh's body into one of the cabinet rooms smallest store room, where the late Anthony Blair is was laid out.
After a minutes silence for respect, the Doctor addressed Harriet, "What was his name?"
"Who?" Harriet looked at the Doctor with confusion.
"This one." He gestured toward the junior assistant, "The secretary or whatever he was called."
Her eyes brimmed with tears, " Ganesh" Harriet croaked, "I brought him a cup of coffee once."
The Doctor looked softly at devastated Harriet," Sorry. Right, what have we got? Any terminals, anything?"
Harriet shook her head, "No. This place is antique."
Dobby tugged at the Doctors jacket sleeve, "Doctor. Why did the aliens not use Mr the Prime Minister as a disguise?"
The Doctor looked down at the inquiring elf, "He's too slim. They're big old beasts. They need to fit inside big humans."
Dobby was baffled, "But they is being so very tall! How do they fit?!"
A smile was tugging at the corner of the Doctors lips, the naiveté of the ex-house-elf before him was adorable. "That's the device around their necks. Compression field. Literally shrinks them down a bit. That's why there's all that gas. It's a big exchange." Both Harriet and Dobby nodded in understanding. The Doctor now turned his attention to the woman beside him. "Harriet Jones. I've heard that name before. Harriet Jones. You're not famous for anything, are you?"
Jones gave a dismissive laugh which was followed by a wave of the hand, "Oh, hardly."
The Doctor pressed on, "Rings a bell." He frowned. "Harriet Jones?"
Harriet smiled sadly, "Lifelong backbencher I'm afraid, and a fat lot of use I'm being now. The Protocols are redundant. They list the people who could help and they're all dead downstairs."
Dobbys eyebrows knitted together, "Has it not it got..." Dobby tapped his chin, trying to think of the right word. "De-fence?" The Elf looked questioningly at the pronunciation of the word. "...Codes and thingys? Could we not just launch a... boom? At them?"
Harriet looked at the elf once she had processed what 'boom' was. "You're a very violent young..."
"Elf." Said the Doctor.
"...Elf. You know?"
Dobby looked sternly at Jones, "I am being serious."
Harriet thought hard, "Well, there's nothing like that in here. Nuclear strikes do need a release code, yes, but it's kept secret by the United Nations."
The Doctor looked up suddenly, "Say that again."
"What, about the codes?"
The Doctor shook his head. "Anything. All of it."
"Well, the British Isles can't gain access to atomic weapons without a Special Resolution from the UN." Harriet spoke frankly. "Like that's ever stopped them." She added in an undertone. "Given our past record." Once more in an undertone, "I had voted against that, thank you very much." Before continuing on with her point. "The codes have been taken out of the governments hands and given to the UN." She paused to look at the Doctors facial expression. "Is it important?"
The Doctor smiled gratefully, "Everything's important."
Harriet sighed, "If we only knew what the Slitheen wanted." She chuckled" Listen to me. I'm saying Slitheen as if it's normal."
"What do they want?" Dobby inquired.
The Doctor let out a huff of breath. "Well, they're just one family, so it's not an invasion. They don't want Slitheen World They're out to make money. That means they want to use something. Something here on Earth. Some kind of asset."
"Like what?" Harriet questioned. "Gold? Oil? Water?" She spilt her suggestions, trying to be helpful.
"You're very good at this." The Doctor complimented.
Harriet smiled. "Thank you."
The Doctor pondered, " Harriet Jones. Why do I know that name?"
--
The Doctor paced up and down, trying to make sense of it all. "The Slitheen have got a spaceship in the North Sea and it's transmitting that signal. Now hush, let me work out what it's saying. It's some sort of message."
Dobby stood on his tippy-toes from behind the Doctor, trying so desperately to see. " What does it say?"
The Doctor shrugged his shoulders, "Don't know. It's on a loop, keeps repeating."
"There's got to be some way of stopping them!" Harriet said in an extremely high-pitched voice, "You're supposed to be the expert, think of something!"
The Doctor exclaimed desperately, "I'm trying!"
"They hunt like it's a ritual." Harriet suggested.
"Narrows it down." The Doctor huffed.
Insight hit Harriet, "Wait a minute. Did you notice? When they fart, if you'll pardon the word, it doesn't just smell like a fart, if you'll pardon the word, it's something else. What is it? It's more like, er..." Harriet clicked her fingers thrice, trying to think of the word.
"Bad breath!" Dobby giggled.
"That's it!" Harriet grinned at Dobby.
"Calcium decay!" The Doctor elucidated, "Now, that narrows it down! Calcium phosphate. Organic calcium. Living calcium. Creatures made out of living calcium." The Doctor tapped his head with his forefingers rapidly, "What else? What else?" He clapped, "Hyphenated surname. Yes!" He jumped up in joy, "That narrows it down to one planet. Raxacoricofallapatorius!"
*
Asquith turned to Green who was pacing expectantly around the entrance lobby, "He's dead. Sip Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day-Slitheen is dead."
Green spoke gravely, "I felt it." Tears bit at his eyes, "How could that happen?!" He croaked.
Asquith exhaled sharply, "Somebody must have got lucky."
Green looked at Asquith, rage in his yes. "That's the last piece of luck anyone on this rock will ever have."
*
Green and Asquith went outside to Downing Street in order to make the promised broadcast.
"Ladies and gentlemen, nations of the world, humankind. The greatest experts in extra-terrestrial events came here tonight. They gathered in the common cause, but the news I bring you now is grave indeed." Green paused for effect, "Our technicians can baffle the alien probes, but not for long." He struggled to contain the smirk that was threatening to form on his lips. "I beg of the United Nations, pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes. A nuclear strike at the heart of the beast is our only chance of survive because from this moment on it is my solemn duty to inform you planet Earth is at war."
*
The Doctor raged angrily at the cabinet rooms tv in which the broadcast was being played, "He's making it up!" He exclaimed, "There's no weapons up there, there's no threat. He just invented it."
Dobby tugged at the Doctors sleeve, "Does you think they will believe him?"
Harriet turned to Dobby, "They did last time." She said in a reluctant tone. "
The Doctor was hit by a way of realization, "That's why the Slitheen went for spectacle!" He exclaimed. "They want the whole world panicking, because you lot, you get scared, you lash out." He exemplified their plan.
"They release the defence code." Harriet elaborated
The Doctor concluded, "The Slitheen go nuclear."
"But why?" Dobby pressed.
The Doctor opened the metal shutters. "You get the codes, release the missiles, but not into space because there's nothing there. You attack every other country on Earth. They retaliate, fight back. World War Three. Whole planet gets nuked." He explained.
Margaret (who was outside of the room) smirked, "All we have to do is sit through it safe in our spaceship waiting in the Thames. Not crashed, just parked. Only two minutes away."
Harriet grew wide-eyed, "But you'll destroy the planet, this beautiful place. What for?"
"Profit." The Doctor answered. "That's what the signal is beaming into space. An advert."
"The sale of the century. We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it piece by piece. Radioactive chucks, capable of powering every cut-price star liner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there, Doctor. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel." Margaret said sinisterly.
"At the cost of five billion lives." The Doctor spat darkly.
Margaret shrugged, "Bargain."
The Doctor stared at Blaine menacingly, "I give you a choice. Leave this planet or I'll stop you." He threatened.
Margaret laughed. "What, you?" She said mockingly, "Trapped in your box?"
"Yes. Me." He said through clenched teeth before he closed the shutters on Margarets laughing face.
She began to worry.
*
At Westminster Bridge the next morning Hitchinson stood with the days news, "Yesterday saw the start of a brave new world. Today might see it end. The streets are deserted. Everyone's home, just waiting, as the future is decided in New York."
*
"Sergeant." Green addressed Price (whom he'd seen walking in the entrance lobby,) "We'll take the call in the Prime Minister's office. Maintain your positions. Good luck."
*
All three Slitheens were seated in the PMs office. "Oh, look at that." Margaret cooed as if speaking to a baby, "The telephone is actually red."
Green passed some gas, "How long till they phone?"
"Counting down." Asquith said, staring at the handful of Smarties by phone.
Green snapped out of a temporary daze, "Victory should be naked!" Following Greens lead, Margaret and Asquith unzipped their body suits.
*
Dobby was beginning to get restless, he didn't want to stay in the cabinet room all day. Once more, he tugged on the Doctors sleeve. "How are we getting out?"
"We don't. We stay here." The Doctor got the Emergency Protocols from the Red Box. "Now tell me something Dobby, what can a house-elf do?"
We elves are able to do: apparition in places no Wizard or Witch can go, hover charms, sealing of magical passageways, bewitching of magical objects, banish--"
"Dobby." The Doctor interrupted the elf kindly, "There's not much time for you to tell me everything a house-elf can do. Please. Tell me. Can you... teleport items?"
Dobby nodded, "Dobby is able to be making items reappear at another place."
The Doctor grinned, "Fantastic!"
*
The Slitheen family were barely able to stay still in the PMs office as they were preoccupied with their anticipative squirming.
'Ring, damn you." Green cursed at the phone.
Price fired a shot into the air whilst his men (and the remains of the Downing Street staff) ran out of the building. "Everybody run!" Price bellowed as the missile began its descent.
*
Harriet looked at Dobby, "What have you done?" She asked, frightened, once they had taken refuge in the cupboard.
The Doctor smiled knowingly, "You'll see."
*
"Oh, boll." Margaret muttered, panic-stricken.
KaBOOM!
The offices iconic front door blew off in a fireball. The cupboard shook then rolled through the remains of the building inside its steel shell.
*
The Doctor pushed the steel door off and Harriet stepped out into Downing Street, dusting off her pants. "Made in Britain." She smiled proudly.
Price ran up to the trio, "Oh, my God!" He exclaimed, "Are you, all right?!"
"Harriet Jones. MP, Flydale North." She flashed her badge at him, "I want you to contact UN immediately. Tell the ambassadors the crisis is over. They can step down. Go on, tell the news."
Price nodded, "Yes, ma'am."
"Someone's got a hell of a job sorting this lot out." Her eyes widened when she remembered what happened to the PM. "Oh, Lord." Her voice shook slightly, "We haven't even got a Prime Minister."
"Maybe you should have a go." The Doctor suggested magnanimously.
"Me?" Harriet retorted, "Huh." She laughed weekly. "I'm only a back-bencher."
"I'd vote for you." Dobby reassured the woman.
Harriet scoffed, "Now, don't be silly." Harriet glanced over her shoulder, "Look, I'd better go and see if I can help. Hang on!" She made her way down the pile of rubble. "We're safe! The Earth is safe!"
*
"Sergeant!" Harriet hollered.
"I thought I knew the name." The Doctor expressed, "Harriet Jones, future Prime Minister. Elected for three successive terms. The architect of Britain's Golden Age."
Harriet gave a discreet wink to Dobby and the Doctor before they began to leave Whitehall, "The crisis has passed! Ladies and gentlemen, I have something to say to you all here today! Mankind stands tall, proud and undefeated." She beamed, "God bless the human race."
*
Once they were in the TARDIS, the Doctor looked at Dobby with an I-told-you-so look on his face, "See Dobby, you were fantastic! If you weren't here with me today, I wouldn't know what to do. I would have been helpless!"
Dobbys grin threatened to reach his ears, "You is being right. Dobby was a helpful elf!"
The Doctor beamed. "Now. You were telling me what a house-elf can do?"
XxTimeTurnerTardisxX
Authors note:
Woo! The first adventure done and dusted. See how Dobby was the one who 'teleported' the missile to them? Encase of any confusion: I did this because in the actual episode, Mickey hacked into the UN data base (if I remember correctly) a day sent the missile there. However, no Rose = no Mickey and no Jackie therefore I had to tweak it a bit.
See you all in the next adventure!
