Chapter 8: The Idiot's Lantern
"I thought we'd be going for the Vegas era, you know the white flares and the… ooh, chest hair."
Rose breathed in deep, hands smoothing out her skirt as she looked around the street. She'd picked out a baby pink dress with a long skirt, matching pink heels and a cropped jacket in a blue a few shades lighter than the Tardis. It was one of her favourite wardrobe choices so far. The Doctor stuck his head around the door frame, his hair slicked back into a quiff and the usual inane grin plastered across his face.
"You are kidding, aren't you? You want to see Elvis, you go for the late fifties. The time before burgers. When they called him the Pelvis and he still had a waist. What's more, you see him in style."
A growing rumble from inside the Tardis made her turn, and she gasped in delight as the Doctor rode a navy blue scooter onto the street, wearing a white crash helmet and shades to complete the look. He was followed by Eris on a scooter of her own, this one a charcoal grey. Her indigo dress fell gracefully to mid shin, contrasted by a short cream cardigan.
The Doctor lowered his voice and raised an eyebrow.
"You going my way, doll?"
Rose put on an American accent, doing her best not to laugh. "Is there any other way to go, daddy-o? Straight from the fridge, man."
"Hey, you speak the lingo!"
"Oh well. Me, mum, Cliff Richard movies every Bank Holiday Monday."
She sat on the back of his scooter and put on the pink crash helmet that he gave her, wrapping her arms around him once it was secure.
"Ah, Cliff. I knew your mother would be a Cliff fan."
Eris adjusted her own helmet, the same grey shade as her scooter.
"Which way are we heading?"
The Doctor pointed forwards, and the three of them set off down the street.
As they approached the junction, Eris started to have doubts about where they had landed.
"So, where are we off to?"
"Ed Sullivan TV Studios. Elvis did Hound Dog on one of the shows. There were loads of complaints. Bit of luck, we'll just catch it."
Rose started to catch on to her friend's suspicions. "And that'll be TV studios in, what, New York?"
"That's the one."
Before they could get onto the main road, they were cut off by a bright red London bus. The Doctor braked, stopping next to a red post box. As he looked around, the Union Flag bunting strung between the houses on the streets became obvious.
Rose stifled her laughter in his shoulder. "Ha! Digging that New York vibe."
"Well, this could still be New York. I mean, this looks very New York to me. Sort of Londony New York, mind."
"What are all the flags for?"
Eris caught their attention and nodded towards a van that was being unloaded nearby.
"Let's go and find out, shall we?"
"There you go, sir, all wired up for the great occasion." A middle aged man was chatting cheerfully to a young couple in their front garden, standing next to the van that they could now see was labelled 'Magpie Electricals'.
The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets.
"The great occasion? What do you mean?"
The man - presumably Mr Magpie - gave him a funny look.
"Where've you been living, out in the Colonies? Coronation, of course."
"What Coronation's that then?"
"What do you mean? The Coronation."
Rose realised what he meant. "It's the Queen's. Queen Elizabeth."
The Doctor finally caught on. "Oh! Is this 1953?"
At a volume only Rose could hear, Eris grumbled, "Wrong year, wrong place. As always."
Magpie was still staring at them oddly.
"Last time I looked. Time for a lovely bit of pomp and circumstance, what we do best."
Looking at the houses around them, Rose noticed something that seemed out of place.
"Look at all the TV aerials. Looks like everyone's got one. That's weird. My nan said tellies were so rare they all had to pile into one house."
"Not around here, love. Magpie's Marvellous Tellies, only five quid a pop."
The Doctor was grinning again.
"Oh, but this is a brilliant year. Classic! Technicolour, Everest climbed, everything off the ration." He slipped into the voice of a newsreader of the time. "The nation is throwing off the shadows of war and looking forward to a happier, brighter future."
As if to directly contradict him, a commotion started a little way down the street.
"Someone help me, please! Ted!"
Two heavy set men in black suits were dragging a person out of a house and into the back of a car. His head was covered with a grey blanket. A woman, presumably the man's wife, was following them, crying.
"Leave him alone! He's my husband! Please."
The trio ran towards the car, the Doctor in the lead.
"What's going on?"
They were joined by a teenage boy from a neighbouring house. "Oi, what are you doing?"
A man in a long grey coat directed them away from the car.
"Police business. Now, get out of the way, sir."
Rose turned her attention to the boy as the car drove away. "Who did they take? Do you know him?"
He shrugged. "Must be Mr Gallagher. It's happening all over the place. They're turning into monsters."
A man, clearly the boy's father, shouted at him from the doorway.
"Tommy! Not one word! Get inside now!"
Tommy glanced at them apologetically. "Sorry. I'd better do as he says."
Returning to their mopeds, the three of them followed the car.
They did their best to follow the car for nearly five minutes, but it didn't quite work out. Just as they thought they'd caught them, they turned left into a side street only to be faced by three market stalls in front of a solid wall. The stalls were being attended by a handful of men in aprons, and they looked entirely unbothered by the frenzied appearance of the people on the scooters.
The Doctor frowned. "Lost them. How'd they get away from us?"
Behind him, Rose looked a little shell-shocked.
"Surprised they didn't turn back and arrest you for reckless driving. Have you actually passed your test?"
On the other scooter, Eris cracked up laughing. "If you think that was bad, you should have seen him driving Bessie! I feared for my life most times he drove her."
He wasn't really listening to their conversation, still staring at the market stalls.
"Men in black? Vanishing police cars? This is Churchill's England, not Stalin's Russia."
Rose hummed thoughtfully.
"Monsters, that boy said. Maybe we should go and ask the neighbours."
"That's what I like about you. The domestic approach."
"Thank you." Noticing that Eris was disguising laughter with a coughing fit, she had second thoughts. "Hold on, was that an insult? Whoa!"
Without any warning he floored it, speeding back to the street they had just come from and swerving dangerously on the road as he did so, followed by Eris - who was driving far more sensibly.
Upon returning to Florizel Street, they decided that the best house to start with was the one that Tommy had emerged from earlier. Parking the scooters, the Doctor, Eris and Rose marched up to the frint door and rang the doorbell, waiting patiently for someone to answer. A stocky, grumpy looking man opened the door, and the three of them greeted him simultaneously.
"Hi!"
The man frowned at them. "Who are you, then?"
The Doctor gave him a quick look over.
"Let's see, then. Judging by the look of you, family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war, therefore I represent Queen and country." He pulled the psychic paper from his pocket with a flourish. "Just doing a little check of Her forthcoming Majesty's subjects before the great day. Don't mind if I come in? Nah, I didn't think you did. Thank you."
And the three of them filed into the house, leaving the man standing in the doorway.
The living room was very tidy, and Eris nodded appreciatively.
"Not bad. Very nice. Very well kept. I'd like to congratulate you, Mrs?"
A nervous looking woman with light brown hair held out a hand for her to shake.
"Connolly."
Mr Connolly came back into the living room and decided to talk to the Doctor first, almost ignoring the presence of the girls.
"Now then, Rita. I can handle this. This gentleman's a proper representative. Don't mind the wife, she rattles on a bit."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow.
"Well, maybe she should rattle on a bit more. I'm not convinced you're doing your patriotic duty. Nice flags. Why are they not flying?"
"There we are Rita, I told you, Get them up. Queen and country."
Rita avoided making eye contact with her husband. "I'm sorry, Eddie."
"Get it done. Do it now. Like the gentleman says."
The Doctor shook his head.
"Hold on a minute. Hold on a minute. You've got hands, Mr Connolly. Two big hands. So why is that your wife's job?"
Eddie pulled a face. "Well, it's housework, innit?"
"And that's a woman's job?"
"Of course it is."
"Mister Connolly, what gender is the Queen?"
"She's a female."
Seeing where this was going, Eris and Rose smothered their giggles as the Doctor continued.
"And are you suggesting the Queen does the housework?"
"No. Not at all."
"Then get busy."
"Right. Yes, sir. You'll be proud of us, sir. We'll have Union Jacks left, right and centre."
Rose, unable to resist, jumped in. "Excuse me, Mr Connolly. Hang on a minute. Union Jacks?"
"Yes, that's right, isn't it?"
"That's the Union Flag. It's the Union Jack only when it's flown at sea."
Eddie was making an obvious effort to be polite. "Oh. Oh, I'm sorry, I do apologise."
"Well, don't get it wrong again, there's a good man. Now get to it!"
The Doctor and Rose sat down on the sofa, and Eris perched on the arm next to them.
"Right then! Nice and comfy, at Her Majesty's leisure. Union Flag?" The Doctor kept his voice low, raising an eyebrow at Rose.
"Mum went out with a sailor."
"Oh ho ho ho. I bet she did." He grinned at Tommy, gesturing to the empty seat. "Well, sit yourself down, Tommy. Have a look at this. I love telly, don't you?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I think it's brilliant."
"Good man!"
Eris called over her shoulder, "Keep working, Mr Connolly!" before turning back to look at Rita in the armchair. "Now, why don't you tell us what's wrong?"
Rita's voice was shaking. "Did you say you were a doctor?"
He nodded. "Yes, I am."
"Can you help her? Oh please, can you help her, Doctor?"
Eddie put the flags down. "Now then, Rita. I don't think the gentleman needs to know-"
"No, the gentleman does." The Doctor interrupted.
Eris got up to stand next to Rita, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. "Tell us what's wrong, and we can help."
Rita burst into tears, and Rose joined Eris by her side.
"I'm sorry. It's all right. Come here. It's okay."
Eddie's temper was clearly close to boiling over.
"Hold on a minute. Queen and country's one thing, but this is my house! What the? What the hell am I doing? Now you listen here, Doctor. You may have fancy qualifications, but what goes on under my roof is my business."
The Doctor started. "A lot of people are being bundled into-"
"I am talking!"
"And I'm not listening!" The Doctor jumped to his feet. "Now you, Mr Connolly, you are staring into a deep, dark pit of trouble if you don't let me help. So I'm ordering you, sir! Tell me what's going on!"
"That's enough!" Eris put herself between them, glowering up at Mr Connolly. "Let us help you."
From above, an ominous noise started up. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Eddie's whole demeanor changed, and he was almost cowering.
"She won't stop. She never stops."
Tommy sounded scared. "We started hearing stories, all around the place. People who've changed. Families that are keeping it secret because they were scared. Then the police started finding out. We don't know how, no one does. They just turn up, come to the door and take them, any time of the day or night."
Very concerned by the sound of this, the Doctor's tone became serious.
"Show us. Now."
Tommy led the way up to the locked bedroom, having argued briefly with his dad for the key before Eris and the Doctor stepped in. He unlocked the door, opening it to expose the darkness of the room behind it.
"Gran? It's Tommy. It's all right, Gran. I've brought help."
He turned the light on, and Rose gasped. An old woman with grey hair, dressed in a pale blue housecoat was standing next to the bed. Everything about her was perfectly ordinary - except for her face. Or rather, her lack of it. There was nothing there, nothing whatsoever. Where her face should have been was a flat, smooth expanse of skin.
The Doctor approached her cautiously, not wanting to startle her if she was still aware of everything going on around her. "Her face is completely gone." He used the sonic screwdriver for a baseline scan. "Scarcely an electrical impulse left. Almost complete neural shutdown. She's ticking over. It's like her brain has been wiped clean."
Eris kept her voice low. "What could do something like this?"
Tommy sounded like he was trying to hold back tears.
"What're we going to do, Doctor? We can't even feed her."
Before he could answer, they heard a massive crash downstairs.
Rita wailed. "It's them. They've come for her!"
The Doctor turned to her, grabbing her shoulders.
"Quickly. What was she doing before this happened? Where was she? Tell me. Quickly, think!"
Rita shook her head, and Tommy answered for her.
"I can't think! She doesn't leave the house! She was just-"
He was cut off by the appearance of two muscular men in black. The Doctor blocked them.
"Hold on a minute. There are three important, brilliant, and complicated reasons why you should listen to me. One-"
The closest man punched the Doctor squarely in the face, knocking him to the floor.
"Doctor!" As Rose ducked to make sure he was alright and Eris pulled Tommy out of harm's way, the men threw a blanket over the old woman's head and dragged her out of the room, leading her down the stairs.
"Leave her alone! No! Don't hurt her!" Rita tried to follow them, but Eddie stopped her.
"Back inside, Rita."
"She's my mother."
"Back inside now, I said."
As Tommy ran to join his family, the Doctor sat up suddenly, almost smashing his head against Rose's as he did so.
"Ah, hell of a right hook. Have to watch out for that."
Eris got his attention. "Come on, we don't have time for this. They took her."
The trio ran down the stairs, only to see Eddie and Rita in the doorway. Eddie was holding his wife tight.
"Don't fight it. Back inside. Get back inside!"
The Doctor shoved his way past them, shouting over his shoulder as he did so.
"You two, come on!"
But Rose had stopped at the door to the living room, directing Eris' attention to suspicious fronds of red energy snaking over the family's television set.
"Rose, we're going to lose them again!"
Sat on his scooter, the Doctor decided that if he waited any longer they would lose them again, and left the girls behind.
In the living room, Rose and Eris were examining the back of the television, being careful not to let any of the energy touch them. It vanished into the aerial connection, and Rose saw the name on the supply label.
"Magpie. Isn't that the man we met before?"
"Yep. I think I saw his shop on the way here, fancy paying him a visit?"
As the two of them got up to leave, the Connollys came back inside.
Tommy was visibly upset as he tried to comfort his mum.
"Anyway, how did they find her? Who told them?"
Eddie set eyes on the girls, and snapped. "You! Get the hell out of my house!"
Rose raised her hands in surrender.
"We're going. We're done. Nice to meet you, Tommy, Mrs Connolly. And as for you, Mister Connolly, only an idiot hangs the Union Flag upside down. Shame on you!"
Grinning at the man's hurt expression, the two of them left the house and hopped on to Eris' scooter. Rose took the helmet - Eris had offered it to her, it's not like any head injuries she might sustain would be permanent. Besides, she was a far better driver than her dad.
This time, the Doctor had been fast enough to see the market stalls move into place in front of the wall, and he understood. Why else would two market stalls be fully set up in the middle of the night?
"Oh, very good. Very good."
Parking the scooter, he spotted a smaller door next to the gates. The sonic screwdriver made short work of the lock, and he broke in.
He watched from afar as the two burly men from the house put a padlock on a door, before walking away. Using the sonic again, he entered an area containing several large cages - every single one of them was filled with people. He unlocked the nearest one and pulled the door up behind him, examining the prisoners closely. Every single one of them was completely faceless, clenching their fists repetitively. His torchlight seemed to catch their attention, even though their eyes were gone. The area around him suddenly became much brighter and the people shied away. He turned to see that searchlights had been turned on behind him, and that a man was silhouetted in front of them.
"Stay where you are."
The bell on the door of Magpie's shop chimed as the girls walked in. Magpie looked up, a little alarmed. "Oh, I'm sorry, Misses. I'm afraid you're too late. I was just about to lock the door."
Rose folded her arms. "Yeah? Well, I want to buy a telly."
"Come back tomorrow, please."
Eris frowned. "You'll be closed, won't you?"
"What?"
"For the big day? The coronation."
Magpie nodded. "Yes, yes, of course. The big day. I'm sure you'll find somewhere to watch it. Please go."
Rose watched him. "Seems to me half of London's got a television, since you're practically giving them away."
"I have my reasons."
"And what are they?"
On one of the screens on the wall, a woman's face appeared. She looked to be in her forties, and was repeating one word over and over.
"Hungry! Hungry!"
"What's that?"
Magpie was getting more anxious by the second. "It's just a television. One of these modern programmes. Now, I really do think you should leave. Right now!"
Eris shook her head. Not until you've answered our questions. How come your televisions are so cheap?"
"It's my patriotic duty. Seems only right that as many folk as possible get to watch the coronation. We may be losing the Empire but we can still be proud. Twenty million people they reckon'll be watching. Imagine that." He started to usher them both towards the door. "And twenty million people can't be wrong, eh, so why don't you get yourself back home and get up, bright and early, for the big day."
Rose stood her ground. "Nah, I'm not leaving till I've seen everything."
"I need to close."
"Mister Magpie, something's happening out there. Ordinary people are being struck down and changed, and the only new thing in the house is a television. Your television. What's going on?"
He sighed. "I knew this would happen. I knew I'd be found out." Quietly, he locked the shop door.
Eris shrugged. "Alright, then, it's just us here. Are you going to come clean, then? What's really in it for you?"
"For me? Perhaps some peace."
"From what?"
"From her." He nodded towards the woman on the screen.
Rose laughed. "That's just a woman on the telly. That's just a programme."
The woman spoke. "What pretty little girls."
"Oh, my God. Are you talking to us?"
"Yes I'm talking to you, little one. Unseasonably chilly for the time of year, don't you think?"
Moving slightly closer to Rose, Eris asked,
"What are you?"
"I'm the Wire, and I'm hungry!"
Bright bolts of energy lanced out from the screen and latched onto Rose's face for the briefest of moments. She screamed.
"Help me!"
Eris shoved her roughly out of the way, knocking her roughly to the floor. She was aware that Rose had hit her head quite hard, then everything went dark as the Wire's energy targeted her instead.
Magpie watched, sickened.
"Just think of that audience tomorrow, my dears, all settling down to watch the coronation. Twenty million people. Things will never be the same again. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
The Wire cackled.
"Goodnight, children, everywhere."
The Doctor had been taken to a makeshift office inside the derelict building and sat down at a desk, with the man who'd brought him there standing on the other side.
"Start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know."
"Well, for starters, I know you can't wrap your hand around your elbow and make your fingers meet."
"Don't get clever with me. You were there today at Florizel Street, and now breaking into this establishment. Now you're connected with this. Make no mistake."
He shrugged. "Well, the thing is, Detective Inspector Bishop-"
"How do you know my name?" The policeman was taken aback.
"It's written inside your collar. Bless your mum. But I can't help thinking, Detective Inspector, you're not exactly doing much detective inspecting, are you?"
"I'm doing everything in my power."
"All you're doing is grabbing those faceless people and hiding them as fast as you can. Don't tell me orders from above, hmm? Coronation Day. The eyes of the world are on London Town so any sort of problem just gets swept out of sight."
"The nation has an image to maintain."
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "But doesn't it drive you mad, doing nothing? Don't you want to get out there and investigate?"
Bishop looked uncomfortable.
"Of course I do. But, with all the crowds expected, we haven't got the man power. Even if we did, this is beyond anything we've ever seen. I just don't know anymore. Twenty years on the force, I don't even know where to start. We haven't the faintest clue what's going on." He sat down heavily, looking defeated.
"Well, that could change."
"How?"
The Doctor stood, mirroring the position they had started in.
"Start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know."
Trusting that the Doctor could actually assist them, Bishop led him over to their investigation wall.
"We started finding them about a month ago. Persons left sans visage. Heads just blank."
"Is there any sort of pattern?"
"Yes, spreading out from North London. All over the city. Men, women, kids, grannies. The only real lead is there's been quite a large number in-"
Looking at a map of the cases, the Doctor figured it out. "Florizel Street."
A commotion outside the office interrupted them, and a familiar blonde burst through the office door.
"Rose?"
She looked distraught, and was so out of breath that she could barely get a word out. There were obvious tear tracks on her cheeks.
He tried again. "Rose, what's wrong?"
One of Bishop's men led a figure covered with a blanket into the room.
"Found another one, sir."
A little disturbed by the appearance of the girl, Bishop tried to get back to normal procedures.
"Oh, er, good man, Crabtree. Here we are, Doctor. Take a good look. See what you can deduce."
Between the look on Rose's face and the indigo skirt, the Doctor figured it out before the blanket was even removed. As it was taken away, he felt his hearts shatter.
"Eris."
The blank piece of skin where her face should have been was framed by her brown curls, pale and plain.
Bishop frowned. "You know her?"
"Know her?"
He was still vaguely aware of the conversation going on in the background as he squeezed her hand, slightly reassured as he felt the faintest of squeezes back. She was still in there somewhere.
"They found her in the street... abandoned."
"That's unusual. That's the first one out in the open. Heaven help us if something happens in public tomorrow for the big day. We'll have Torchwood on our backs then, make no mistake."
"They did what?" His voice was shaking.
"I'm sorry?"
"They left her where?"
Rose sniffled, wiping her eyes. "I don't really remember what happened, or where we were. I hit my head, I think she pushed me. I woke up in the street, and she was just… standing there. I'm sorry, I don't know what happened!"
The Doctor pulled her into a short, strong hug, before turning to face Bishop.
"In the street. They left them in the street. They took my daughter's face and just chucked her out and left her in the street, and threw Rose out there with her. And as a result, that makes things simple. Very, very simple. Do you know why?"
Bishop wasn't really sure what was going on. "No."
"Because now, Detective Inspector Bishop, there is no power on this Earth that can stop me. Come on!"
In the living room, Tommy was doing his best to keep a lid on his anger. Surrounded by excitable family members, he didn't want to be the one to spoil their celebrations. Unfortunately, that wasn't made any easier by the presence of his father.
"Here we go, everyone. Here we go. Grub's up, grub's up. Tuck in, everyone. Tuck in. Take a sandwich. Oh, here we go, here we go, it's started. Look, look. Take your places. Sit down, sit down. That's it. There we are." Eddie sat in his favourite chair.
Rita's sister Betty was watching the television screen in awe.
"Rita, love. Just look at that telly box then. Innit marvellous. The picture's so clear."
"Here, Bet. I says to Rita, I says, you didn't need to get your hair done special, love. The Queen won't be able to see you!"
They laughed at his joke, Betty not realising the malice in it.
"Where's your old mum, then? She can't go missing it."
Rita smiled sadly. "Sorry. Er, mum can't make it down."
"Oh, bless her. Maybe we could pop up and see her later."
Tommy jumped at the opportunity. "Maybe you could. It's a good idea. What do you think, dad? Maybe Aunty Betty can go and see Gran later?"
Eddie forced out a laugh. "Oh, he loves his Gran, this one. Proper little mummy's boy all round."
Betty raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, you know what they say about them. Eddie, you want to beat that out of him."
"That's exactly what I'm going to do." Eddie directed a glare at his son.
The doorbell rang several times in a few seconds, and Tommy jumped to his feet.
"I'll get it."
As he moved towards the front door, he could hear the reporter's voiceover on the telly.
"...will first appear in about ten minutes time riding in the Gold Coach of State."
Upon opening the front door, Tommy made eye contact with the Doctor. He got straight to it.
"Tommy, talk to me. I need to know exactly what happened inside your house."
Eddie shoved his way past Tommy and closed the door behind them both so they wouldn't be overheard by those inside.
"What the blazes do you think you're doing?"
"I want to help, dad."
The Doctor tried to get the conversation back on track. "Mr Connolly-"
"Shut your face, you, whoever you are. We can handle this ourselves. Listen, you little twerp. You're hardly out of the blooming' cradle, so I don't expect you to understand. But I've got a position to maintain. People round here respect me. It matters what people think."
Tommy's eyes narrowed. "Is that why you did it, dad?"
"What do you mean? Did what?"
"You ratted on Gran. How else would the police know where to look, unless some coward told them."
Eddie exploded. "How dare you! Do you think I fought a war just so a mouthy little scum like you could call me a coward?"
"You don't get it, do you? You fought against fascism, remember? People telling you how to live, who you could be friends with, who you could fall in love with, who could live and who had to die. Don't you get it? You were fighting so that little twerps like me could do what we want, say what we want. Now you've become just like them. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even Gran. All to protect your precious reputation."
"Eddie, is that true?" Rita had come to the door, and was staring at her husband in shock.
He floundered a little. "I did it for us, Rita. She was filthy. A filthy, disgusting thing!"
"She's my mother. All the others you informed on, all the people in our street, our friends!"
"I had to. I... I did the right thing."
"The right thing for us or for you, Eddie? You go, Tommy. Go with the Doctor and Rose and do some good. Get away from this house, it's poison. We had a ruddy monster under this roof, all right, but it weren't my mother!"
Rita slammed the door shut on him, and Eddie turned to hammer at the door again.
Rose held out a hand. "Tommy?"
The boy accepted it, and they set off.
Trestle tables were being set up along the whole length of the street as they passed.
"Tommy, tell me about that night. The night she changed."
"She was just watching the telly."
A flicker of memory came back. "Magpie!" Rose grabbed the Doctor's arm.
He ran a hand through his hair. "Oh Rose, you said it. You guessed it straight away. Of course you did. All these aerials in one little street. How come?"
Tommy nodded. "That's the bloke up the road, Mr Magpie. He's selling them cheap."
That piqued Bishop's interest. "Is he, now?"
"Come on!" The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and dragged her in the right direction.
"Here, you can't do that!" Bishop was scandalised by the fact that the Doctor was blatantly breaking into Magpie's shop, but the man didn't seem to care.
"Shop! If you're here, come out and talk to me! Magpie!" The Doctor pounded the bell on the shop counter, and got no response.
Tommy shrugged. "Maybe he's out."
Rose nodded, agreeing with the boy. "Looks like it."
The Doctor wasn't really listening, rummaging frantically through the drawers of the counter. He cheered as he found what he was looking for.
"Oh, hello. This isn't right. This is very much not right. Tastes like iron. Bakelite. Put together with human hands, yes, but the design itself. Oh, beautiful work. That is so simple."
Bishop stared at the device in awe.
"That's incredible. It's like a television, but portable. A portable television."
Rose took the thing from the Doctor and examined it: looked like a small radio, but the dials had been replaced with a screen the size of a post-it note.
"It's not the only power source in this room." Raising the sonic screwdriver, he used it to trace the second power source. The televisions in the bank against the wall lit up, each with a different pale face in the centre of the screen.
Tommy's heart sank as he recognised the face of his gran in the middle of the wall. He pointed, but the Doctor and Rose had already seen another face.
In comparison to the others that were trapped, Eris looked remarkably calm. The Doctor rested a hand against her screen, staring at her face. Her eyes flickered up to meet his, like she knew he was there - and she started to speak. Obviously, they couldn't hear her; but they could read her lips.
"I'll see you soon."
Rose rested a hand on his shoulder, smiling reassuringly. "We're on our way."
Magpie - who had somehow managed not to hear all the commotion in the shop while he'd been in the back - came through to confront them, furious.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The Doctor's voice was little more than a snarl.
"I want my friend restored, and I think that's beyond a little backstreet electrician, so tell me, who's really in charge here?"
From one of the televisions, an upper class woman's voice answered.
"Yoo hoo! I think that must be me. Ooh, this one's smart as paint."
Bishop gasped. "Is she talking to us?"
Magpie shook his head. "I'm sorry, folks, I'm afraid you've brought this on yourselves. May I introduce you to my new friend."
"Jolly nice to meet you."
"Oh my God, it's her, that woman off the telly!" Bishop stared between Magpie and the woman.
The Doctor shook his head. "No, it's just using her image."
Tommy looked terrified. "What? What are you?"
"I'm the Wire, and I will gobble you up, pretty boy. Every last morsel. And when I have feasted, I shall regain the corporeal body, which my fellow kind denied me." The image on the screen developed colour briefly, before fading back to black and white again.
Bishop took a step back. "Good Lord. Colour television!"
"So your own people tried to stop you?" Rose frowned, trying to catch up with what was going on.
The Wire sniffed haughtily. "They executed me. But I escaped in this form and fled across the stars."
"And now you're trapped in the television." The Doctor raised an eyebrow.
"Not for much longer."
"Doctor, is this what got my Gran?"
"Yes, Tommy. It feeds off the electrical activity of the brain, but it gorges itself like a great overfed pig, taking people's faces, their essences. It stuffs itself."
Bishop sneered at the man cowering in the corner. "And you let her do it, Magpie."
Magpie got defensive. "I had to. She allowed me my face. She's promised to release me at the time of manifestation."
Tommy frowned. "What does that mean?"
The Wire cackled. "The appointed time. My crowning glory."
Rose was the first to realise. "Doctor, the coronation!"
He nodded.
"For the first time in history, millions gathered around a television set. But you're not strong enough yet, are you? You can't do it all from here. That's why you need this." He pointed to the portable television. "You need something more powerful! This will turn a big transmitter into a big receiver."
The Wire smiled. "What a clever thing you are! But why fret about it? Why not just relax? Kick off your shoes and enjoy the Coronation. Believe me, you'll be glued to the screen."
Beams of energy shot from the screen and latched onto each of their faces.
"Hungry! Hungry! The Wire is hungry! Ah, this one is tasty. Oh, I'll have lashings of him! Delicious!"
As the creature started to focus her attention on the Doctor, he slipped the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and, moving slowly, aimed it at the screen. The Wire noticed his movement.
"Ah! Armed. He's armed and clever. Withdraw! Withdraw!"
The energy receded, and the four of them dropped to the floor, unconscious.
"The box, Magpie! The box!"
He followed her orders and held the portable up.
"Hold tight."
There was a zap, and the Wire transferred herself into the handheld device.
"Conduct me to my victory, Magpie."
Reluctant, Magpie took the box out to his van and started the engine - starting the final stage of the plan.
The Doctor was the first to wake, pawing at his face to make sure it was still there before turning to check on the others. Rose and Tommy were merely unconscious, Bishop had not been so lucky. Deciding he was a lost cause, he focused his attention on the two who still had faces.
"Tommy, wake up. Rose, come on!"
Tommy groaned, a little groggy. "What happened?"
"Where's Magpie?" Rose let the Doctor help her off the floor, and they exited the shop.
"We don't even know where to start looking. It's too late."
The Doctor shook his head, looking up and down the street.
"It's never too late, as a wise person once said."
Rose looked at him strangely. "Isn't that from a Kylie song?"
"Probably. The Wire's got big plans. It... Yes, yes, yes, it's got to harvest half the population. Millions and millions of people and where are we?"
Tommy hadn't expected the question, and it took him a moment to answer. "Muswell Hill."
"Muswell Hill. Muswell Hill! Which means Alexandra Palace, the biggest TV transmitter in North London. Oh, that's why it chose this place. Tommy?"
"What are you going to do?"
"We're going shopping."
The Doctor had practically torn Magpie's shop to pieces, with Rose and Tommy's help, the pair of them rooting through drawers and back rooms to find seemingly random bits of electrical equipment to add to the Doctor's machine. Tommy surfaced with a large valve in one hand.
"Is this what you want?"
He grinned. "Perfect! Right, I need one more thing." Handing the device to Tommy, the Doctor dragged Rose into the Tardis to help him look for the last piece.
"It's a circuit, probably round and it's got blue and green wires, ok?"
"Like this?" Rose held up the piece she'd found under the part of the console that looked like a toaster.
"Perfect!" They rejoined Tommy in the street. "Got it. Let's go!"
As they approached Alexandra Palace, they could hear Magpie's voice - close, but far away.
"I can't do this! Please, please don't make me!"
The Wire seemed totally apathetic to his pleas. "The time is at hand. Feed me! Feed me!"
"Up there!" Tommy pointed.
The three of them rushed past a guard.
"Wait, wait, wait! Where do you think-" The Doctor simply flashed the psychic paper at him, and the man's tone changed completely. "Oh! I'm very sorry, sir. Shouldn't you be at the Coronation?"
"They're saving me a seat."
Rose grinned. "I love that paper. Who did he think you were?"
He shrugged, nudging open the door to the control room under the tower.
"King of Belgium, apparently!"
Wiring the device into the control bank, the Doctor told them his plan.
"Keep this switched on. Don't let anyone stop you, Tommy. Everything depends on it. You understand?" When the boy nodded, he turned to Rose. "I need you to hang onto this, alright? Just in case the electricity jumps."
They reached the roof, and Rose took the grounding rod as the Doctor started to climb. He was gaining on Magpie quickly, and could soon hear his conversation with the Wire.
"Feed me!"
Magpie plugged the device into the power mast. Red fronds of energy streamed out to meet every antennae on every house in London, probably further beyond too.
"Oh. Feast. Feasting. The Wire is feasting."
The Doctor got level with Magpie, and the man tried to warn him away.
"It's too late! It's too late for all of us!"
"I shall consume you, Doctor."
"I won't let you do this, Magpie!"
He started to sob. "Help me, Doctor. It burns. It took my face, my soul."
"You cannot stop the Wire. Soon I shall become manifest."
"No more of this. You promised me peace!"
The Wire cackled unkindly. "And peace you shall have."
She extended energy to Magpie, atomising him instantly.
The Doctor took the device in his hands. "Been burning the candle at both ends? You've overextended yourself, Missis. You shouldn't have had a crack at poor old Magpie there."
She tried to electrocute him, but the shock had little effect.
"Rubber soles, swear by them!"
He plugged a small circuit piece into the back of the box, but nothing seemed to happen. His face dropped.
"Oh dear. Has our little plan gone horribly wrong, Doctor?"
Suddenly, with a haze of sparks, the red energy retreated back into the mast, streaming back the way it had come and overloading the box.
"No!"
"It's close down, I'm afraid, and no epilogue."
The Wire screeched in agony, before the screen blinked into pure blackness.
"Doctor!"
He looked down to see Rose, waving frantically up at him.
"Are you ok up there?"
"Yep! Got it all fixed. I'm coming down now!"
Back in the control room, Tommy kept looking nervously between the monitors and the door, only relaxing when the Doctor and Rose came in.
"So! What have we missed?" Rose grinned at him.
"Doctor! Rose, what happened?!
The Doctor shrugged. "Sorted. Electrical creature, TV technology, clever alien life form. That's me by the way. I turned the receiver back into a transmitter and I trapped the Wire in here." He waved a VCR tape cheerfully. "I just invented the home video thirty years early. Betamax. Oh, look. God save the Queen, eh?"
The yard outside the building that the police had been using was now full of people milling about, talking eagerly to each other. The Doctor and Rose had led Tommy there, and the boy turned to grin widely at them as he spotted the person he was looking for.
"Gran!"
She turned, her eyes glistening behind her glasses.
"Oh, it's my grandson, Oh, son!"
As Tommy ran to hug her, the others scanned the area for the face they were searching for. And there she was. Eris was crouched gracefully in front of two young children, who looked a little scared. The sound of footsteps made her turn, and she stood up straight and moved out of the way as a couple, clearly the children's parents, swept them up. Leaving them to it, she walked away - and made eye contact with her dad.
He ran at her, almost knocking her over with the force of his hug. Rose laughed as Eris made him put her down so she could hug her best friend too.
"Hi you."
"I'm sorry I couldn't-"
"Oh shut up!" Eris laughed. "If I hadn't shoved you out of the way then it would have been you who's face was taken. And I couldn't let that happen."
The Doctor pulled them both into a hug, resting his chin on the top of Eris' head.
"You sure you're okay?"
"I promise. Thanks for getting me out of there."
He started leading them out of the yard.
"Come on. Let's go and join in with the fun."
Back on Florizel street, Rose grinned at the street party buzzing around them. "We could go down the Mall, join in with the crowds."
"Nah, that's just pomp and circumstance. This is history right here." The Doctor looked fondly at the celebrating humans - he loved their ability to find any excuse for a party.
"The domestic approach."
"Exactly."
"Will it, that thing, is it trapped for good on video?"
"Hope so. Just to be on the safe side though, I'll use my unrivalled knowledge of transtemporal extirpation methods to neutralise the residual electronic pattern."
Rose stared blankly at him. "You what?"
Eris rolled her eyes, poking him in the ribs. "He means he's going to tape over it."
Grateful for the explanation, the blonde laughed. "Just leave it to me. I'm always doing that."
They spotted Tommy leaning against the table, and the Doctor walked over to him, patting the boy on the shoulder.
"Tell you what, Tommy, you can have the scooter. Little present. Best, er, keep it in the garage for a few years though, eh?"
Tommy managed a smile, before the expression faded as his eyes focused on something further down the street.
"Good riddance."
The trio looked in the same direction, and saw Eddie leaving his house, carrying a heavy suitcase.
"Is that it, then, Tommy? New monarch, new age, new world. No room for a man like Eddie Connelly."
"That's right. He deserves it."
Rose shot him a sympathetic look. "Tommy, go after him."
"What for?"
"He's your dad."
Tommy scoffed. "He's an idiot."
Eris smirked. "Of course he is. Like Rose said, he's your dad."
Rose continued. "But you're clever. Clever enough to save the world, so don't stop there. Go on."
He thought about it for a second, before running over to his father and holding out a hand, offering to take his suitcase. As Eddie accepted the offer, the Doctor passed a glass of orange juice to the girls, raising his own in a toast.
"To us."
"To saving the world again!"
"To the domestic approach."
They grinned, downed their drinks, and rejoined the main throng of partiers.
AN: Hi everyone! Thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it! I'm back at university now (and incredibly busy) so the updates might get slow again for a while, but I'll do my best to keep writing.
Please don't hesitate to leave me a review, even a couple of words would make my day!
Much love, Azzie xx