The plot and its presentation is (hopefully) unique; as for the characters, universe, and related minutiae,
the British Broadcasting Company owns (most of) that. I gratefully acknowledge their copyright.
Sarah Jane couldn't believe it. The house was immaculate. It hadn't been this clean the day she left. Mail stacked and assorted, even her plants had been watered.
Aunt Lavinia? No, that didn't seem too likely. The old dear was sweet, but she had trouble remembering her own address, let alone checking up on her niece. It was always hard to believe she was a first class boffin -- the typical absent-minded professor.
Then who? Looking about the house, she spotted an envelope propped against a vase. UNIT stationery. Leave it to the Brigadier. She smiled as she read it.
|
Miss Smith, Not knowing when or where you are, or when you are even likely to return, I took the liberty of guaranteeing that you will have a home to which to return. I have arranged for your mortgage to be paid in full, as well as other outstanding debts. You will have no trouble with any government agencies regarding your "disappearance". You are listed on my official records as doing civilian research work for UNIT. Please call us as soon as you have the chance. We at UNIT look forward to your safe return. Warmest regards, Brig. A G Lethbridge-Stewart |
"Thank you, Brigadier," she whispered.
"Come in."
"Mr. Benton."
"Yes, Sergeant?"
"I think you had better see this, sir." Sgt. Palmer handed him the Daily Mirror.
The headline screamed out at him, "NUTON NUCLEAR NIGHTMARE!"
What the hell had been going on? Why hadn't UNIT been informed of this immediately. "Is this another of the Colonel's cock ups?"
Palmer wasn't sure how to answer the question. He didn't like Faraday; no one in UNIT did, but in general you didn't acknowledge it to your superior.
"No, sir. I think it has something to do with the Doctor and Miss Smith."
After that headline, the article itself was disappointing. A re-telling of the previous night's BBC report on the power blackout that occurred on the coast, and a sensationalised report of the terrorists involved -- one of Nuton's technicians, a strange man with a long scarf, a woman, and according to the Manager of Nuton, an alien female. According to Whitehall -- or, as Benton thought, according to what "real" information Whitehall released -- the MoD had suspicions on the culprits and an arrest would occur shortly.
"Has Lt. Sullivan seen this?"
"No, sir." Palmer squirmed under Benton's angry gaze. "Col. Faraday is with him."
Benton understood. Every man in UNIT was trying to avoid Faraday; he didn't blame them.
"Has communications received any further information on this?"
"I'm not sure. With all the cock ups lately, I hadn't even bothered checking, sir."
"All right, Sergeant. I'll look into it. Dismissed."
Sgt. Palmer saluted and left.
Benton had no idea what had happened at Nuton; he'd have the official report shortly. If the Doctor was involved, he was sure of one thing, the situation had been far more serious than the MoD surmised.
"Coming along with the medical reports, Sullivan?"
"As you can see, sir." He indicated a stack of papers.
Faraday nodded his assent. "Promised the Brigadier everything'd be running smoothly upon his return."
"Yes, sir." He tried to keep the boredom from his voice. He turned back to the reports. From behind, he could hear Faraday rummaging through papers, files, and what not. Couldn't the man take a hint and leave; nobody could be that dense.
"Lt. Sullivan!" Benton threw open the door, and from his expression, Harry knew that something was up.
Before Harry could say anything, however, Faraday spoke, "May I help you. Mr. Benton?" His voice told all. He did not like the idea that UNIT work was to be discussed with the Lieutenant and not him.
Benton froze. He had expected that Faraday would have already left, and what he had to tell the Lieutenant, he did not want to discuss with the Colonel.
"I repeat, Mr. Benton, may I help you?"
Harry intervened, "He's here to see me, Colonel."
"Was I speaking to you, Lieutenant?" His tone said that he was not expecting a reply.
Harry was about to say something that would have had him up for disciplinary action, but stopped when he saw the urgency on Benton's face.
"Whatever you need to say to the Lieutenant, you may say to me."
Benton felt foolish standing there before that pompous ass. Yes, he was here to see the Lieutenant on UNIT business; the files in his hands proved that. But, it was none of the Colonel's God damned business if he did. Unfortunately, he couldn't say that.
"Lt. Sullivan told me to stop by this morning, sir."
"Why, Mr. Benton?"
You bloody bastard, thought Benton. "I asked if I might see him, sir."
"Is that true, Sullivan?"
The man was a fool if he was expecting him to call Benton a liar. However, if there was one thing that Faraday hated more than the Royal Navy, it was non-commissioned officers. "Yes, it's true, sir."
"Why did you ask to see Sullivan?"
This was getting absurd. The man would not be satisfied with any answer he gave. The more time he wasted with this fool, the angrier he became.
"I-I needed to see Lt. Sullivan, sir." The words were coming out of his mouth without any thought given them. "I-I have the clap, sir."
Col. Faraday could say nothing. After all his burning questions, his answer turned out to be a case of the clap?
It was all Harry could do to keep a straight face, but he had to play this through in order to get rid of Faraday. "Naturally, sir, I wanted to run some tests."
Faraday's face burned crimson, as he replied, "Carry on, Sullivan."
As the door closed behind him, Harry and Benton caught fragments of the Colonel's mumblings. "Unclean . . . should've used the rubber . . . "
It took Harry several minutes to compose himself enough to speak.
"What prompted you to say that?"
"It just came out, sir."
"Well, it got rid of the old fool." Tears were still rolling down his cheeks. "What was it you needed to see me about?"
Benton handed the Lieutenant the Daily Mirror. "Page three has the relevant article."
Harry read it. "The Doctor and Sarah are back?"
"I'm not sure," began Benton, "but, I think you had better read this."
It was a message from communications. The Ministry had issued a warrant for the Doctor's and Sarah's arrest.
"Are they out of their minds?"
"Look who's signed the order, sir."
"Horatio Chinn?" The name meant nothing to Harry.
"You weren't attached to UNIT, sir," said Benton, remembering that he was the Lieutenant's senior in the organization. "He's a bloody fool who's had it in for UNIT since the Brigadier checked his ambition during the crisis with the Axons."
Harry at least knew the incident. His first priority on joining UNIT had been to review all previous operations.
"And, of course, Nuton is a sore point with the man?"
Benton nodded.
"Is there any confirmation that they're still on Earth?"
"Miss Smith may be." Benton pulled a sheet from his folder. "There's a report from the Surbiton police about a police call box appearing, a young woman vaguely fitting Miss Smith's description got out, and then the police box vanished. The police didn't bother to check it; they only logged it in."
"I wouldn't have even done that," mumbled Harry. "Chinn doesn't know what the Doctor is, does he?"
"Only that he's UNIT's unpaid scientific advisor. The Brigadier never did supply intelligence with any sort of complete file on the Doctor."
"So, it's safe to assume that Chinn thinks they're earthbound," Harry continued, "which means we'll soon be under siege by the authorities looking for the Doctor and Sarah."
"And the Colonel will be answering their questions." Benton cracked a sly smile at the thought.
It was a joke that Lt. Sullivan shared for only a moment. "Why did the Doctor leave Sarah in Surbiton?"
"Trying to drop her off home, and missed." Benton shrugged. "It's been known to happen."
Harry didn't appreciate Benton's little joke. He knew first hand the "slight malfunctions" to which the TARDIS was prone. "What time was the warrant issued?"
"About ten o'clock." He had no idea where the Lieutenant's questions were leading.
"It's almost noon now." He glanced at his watch. "Sarah should be home by now, or nearly there."
"Agreed, sir."
"Sarah's not listed on any UNIT files, is she?"
"She's not sanctioned by the UN, if that's what you mean. She's down on the Doctor's files as his assistant; that's the one the Brig filed with Inland Revenue last year."
"Nothing that the Ministry or Chinn would have immediate access to, though?"
"I don't think so, sir."
"You still don't understand, Benton?"
He shook his head.
"UNIT should have been informed the moment the crisis occurred at Nuton, we weren't. Someone in the Ministry -- Chinn, most probably -- is purposely keeping us ignorant; costing us precious time in searching for information we should already have.
"Even with that ass in charge, Chinn would be a fool to think he'd be able to march in and arrest the Doctor and Sarah. In order to make any move against UNIT, he'd first have to petition the UN in Geneva or New York. Why bother? He could arrest Sarah, and still do a good job of breaking UNIT, if he can get to her before she reaches us."
Knowing Chinn's utter hatred of UNIT, it made perfect sense. Bring UNIT and the Brig up on charges of helping and harbouring terrorists. Besides, the government would be more than willing to sacrifice some scapegoats considering the current tide of public opinion on anything nuclear.
"It doesn't give us much time to get Sarah back here."
"I think we may have more time than you think, sir. If I know Chinn, he'll probably be using a hand-picked group on this."
Harry was busily trying to form a plan of action. What he had wasn't much of one, but on two minutes notice, he hoped it would suffice.
"Benton, I want you to meet the Brigadier at Heathrow; he should be arriving shortly."
Benton grimaced at that, but he knew the Lieutenant was right. He was, after all, well versed in the care and feeding of irate Brigadier Generals.
"I'm going to try to reach South Croydon before Chinn's men do."
"Then, I assume we'll be going AWOL, sir?"
"You won't, anyway. You'll be meeting your superior officer as ordered. I'll worry about what Col. Faraday says when the Brigadier returns."
Glancing around the crowded baggage-claim area, he could only thank God that he had UN clearance on his luggage and passport. The time that would save would give him the chance to go home, have a leisurely glass of port and a hot bath, as well as, if traffic was light, a three-hour nap.
He had already planned his evening with the stewardess. Dinner at a nouvelle cuisine restaurant in Chelsea, dancing in Soho, and finishing the evening with a night-cap at his flat. He smiled at the possibilities.
Picking up his valise, he headed toward the customs desk.
It helped to have friends in MI-5; it wasn't comforting, but it helped.
If he and Benton hadn't been delayed by Faraday, he might have checked with intelligence sooner. As it stood, he might already be too late.
Communications was right about the arrest warrant, but his interpretation had been wrong. Chinn wasn't about to start a siege on UNIT headquarters -- too many questions would have to be answered. No, he was sending his men to South Croydon, thereby effectively bypassing UNIT's quasi-diplomatic status, and arresting Sarah on English soil.
He couldn't even call to warn her. The Brigadier had had her phone disconnected several months back.
Harry pulled his Austin to a halt a half-block from Sarah's house. There didn't appear to be any sign of police or Ministry agents about. They might not have arrived yet, but more than likely, they were already about -- hidden -- waiting to see who else might be involved in this "conspiracy".
Well, he was prepared for that situation, anyway. In his briefcase, he had put a lot of official documents -- all signed by the Brigadier, aka Sgt. Bell. None of them were worth the paper they were printed on, but by the time anyone had a chance to review them, he'd have Sarah back at UNIT HQ. He hoped he wouldn't have to use them; he didn't fancy ending his military career with a court martial.
Benton knew the Lieutenant was right. He didn't have to like his orders, though.
Meeting the Brigadier at Heathrow was bad enough; having to explain what had happened during his absence was far worse. The Brig would chop his head off at the entrails.
Oh well, it wouldn't be so bad being a Sergeant Major again.
"Harry!" Her exclamation was almost simultaneous with her opening the door.
"Welcome home, old thing!" His hug was heartfelt, but he almost threw her into the hall trying to get the door shut.
Sarah had never been thrilled by Harry's calling her "old thing", but that was Harry.
"What are you doing here? How did you know I was home?"
"It's a long story." He ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. "Do you have anything on under that robe?"
She blushed. Harry had caught her just before getting into the tub. "Just me."
"Get dressed. We've got to get you out of her." His manner was almost militaristic.
"Why? What's going on?"
"You made the front page of the Daily Mirror, and MI-5 has issued an arrest warrant for you and the Doctor."
"What!" She was almost laughing. "This is ridiculous. The Doctor is a member of UNIT -- "
Harry interrupted, "We don't have time to discuss it now. Suffice to say that what happened at Nuton convinced the Ministry that you and the Doctor are political terrorists."
"Terrorists! For God's sake, if the Doctor hadn't stopped Eldrad -- " She paused, the severity in Harry's manner was convincing her of the situation more than any words.
"You're serious, aren't you?"
He nodded.
"Give me ten minutes to change."
"Not much choice, old thing." He laughed.
She joined in his laughter; it felt good. No matter what happened, things would somehow always stay the same. "I'll be right down."
Harry watched her form as she ran up the stairs. The robe clung tightly, accenting all of Sarah's curves.
Had this been any other time, he thought whimsically.