The Doctor popped his head around the door to the main UNIT building. The skyscraper was at least 700ft tall, its sides gleaming with spotless glass and shining steel. All the buildings were protected with a force field and perception filter; the filter to prevent intruders, particularly those of the alien variety, and the force field, more than likely, to prevent kamikaze birds flying into the invisible windows.

A receptionist, dressed in slightly less army-like attire, looked up from her desk when she saw the Doctor's head. She immediately brushed down her black dress and gracefully walked towards the Doctor, the sound of her high heels reverberating around the quiet building. She was petite, with short dark brown hair, and spoke with a well practiced Queen's English accent.

"Doctor, sir, may I say it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Rachel Wales, welcome to UNIT headquarters. This is quite an honour, both for UNIT and for me personally." She seemed slightly star struck as she put out a hand in his direction.

The Doctor nodded and manoeuvred his way in to the building. He looked around, observing the endless floors above, all surrounded by twirling staircases and glass walls.

"Lovely place," He said, watching as a few soldiers went from one floor to another. "Not many people though."

"Well, no, this is HQ; it's on a need to know basis. As much as we carry out rigorous checks on all of our staff, there are still some things only the special few are allowed in to." She said, guiding him back to her desk.

"Then why build such a big building?" The Doctor asked, clearly puzzled.

Rachel seemed to stop and think for a moment, before answering frankly. "Aesthetics, I guess." She gave a smile. The Doctor smiled back but continued to stare upwards in curiosity.

"So, you're here to see the Colonel, correct?" Rachel asked, typing away at her computer.

"Uh, kinda."

"He's just down the road in our other, less inconspicuous offices. I'll order transport for you now."

"Actually, I was wondering if I could have a tour around this building. It seems like a nice place; I'd love to know more about it."

"The Colonel really was expecting you..." Rachel looked from her computer screen up to the Doctor's desperate expression. "Oh, I know, hang on."

She opened a drawer in her desk and took out what looked like a tablet PC. She pressed a few buttons, and eventually the Colonel appeared on screen. He was middle-aged, his thick brown beard greying at the edges. His features were well defined but his eyes were sunken and tired.

"Hello Colonel, I have the Doctor to see you. He's in a bit of a rush though, so I wondered if you're free for a conference on the move." She asked, getting up from her desk and moving towards the Doctor.

"I suppose," The Colonel responded gruffly. Rachel handed the device to the Doctor. "Doctor, why the absence?"

"I just need to stay close to my TARDIS; having a few technical issues." The Doctor said as he was led up a flight of stairs by Rachel. He barely paid attention as the Colonel said something about something.

"Are you with my so far, Doctor?" The Colonel asked. The Doctor looked down at the screen in confusion.

"Um...yeah." The Doctor said blindly. The Colonel seemed pleased.

He continued to blab on, as Rachel pointed out several rooms on their way up the tower. There were monstrously large laboratories, huge conference rooms, a cafeteria, a computer room, an armoury; this placed seemed to be fully kitted out. And yet by the sixteenth floor the ideas seemed to wear thin. There were more conference rooms with no chairs, more computer rooms full of devices that didn't even seem to have been used, and even some rooms that were just plain empty.

"Doctor. Doctor!" The Colonel yelled after a while. The Doctor looked down once more and nimbly removed his sonic from his jacket.

"Yeah, sorry Colonel just having a few interference problems." He said, moving his sonic underneath the device and whirring it around. The Colonel's image faded slowly as he yelled the Doctor's name for the umpteenth time. The Doctor shrugged innocently. "Oops." He said to Rachel. She gave him a cautious look before smiling.

"I think we should turn back now anyway. Nothing else except more rooms like this all the way to the top."

"But there must be at least another 30 or 40 floors to this place. Are they really all the same?" The Doctor asked, bemused by the emptiness of the building.

"Afraid so. And I should know; there are cameras for every single floor that project straight to another room behind my desk."

"Well, mind if I take the lift up to the top floor? Just to admire the view." The Doctor said, pressing the nearby lift button. Rachel didn't really have time to answer before the Doctor had hopped in. "You can go back to your desk, don't worry about me. See you later!" He waved as the lift doors closed. Rachel sighed and began the long descent down the stairs.

The Doctor tentatively took a step out when he reached the top floor. It seemed less well lit, and the rooms even more baron than the ones below. To his relief, however, there was a laboratory nearby with its lights on, and through the glass wall he could see wires and pieces of metal lying around on the table. The Doctor stumbled his way into the room and began leafing his way through the scraps. He felt no better than a petty thief, but it was for the greater good, he decided. He found some slightly useful wires and conductors that he stuck in his pockets, but nothing substantial. He ventured towards a white cupboard at the back of the room. Opening it, the Doctor found a large metal rod, about the size of himself, propped up against the side. What concerned him, however, were several pieces of Dalekanium stored next to it.

"Surprised Doctor?"

The Doctor turned around to see the Colonel stride in. He was a large man; both in build and height, but his age seemed to be of no detriment to his demeanour.

"Don't worry; I'm not in league with those monsters. Merely using their technology to help protect the planet."

"And how do you plan on that exactly?" The Doctor said, striding up to the Colonel.

"I'm making us strong, Doctor. I plan to make the Earth feared."