XV
Briefing
The Island
Outside Jack Gruntler's residence
Aaron sits on the stone wall outside of Jack Gruntler's house while everyone else stays inside, drinking tea, discussing on what are they to do in the lead up to the Day of Destruction, and arguing with each other about having lost the Cytracik to the shape shifters. Jack said that because they are the creators of the Cytracik, they have the ability to get it back whenever they want. Therefore Major Rodger Barratt is currently in possession of the Cytracik. But that does not necessarily mean that they have the power to ultimately control it.
Aaron notices the stir in April's face every time Rodger Barratt is mentioned. He can see the way her jaw tightens and anger flickering in her eyes. She must hate Rodger Barratt as much as he does.
Aaron is still mad at April. After Will ran away to this Island first, only leaving him a note at home saying that he is taking part in the revolution, Aaron and the rest of UNIT had no choice but to follow him.
The moment the Doctor, Rose, Terry and April left the parallel world, UNIT instantly started working together in preparation for the Battle of the Cytracik. But when Will ran away, they had to follow him and come to the Island earlier than they planned.
Aaron wants this battle to end, just as much as everyone else does, and he wants April to be rid of her nightmare once and for all. But he cannot forgive her for what she said to his son. Will is hurting from her still two years on, and it pains him to see his son so sad and full of anger.
Aaron quickly walked out of Jack Gruntler's house soon after they arrived from the Black Lighthouse, finding the tense atmosphere inside too much to bear. Now sitting on the wall, he lights a cigarette and looks at the neighbourhood and the grey misty fog that hangs in the air.
There certainly seems to be a change on the Island since last night. The streets seem quieter and the music from the festival can no longer be heard.
Aaron feels a drop of rain land on his nose the moment the Doctor comes out to join him.
The Doctor leans against the wall and folds his arms. There is silence as they both look out at the foggy street.
So Aaron is mad at April from breaking his son's heart and yet the Doctor is mad at him for having come to this Island. The Doctor, very much like April, can be stubborn. Aaron suddenly finds the situation somewhat amusing.
"How's the leg?" The Doctor asks flatly.
Aaron self consciously shifts his weight from his real leg and to his prosthetic leg. "Hurts most of the time. Stiff. Two years since I lost the damn thing and I'm still getting physiotherapy. But it's better." Aaron replies in his usual gruff voice.
"You're still limping."
Aaron hesitates. "Therapy helps."
"You've lost your leg. How are you going to cope in a fight?"
"I'm seeing a psychiatrist," Aaron cuts across the Doctor sharply. "It's helping me to cope with everything."
The Doctor stares and says nothing back.
"The memories of that dimension and what the shape shifters did to me," Aaron pauses briefly. "The memories have been haunting me worse than ever since I lost my leg."
Then there is another long pause of silence.
"Did you really not think we would come back for this?" Aaron says as he looks at the Doctor.
"This is not your battle, Brigadier," The Doctor sighs. "This is a battle for an Aaron Brimikawood who was still a Colonel when the Daleks murdered him and his team eight years ago."
Aaron lets out a loud cackle which makes the Doctor jump. "Cut the bullshit, Doctor! This is a battle for greed. Yes it started in that world but it links the whole universe together. The entire bloody universe is coming here for a black box, just to see if they have the power," Aaron shakes his head. "I am angry with April, but we are here for her, and her brother."
The Doctor looks down at his dirty, greying white converses as they squelch down in the muddy grass beneath him.
"You do realise that once this battle is over, this Island will become a myth. April will be free from her nightmare and you will have completed the task Declan gave you. The prophecy will be cancelled out and so the twins will be free to do what they want. April can choose the life she wants and a job at UNIT is still open for her."
"Aaron..." The Doctor starts but Aaron quickly cuts him off.
"The physics between parallel worlds is bullshit, Doctor, because you transferred Martha and Sarah-Jane to our world from yours, and nothing is affecting them from it. Well maybe eventually the amount of space radiation their bodies absorbed from moving across might start to do them harm. They may not know that you did it to keep them alive from this battle. It has caused no harm. Constantly travelling between worlds does no good to the universe at all, I understand that, neither is polluting our home planet. But there is a home at UNIT for April if she wants it. My son still loves her although he refuses to admit it now."
"Where is Sullivan?" The Doctor asks with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"Somewhere on this Island. He ran away from home to come here, claiming it is for the revolution, but we all know it's for April."
"I should have let the two of them to end things on a good note," the Doctor sighs as he runs his fingers through his tousled hair. "Because now you hate April."
"I don't hate her," Aaron says calmly. "I'm just angry."
"And not acknowledging her is going to make things all the better. You won't even look at her, Aaron, and you don't know how much it's hurting her," The Doctor snaps. "She may just give you her glare all the time, but you don't know what's going through her head. And I think knowing that you hate her is only going to destroy her more. She looks up to you so much."
Aaron hesitates for a little while, remembering April's mental health back in the parallel world. But she was always such a strong woman. When they accidentally transported only April from the Dalek spaceship when looking for the Doctor, she changed for the better. She became physically and mentally stronger. She pulled through a lot and did everything she could for the ones she loved.
Even now April still puts others before herself.
Aaron then lets out a long, deflated sigh. "As soon as you left our world," he says slowly and he lights another cigarette. "Morgarn came back to Will. The way Will tried to move on from April and prove to everyone that he is not hurting, he used Morgarn for sex, just like he did before. I think he does it in such a way to fool himself more than anything. Like his arrogance; it's just a cover."
"He never learns." The Doctor mutters, shaking his head.
"What else was he supposed to do? He became distant and was hardly home. I rarely saw him and he stopped coming into work. I had to threaten him that he would lose his rank but he never listened. He was away shagging Morgarn and planning his escape to come here. My wife and I were constantly scared because we knew that we were loosing him because of this. He took his hurt and anger out by sleeping with Morgarn and spent the rest of this time planning his escape here, thinking that we wouldn't notice," Aaron looks at the Doctor who is chewing on the inside of his cheek. "It doesn't make Will a bad person. It just makes him an idiot. But what do you expect a young lad to do when heartbroken? He took all of his lust and anger out on Morgarn. Which wasn't the done thing to do. But it was horrible seeing my son like this. He pushed himself away from his friends and myself. He is lost without April."
"Well April has being doing perfectly well without Will." The Doctor says smartly as he adjusts his jacket.
Aaron snorts. "That's a lie. Jack told me about her suicide attempt in Manchester."
The Doctor shoots him a warning glance and then his eyes are suddenly full of remorse and sadness. "I'm so scared we're going to lose her." He says after a little pause.
Aaron frowns. "What do you mean?"
"Jack told me that while we are here I have to let April do what she wants and to not stop her. I have a feeling she wants to be a volunteer for the race and I can tell just from the look in her eyes that she is up to something," the Doctor sighs. "And do you know what she said to me before she went into the Black Lighthouse? She reminded me the amount of people there are on this Island and only she can save them."
"It is her prophecy," Aaron says and takes another drag of his cigarette. "The Daleks have created a replica of the twins. And apparently that is what has been haunting her in her nightmare. I think it has to be them to destroy the Cytracik. They have to save themselves."
"I don't think April knows what she is doing. I think her mental state is elsewhere and I'm scared what she is going to do to herself."
Aaron sighs. "That is why we are here," he looks at the Doctor and purses his lips, forcing a smile that does not reach his eyes. "Come on. We'd better go back inside." Aaron stubs his cigarette on the wall and flicks it onto the grass.
When they both enter the house, they find everyone standing around the large dining room table. Laying on top of the table is a large scale map of the Island. Jack seems to be in the middle of briefing everyone.
There is silence in the house and everyone turns their attention to the Doctor and Aaron as they sneak back into the house. The Doctor looks from one person to another as Aaron closes the door behind them. The Doctor nods to Jack and sniffs the air.
"Am I interrupting something?" The Doctor asks, trying to keep his voice bright and cheerful.
"No, in fact you've joined us at the right time," Jack replies as he shifts his position, leaning his fist on the tabletop. "I think it's best that you two should join us."
The Doctor glances to Aaron who only stares back. Then after a moment they join the others around the table.
For the next hour or so, Jack Gruntler lectures them about what may or may not happen in the immediate future. This is something he has not done since the start of the Battle of the Cytracik, and the Doctor constantly looks over to Jack to see if he is okay. He seems as normal.
The woods are completely out-of-bounds to all villages and is only ever used for the race. Therefore Heat Miles spends the year creating traps for the volunteers to kill them off, making it look like an accident or something heroic. However this year there are more traps for the visitors.
Because Rodger Barratt is now in possession of the Cytracik again, there are two things he will do: he will hide a replica of the Cytraick somewhere within the woods to trick the visitors, or he will take part in the race himself. The former idea seems more likely than the latter.
Jack Gruntler then sighs. "I had a chat with Rodger Barratt himself after you left the party," he says as he pointedly looks at the Doctor. "Rodger Barratt has known me for many years and yet his weakest factor is how much he trusts me. As we all noticed, his plans with that party did not go according to plan. The appearance of the Cybermen was not what he wanted: the truth got out and now all those party goers are aware that he invited the Cybermen here. And he was not expecting the arrival of the Slitheen either, so clearly he has been thrown off his feet a little. He is desperate to keep the citizens of this Island under control and apparently him becoming their King will only give them hope. So he thinks."
"Okay," Martha starts. "When we arrived last week, we were able to search the hills of Ebernie but weren't quite able to make it into the Heat Miles base. It is surrounded by those shape shifters left, right and centre. It would only be suicide even attempting to get in."
"But there was a factory there," Alic jumps in. "I think its further behind the hills, but there was this horrible stench coming from it. We assume it's something to do with the Beast or the Day of Destruction. But they're burning something in there."
Jack looks at Alic for a moment. "We have one more week left until the start of the Day of Destruction. UNIT are to investigate that factory."
"Jack, I said that it's completely surrounded by guards. There is no way we can get in without causing a scene." Martha snaps.
"Brigadier?" Jack says, looking sternly at Aaron.
For a moment Aaron looks somewhat lost but he turns to his soldiers. "We'll start tonight. I think today should be spent on the Island with these citizens. The Sontarans are currently hiding by the fishing pools on the West side of the Island. They think they'll be camouflaged there until the Day of Destruction. Tonight we'll find out about this Beast."
The Doctor and Jack exchange glances.
"Are you sure you're going to want to do that?" The Doctor asks quietly.
"Well what else is there to do?" Aaron hisses. "What do you know more than I do?"
The Doctor shuffles awkwardly on the spot, not wanting to be the one to mention about Monroe. The Doctor doesn't even know how bad the situation with Monroe could be. But he does not want to think about it. "I don't think you'll like what you hear."
"So," Aaron continues, ignoring the Doctor. "On the Day of the Destruction, the volunteers race into the woods and continue to do the act of bravery it is made out to be, and fight the visitors to defend the Cytracik. But the shape shifters will probably not take part in this race but there is no guarantee. So what are we supposed to do?" Aaron asks, looking at Jack. "Do we take part in the race and help defend the Cytracik? Or do we hang back and kill the shape shifters because it's about bloody time somebody does it."
There is a long pause of silence as Jack Gruntler stares at Aaron, giving him that look they all know: he knows the right answer but he isn't willing to say so.
Aaron groans. "Fuck sake." He mutters under his breath.
"It is not my place to tell you what to do, Brigadier. You need to lead your own team. Why don't you tell me what you think will be the best thing to do? Are you going to defend the Cytracik or destroy it? Don't fall into the greedy path that everything else has fallen into."
Once Jack Gruntler's lecture is over, Jack pulls Max to the side and has a quiet word with him. Ireen then joins April who is sitting on the stairs. April looks down at her hands and picks at the dead skin from her fingers, trying her best to listen to what Jack is saying to Max. She is well aware that her granddad is over in the corner of the room, watching her.
Ireen passes April a mug of tea. For a long moment April just stares at the steaming mug in front of her, remembering the amount of times Ireen used to do this back in the parallel world. The gesture used to be so calming to April, but now she is just being struck with deja vu.
"Take it. Please." Ireen says softly.
April does so and mutters a thanks, not really looking at Ireen in the eye. Ireen sits by her side on the stairs. April blows at the tea before taking her first sip. Ireen waits to see the way her shoulders always used to relax and the scowl on her face soften after every time she had one of her teas. However this time round, April does not visibly relax. She still looks far away and closed in.
After a long while, April reaches inside her jean pocket and pulls out a little silver coin and passes it to Ireen. As Ireen takes it, she notices that it is not in fact a coin due to the weight and thickness of it. As she turns it over in her hands, she realises that is it the UNIT pin she gave April when she came to the UNIT base for the first time.
"You've kept it all this time?" Ireen says, completely taken back, surprised.
"We'll always be here for you," April says softly. "That's what you said when you gave it to me."
"I meant it. And still do. We travelled to this Island for you."
April frowns. "But I feel so far away from you. You all look at me differently. Will isn't even here and Aaron won't acknowledge me." April almost chokes on her words but quickly stops; she is not going to make a scene in front of everyone. She has to be strong. Ireen always made her feel like it was okay to talk about the things on her mind. But right now did not feel like the right time.
Ireen looks at April and takes hold of her hand in both of hers.
"We've missed you so much, April. It has not been the same without you."
April allows her hand to rest between Ireen's warm hands. She suddenly remembers the day of Harry Summerland's funeral. April was there when Ireen's husband died due to the sudden frozen temperatures of the world. She was there for Ireen during the funeral. And now Ireen is promising that she is here for her.
"I can't go anywhere without the UNIT pin in my pocket. That or the wingerdette broach."
Ireen suddenly tenses. She frowns and looks at April. "What have you got?"
April's scowl deepens. "A Wingerdette broach," she then fishes in her other jean pocket. "I bought it on planet Zorlon." She takes the hexagonal silver, broach, seeing the Wingerdette engraved on the surface shine in the light, and passes it to Ireen who almost snatches it.
Ireen holds the broach in both her hands and stares down at it in shock.
But before April can say anything, Ireen jumps to her feet.
"April has it! The broach! We can bring the Wingerdettes back!" She shouts.
Everyone turns their attention to Ireen holding the broach above her head.
But before anyone can do anything, there is a sudden shake, almost like an earthquake.
Everyone is thrown off their feet, clattering to the floor from the force of the earthquake. The glass in the windows shatters and there is a loud rumble through the air, almost like thunder.
However they all know that this is not an earthquake.
This is the arrival of some new visitors.
