Upon hearing the sound, Elton staggered back, remembering the last time he had heard a sound like that...
''What is it?'' Ursula asked, ''What's wrong?''
''Leave him!'' Victor ordered, ''You've heard it before, haven't you? When? When was it? Where? Where were you?''
''I'd forgotten, until now,'' Elton murmured, ''But it was that night...''
''What night?''
''I was just a kid... that's why I went downstairs. It woke me up. That noise...'' Elton paused, ''But what is it? What does it mean?''
''That is a sound of his spaceship,'' Victor revealed, before opening his briefcase and pulling out some files, handing them to the group, ''Right then, homework! Using the Torchwood files, we're able to look at all the old databases in a completely new light. We're able to build up a more detailed profile of the Doctor. I've allocated tasks to each of you. I'd like you to...'' He scaled back when Mr Skinner's hand almost accidentally brushed against his, ''Careful! Watch the eczeema! I'd like you to complete your targets and meet back here this time next week, one step closer to catching the Doctor.''
Everyone sat, nodding at what they needed to do.
''Well don't just sit there, MOVE!'' Victor shouted, and everyone started to move out. ''Erm, Bliss?'' Victor called, ''It is Bliss, isn't it?''
''Yeah.''
''Could I have a word with you in private, please?''
''Course you can, yeah!'' Bliss smiled.
''Thank you,'' Victor replied, turning to the others, ''Goodbye, goodbye.''
Elton and the others moved out and got into the lift.
''Better get to work! Lots to do,'' Elton commented as they stepped out onto the street.
''I never thought of it as work,'' Ursula stated.
''It's what we've always wanted, though,'' Elton reasoned, ''To find the Doctor.''
''Yeah, I suppose,'' Ursula agreed, and the group set off to their appointed tasks.
''All of a sudden, without anyone saying so, we were working for Victor Kennedy,'' Elton narrated, ''Though we had to admit, he was right. His methods were much more rigorous. It felt like we were getting closer and closer to the Doctor. We all started to wonder where Bliss had gone, but Victor told us she'd gotten married, and we had no reason not to believe him.'' He shook his head at his own foolishness, before getting back to the point, ''But we did get lucky once. Don't get excited, that's where you came in. Woolwich. Police box. Red bucket, blue bucket. Me so stupid, etcetera.''
Victor towered over Elton as he told him the story of his failure at interacting with the Doctor, ''Useless!'' he spat.
''I just froze,'' Elton defended.
''You met him… and you froze, you stupid man!'' Victor raised his hand to strike Elton.
''You can't hit me!'' Elton pointed out, '''Cos you don't touch, you said so, you get a rash and an itch and...''
''I can use this!'' Victor shouted, grabbing his cane and raising it.
Ursula stood up in indignation, ''Use that cane on him and you'll get one hell of a smack off me! And then a good kick!'' She glared at him, ''Is that completely understood, Mr Kennedy?''
''Duly noted,'' Victor breathed, ''Ursula... Blake. Most likely to fight back.'' He stared at Ursula before turning to his desk, ''Right then! We'll change tack, we'll approach this sideways.'' As he spoke, Elton and Ursula smiled at each other. ''If we're to discover the truth about the Doctor, then we need to try and find… them.'' He brought up images of the well built boy, the blonde haired girl, and the girl with glasses.
Elton recognised all three.
''Now when it comes to the first two, the Torchwood files are strangely lacking,'' Victor explained, ''It seems the evidence has been corrupted, something called 'Bad Wolf' virus. At least we've got these photographs. The third has been identified as Alice Emily McGowan. 18. A Level student from South East London. Parents Thomas and Rachel McGowan. Elton? You've had experience with all three?''
''London accents, all three,'' Elton revealed, ''The boy sounded quite ghetto, the kind of thing you find in the London estates, the blonde girl sounded more estuary, and the one with glasses sounded... posh. Definitely Londoners, all of them.''
''Miss McGowan doesn't appear to have been with the Doctor for long, so accessing through her doesn't appear to be feasible,'' Victor decided, ''So we hit the streets for the other two. We get out there, we take the photographs. Someone's got to know who they are somewhere.''
''Yes, but London's a big place,'' Bridget pointed out, ''I mean I should know, my own daughter's out there.''
''Bridget, don't make this personal,'' Victor dismissed, ''I don't like to be touched literally, OR metaphorically, thank you very much, I haven't got the time. Bleeding hearts outside! Find me those kids!'' He handed them all photos, ''Go. Now, move!''
''So it began,'' Elton narrated, ''The impossible task. To scour the mean streets, to search a major capital city for two unknown people. To hunt down that face in a seething metropolis of lost souls. To find those two in ten million...''
Elton's search found him in Brixton, a not particularly nice place to be. He walked up to two young men who both had their hoods up and were smoking. As Elton got closer, he could tell by the smell that what they were smoking was not tobacco. One was a slightly chubby black man, and the other a skinny white man with a blonde beard.
''Alright lads?'' Elton called to them only for both to glare at him. He strolled up and showed them the pictures, ''You don't happen to know these two, do you?''
''What's it to you?'' the black man asked, glaring at him.
''I'm... just wondering,'' Elton replied.
''Don't know the girl, but that's Greaver.''
''Greaver?''
''Jimmy Greaver,'' the white man said, ''He lives on the Stanton Block. Mum's Valerie Greaver. She don't like being disturbed. She can come disturb me any time, though.'' He smirked.
''His dad lives not too far from here,'' the black man said, ''Name's Joshua.''
''Where you from anyway, fam?'' the white man asked suspiciously.
''I'm not from round here,'' Elton replied with a nervous smile.
The two pulled out knives from their pockets, ''Well, you'd best stay away from here, then!'' the white man warned. Elton took this as his cue to run.
As Elton ran, he heard a voice shout, ''Oi, Josh, save a few quid for tonight, son!'' he looked over to see a mixed-race man in his thirties smiling and entering a pub. He bore a strong resemblance to the boy in Victor's photos. Target acquired! Elton knew he had been trained for this. Victor's sessions had covered surveillance and espionage. He followed the man into the pub.
Step one: engage your target. Find some excuse to start a conversation.
But how would he do this?
''You alright, mate?'' the mixed-race man said to him as he nursed a pint of beer, ''You look a bit lost.''
''Yeah, just thinking,'' Elton murmured.
Step two: without provoking suspicion, get on first name terms with the target.
''What's your name?'' the man asked.
''Elton.''
''I'm Joshua,'' he smiled, ''You gonna order something, or what?''
''Er yeah,'' Elton replied, turning to the barmaid, ''Pint of Fosters, please.''
Step three: ingratiate yourself with a joke or some humourous device.
''You not from round these parts, Elton?'' Joshua wondered, ''You look like a lost dog, mate!'' Elton smiled and nodded.
Step four: find some subtle way to integrate yourself into the target's household.
''Tell you what, me and some people are having some drinks tonight, why don't you join us?''
Elton smiled. He could not believe his luck. Granted, the man was clearly already drunk, but if he could strike up a friendship with Joshua...
He'd gone. Getting drunk with a bunch of middle aged men wasn't how he thought he'd spend his evening, but in all his confusion he proposed that he and Joshua should meet up for a drink every friday after work. Joshua had revealed that he had two sons, the older of which had gone ''travelling''. Elton smiled on the bus home.
''Magnificent!'' Victor beamed as Elton told him what happened, ''Oh I could kiss you! Except I can't, of course. The eczeema.''
''I've even got a picture of him on my phone,'' Elton said, taking out his phone and revealing a picture of Joshua.
''Oh it's amazing!'' Mr Skinner remarked, ''You've achieved steps one to four in precise order! How did you manage it?''
''It was difficult,'' Elton lied, ''He's a very secretive man.''
''But how do you move on?'' Bridget wondered, ''Step five, that's the problem...''
''Step five!'' Victor agreed, ''That's this week's homework. I want a full plan of attack from each of you. Now go on, vamoose!'' He banged his cane on the table. ''Avante! There's work to do! And Elton, keep infiltrating, you will do anything to get than information, boy, anything!''
''Yes sir!'' Elton replied enthusiastically.
''Oh, oh Bridget!'' Victor called, ''Bridget, oh yes...'' Bridget and Mr Skinner turned to face him. ''Could I have a word with you in private, please?''
''Er, Mr Skinner's giving me a lift,'' Bridget pointed out.
''Oh, I can drop you at the station, I'm sure Mr Skinner won't mind, will you?''
''Not at all,'' Mr Skinner affirmed, ''Erm... well, Bridget, I'll see you next week.''
''All right then,'' Bridget said as Mr Skinner gave her a kiss on the cheek, ''Bye bye!''
Mr Skinner stepped into the lift along with Ursula and Elton.
''Now Mr Skinner,'' Ursula began, ''I don't mean to pry, but did you give Bridget a little kiss back then?''
''I think I did,'' Mr Skinner replied.
''And if you get your way, might there be more little kisses between the two of you?''
''I think there might...''
''I knew it!''
''That's brilliant!'' Elton commented.
''Now, let's not get excited,'' Mr Skinner dismissed, ''We'll see.''
''Infiltration went well, 'cos Joshua invited me to his flat every week for a drink,'' Elton narrated, ''We'd chill out, watch the footy and have a laugh. I never forgot the mission, but he turned out to be a really good mate, Joshua.''
One evening, Elton had left his jacket on the sofa due to it being so hot. Joshua realised that he'd got no drinks left.
''Elton, mate,'' he began, ''You don't mind nippin' down the off-licence, do you?''
''No, not at all!'' Elton smiled and headed out of the door.
He returned later with a large pack of beers, and he realised how much he enjoyed his weakly meetings with Joshua.
''All of a sudden, a lot of things made sense,'' Elton narrated, ''I'd got so lost in conspiracies and aliens and targets, I'd been missing the obvious. Cos I DID like Joshua, but I liked someone else even more!'' He smiled, thinking of beautiful Ursula.
As Elton neared Joshua's flat, he saw the man outside, glaring at him. ''You OK?'' he asked.
''I was gonna pay you back,'' Joshua answered quietly, ''Thought it wasn't fair to make you pay for all that. I was gonna put a tenner in your coat, and look what I found:'' he produced the pictures of the boy and girl. ''Why is there a photo of my son in your pocket?''
''No no no no no, it's not like that,'' Elton defended, ''I can explain! I wasn't being pervy or anything, I wasn't after him! I was looking for the Doctor.''
''I worked that out,'' Joshua spat, ''I thought you were a good mate! We'd meet up and 'ave a laugh! Turns out you only came after me 'cos of the fuckin' DOCTOR!''
''No, but that's how it started, but I changed my mind!'' Elton argued.
''Just fuck off!'' Joshua shouted, ''Me and the Doctor might have our differences, but whatever trouble you're looking for, you'll have to go through me first!''
''But Joshua, I only wanted to meet him.''
''Just get out of here!'' Joshua snapped, throwing Elton his coat and storming back inside.
''And he was right!'' Elton shouted at Victor at LINDA headquarters, ''It's shameful, we USED that man...''
''I KNEW I couldn't trust you!'' Victor interrupted, ''You broke cover, you STUPID little man, you failed step five!''
''I don't CARE about step five!'' Elton raged, ''Because it's all gone wrong, Mr Kennedy, ever since YOU turned up! We used to come here every week, and we'd have a laugh. We were friends. No wonder they stopped coming. I mean there's no Bliss any more, and even Bridget, she hasn't turned up.''
''I've been phoning and phoning her, there's no reply,'' Mr Skinner added.
''And who can blame her?! I'm sorry Victor, but you're on your own. Because I am leaving! And so are you, Mr Skinner! And as for you, Ursula,'' he walked over to where the woman was sitting, ''You're coming with me. And we're going to the Golden Locust and we're gonna have a Chinese.''
''What's that got to do with it?'' Ursula wondered.
''I mean you and me,'' Elton replied, ''Together. Having a meal. If you want...''
''Oh...'' Ursula said, touched, ''I'd love it.''
''But you can't leave,'' Victor argued, ''You'll never know what he was doing, the Doctor. You'll never know what he was doing in your house all those years ago.''
''No. I'll never know,'' Elton decided, seeing where this obsession with the Doctor had led them, ''Ursula, get your stuff. Mr Skinner, are you coming? Not to the Chinese, if you don't mind, just sort of walking out.''
''I certainly am!'' Mr Skinner agreed.
''Victor,'' Elton began solemnly, ''Good luck. Good bye.'' The three turned to leave.
''Mr Skinner!'' Victor called, ''Would you stay for a minute, please?''
''We're walking out,'' Mr Skinner argued.
''I've got numbers for Bridget!'' Victor explained, ''I've kept records, I've got old numbers. We could track her down. Together. You and I.''
''That's more like the old team spirit,'' Mr Skinner reasoned, looking at Ursula and Elton, ''You two have a nice time.''
''I hope you find her,'' Ursula encouraged.
''I'll email you,'' Elton promised as they entered the lift.
''Mm, prawns!'' Ursula said as they walked hand in hand.
''Yeah, I like prawns,'' Elton agreed.
''Do you?'' Ursula asked.
''Crispy aromatic though,'' Elton said.
''Oh, I left my phone...'' Ursula realised as she felt through her pockets.
''Really?''
''Yeah! It's not in my pocket.''
''So much for the big exit,'' Elton remarked with a smirk.
''Yeah... come on,'' Ursula urged, and they turned back, ''Hurry up.''
They took the lift to the basement, where Mr Skinner was nowhere to be seen. Victor was at his desk, reading a newspaper which blocked him from view.
''I'm not stopping, I just left my... ph... phone...'' Ursula murmured, noticing that Mr Skinner was not there. ''Victor?''
''Take your phone and go,'' Victor said, his voice sounding quite strange.
''Where's Mr Skinner?''
''He's gone to the toilet,'' Victor claimed.
''But... we haven't GOT toilets,'' Ursula pointed out, ''We have to use the pub on the corner.''
''Well... well... well that's... that's where he is, then,'' Victor said.
''Help me...'' they heard Mr Skinner say in a muffled voice.
''... What was that?''
''Nothing, it was nothing, it was nothing!''
''Help me!'' Mr Skinner said again.
''Shut up,'' Victor muttered.
''That's Mr Skinner...'' Elton realised.
Ursula noticed the clawed, green hands clutching the paper, ''Victor... look at your hands,'' she murmured.
''Look at the rest of me,'' Victor laughed, lowering the paper to reveal a large, green, blob-like creature with a mane of black hair, ''You've dabbled with aliens... now meet the genuine article.''