Chapter 77

"This is ridiculous," Harry scoffed looking to the large screens that were projecting a UNIT high lord chancellery meeting or something like that to them.

"Indeed," Olivia Mansfield added. She was one of two other people who were in the supposedly secure meeting room.

They were here for a meeting concerning the Osterhagen Project, and more to the point the "illegal disarmament" said weapon.

UNIT higher ups had "requested" a meeting with the people who had orchestrated the defence of Earth and the disarmament of the Osterhagen Project. The UK government had denied their request. However the Foreign Secretary had made a show to UNIT of suggesting a meeting of the people in charge of the government's intelligence and esoteric responses to the recent crisis.

Harry Potter, Olivia Mansfield and Harry Pearce.

Those from Porton Down and other defence forces had been left out of this particular part of the operation.

"Your plan was to destroy to Earth in a nuclear waste, and we are to explain ourselves?" Pearce asked in a dark serious tone to the cameras that were transmitting them to the UN somewhere quite possibly not Geneva.

Everyone on the screen shifted.

"That is not the issue here," said one of the nameless people.

Harry took the chance to turn his back on them and check his phone that was sitting on the table and then turned back. "What is?"

"UNIT facilities were sabotaged," said one of the people on the outer edge of the group of people on the screen.

"Be grateful that we did not steal away your nuclear weapons," Mansfield said coolly.

"Those things are a bugger to move around," Harry added and looked at the screens. "How did you move them around, how many treaties did you violate placing those weapons around the world? Or now you've got a deal with NK nuclear treaties don't matter?" He asked in a challenging tone.

"That is a matter of global defence Harry Potter," countered someone on the screen. No one had names in front of them so aside from being a man with glasses Harry didn't know and didn't care to know his name.

"The global defences that should have been used instead of surrendering to the Daleks?" Harry challenged.

"Had you approached us with your knowledge we could better have assisted the defence," said some other person on the screen.

"Your defence was to blow up the planet!" Harry exclaimed.

"For interfering with a UNIT site, you three could be charged under the UN international cooperative legislation," someone off the side of the screen said.

"UN revision 42," Mansfield added idly.

"We could also release details of your Osterhagen Project to the world," Pearce continued countering UNIT in an idle tone.

"That would be a contravention of every UNIT agreement with the United Kingdom!" Exclaimed someone.

"Not treason though. Nor against the law in the UK. Weirdly., Harry mused "presumably because no one has had cause to do so. UNIT being the non-insane ones," he said as a notification popped up on his phone's screen.

Harry turned around from the screens.

"This discussions is merely to ascertain your intentions," said someone in a neutral tone.

"Defending our country and our planet from the likes of UNIT is not enough?" Pearce asked. "You have the gall to accuse us, when a General, a Captain and a Colonel authorised the destruction of this planet?" He finished in a roar.

"That...is privileged information," purred one of the group.

The two intelligence heads looked at one another.

"Much like the location of your meeting," Harry said quietly as he pocketed his phone. "Usually these sorts of meetings would be done before your cadre, rather than by vid-link within this rabbit warren you call a facility," Harry started as he walked into the middle of the room, equidistance from the exits to the room. He fancied he could hear people running through said warren, but he was probably imagining it.

The people on the screens began to shift more uncomfortably so, one or two of them even glancing towards the doors, or at their screens which showed the view of the room to them.

"We did not wish drag you away from your work in the United Kingdom," began one of the people on the screens in an uncomfortable tone.

"You worry about our work but are critical when we do ours?" Olivia said walking over to stand by Harry.

"How very considerate of you," Pearce said as he wandered over to stand beside Harry.

Harry didn't bother to look around as the doors to the room burst open. "I think we'll move this conversation upwards," he said swinging an arm over each of the intelligence agents and disapparated as soldiers stormed the room, spraying the room with bullets.

-/ - \\-

72 hours earlier...

Harry looked around what remained of the old airstrip and former UNIT base. It was giving him more than pangs of nostalgia being here and he was more than slightly tempted to go looking around the remains of the buildings.

This was where he had been based, in the 1970s, where UNIT had been based all those years ago.

UNIT had moved out of here in the mid 1980s, or maybe it was the late 1970s, the records were a bit confusing for some of the UNIT stuff. It probably caused some sort of administrative controversy whenever anyone looked closely at the dates.

Fire had gutted a lot of the buildings in the 90s.

"Ah Harry, wondering if you could meet at the old stomping grounds, where Alistair used to keep your plane?" Was the message Doris gave him.

Suspicious wasn't the half of it, it suggested that Alistair thought his phones were bugged.

A check of the number had shown it was a pub more than a county's difference from Alistair and Doris' house.

He'd sent Ioan round to, for now observe Alistair's house, Judith had suggested not to go crashing in looking for bugs just yet.

Harry checked the weapons he had within his coat as he leaned against his E-Type.

"There's an old Land Rover approaching," said the voice of Judith in his ear. She was somewhere, observing. He hadn't wanted to know where.

"How many occupants?" He muttered looking around. Twilight was just forcing the afternoon away.

"One."

As the Land Rover approached Harry could see the single occupant was a blonde woman.

"I think it's Kate Lethbridge-Stewart," he muttered again.

"UNIT related?"Judith mused in his ear.

"Going silent while I chat," he said, he wanted all his senses available to him, just in case.

"Understood," Judith said as Harry pulled the ear-piece out of his ear as the Land Rover pulled up.

As Kate stepped out Harry pulled a device out the E-Type. Harry held a single finger up to his lips as he aimed the energy scanner at her and then at the Land Rover.

Harry nodded after a moment and replaced the energy scanner in the car.

"I know how to do a bug sweep Harry," Kate commented.

Harry looked to her. "Why are we engaging in all this cloak and dagger stuff Kate? It's not quite my thing," he said, he didn't add that wasn't the case for one of his associates.

"Broadsword has been engaged," she said without preamble. "UNIT knows that you specifically and a few others took out their Osterhagen Project."

Harry digested this for a few moments and looked to Kate. "You know what the Osterhagen Project was?"

She nodded. "I would never have approved it. My father was disgusted that anyone would."

"We couldn't trust anyone in UNIT, because of that existing," Harry said watching her.

Kate nodded. "I know. I understand Harry." She must have read his expression. "Really Harry."

Harry nodded. "Broadsword must have upgraded since I last knew of them. If we're meeting here of all places." He looked back to the burnt out buildings. "You could have met me at my house."

Kate shook her head. "I couldn't risk it, just in case."

Harry watched her for a moment. "What does UNIT have in mind for us?" He paused. "I presume they're going after those who knew?"

"The PM is caught between the Enabling Acts and the security of the country regarding UNIT. But Broadsword will find you eventually," she exhaled.

Harry snorted. "I know that phrase. It's followed by 'dismissed with extreme prejudice'," he finished in an amused tone.

"You're not very worried Harry." Kate watched him carefully.

"The question Kate is what we do next? You didn't authorise this? I presume someone or someones within UNIT did?" Harry queried.

"It's an illegal order to terminate the head of an intelligence organisation," she quoted calmly.

"Even one as Esoteric as mine?" Harry asked in a curious tone.

Kate nodded without enlightening further.

"How's your investigation going by the way? I bet this isn't what you thought you'd be doing." Harry smirked.

"Not this soon Harry, I won't officially begin until next year," she said as Harry's phone beeped. "UNIT still has secrets that I'm continuing to discover. Not all of them good." She finished.

Harry quickly flipped his ear piece back in. "Judith?"

"Helicopter in-coming north-north east."

"I see." Harry said. "I presume you lost any tails."

Kate nodded. "But they found me presumably."

"Presumably." He said as he walked around to the boot of the Jag pulling out a blue coloured bag. "Enough time for me to take the Jag with me?"

Kate looked up before she realised he wasn't talking to her.

"Probably."

-/

Kate Stewart watched as Potter set up what looked like car sized dome tent that he proceeded to drive into and then walked out of. Then he did something she should have expected from him. From the stories her father told of him.

He folded up the tent, as though there wasn't a 1970s-era sports car inside.

"We'll have to meet up again," he said. "I presume if it's Broadsword or your superiors following you we should choose somewhere to meet that's private and won't arouse suspicion?" He asked.

She nodded, that was in part why she'd chosen this location and it was somewhere her father could communicate to Harry just in case of any bugs.

"Then I'd suggest the Cloven Hoof," he said and then mock saluted her and disappeared.

-/

Harry apparated to beside Judith, taking his future-tech binoculars from her. "It's Broadsword, it seems we've earned the ire of someone in UNIT."

"Enough to send out their special ops team?" Judith whistled. "Aren't we special."

"Looks like they're landing. Do you want a bet on what they say?" Harry asked thumbing the control to lip reading.

"'We were sent to help you, dangerous site, reports of a criminal in the area blah, blah, blah'," Judith said as she followed the helicopter with more conventional binoculars. There weren't any major buildings between them and where Kate and the UNIT helicopter were, but there was plenty of cover obscuring them from view. Plus some carefully placed charms around the area.

"We could take them out here and now," Judith suggested.

"Broadsword has many arms," Harry quoted. "Broadsword is dangerous, even with only one."

"Of course. Someone gave the orders," Judith continued.

"Yes," Harry agreed. "Presumably whoever championed the Osterhagen Project as being a good idea."

"And now has decided to get rid of the people who championed its disabling," Judith mused.

"I wonder how they would have taken me out? It seems a very brash decision. Even if it was about the destruction of Earth," Harry said watching Broadsword talk to Kate. "You were right," he said offhandedly.

"Of course I was Harry," she said as though it was even up for discussion. "They'll probably monitor the area even after she leaves," Judith continued.

"Then I think we should take the lead." Harry said offering a hand to Judith as she picked up the rifle she had beside her. "Just a short jump I think," Harry said as he disapparated.

They reappeared in the car park of an old petrol station.

"Now what?" Harry mused aloud as he extracted the Jag from his expandable tent bag.

"Deal with the threat Harry," Judith said as she took apart the rifle and placed it in the boot of the Jag.

"Yes," Harry said slowly as he heard the sounds of a helicopter flying near by.

-/ - \\-

Olivia Mansfield stood atop one of the roof of her building in a position that was suitably obscured from view everywhere around them.

There was a barely audible 'pop' as the two men 'arrived'. Apparated was the word.

"Really Potter that was..." Said Harry Pearce as he looked around.

"Not necessary, probably. But this is UNIT. Incompetent one day-" The man who was standing beside him started to say.

"Good at their job the next?" Mansfield finished gesturing to a door.

Potter nodded. "I could have brought you both down to my house to have this chat," he said following her to one her offices.

-/

"Here is quite secure Potter," Olivia Mansfield said as she walked into an office. Harry looked around, it didn't seem large enough or festooned with enough personal objects to be her main office.

Harry fancied she caught him observing but didn't say anything.

"Is your source trustworthy Potter?" Mansfield asked as soon as the door was closed.

"She's the daughter of a man I worked with when I ran UNIT's Esoteric division in the 1970s. I trust him with my life," Harry said as he watched a barge manoeuvre across the Thames.

"That would be Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart?" Pearce asked.

Harry nodded. "Though he wasn't Sir anything when I knew him. We just called him the Brigadier." Harry smiled remembering the times back then. "Kate's the one who called me up," Harry paused and then added. "I trust her more than anyone else in UNIT at the moment."

"Which Potter is not saying much, I've received information Broadsword is indeed active in the UK. Authorised," Pearce reported.

"Which is why we're having this meeting, to work out what to do, without too much danger to us," Harry said turning away from the window. "I'll be meeting with Kate later today if you wish to come along," he added.

Mansfield looked to him. "Your first meeting was interrupted I presume?"

Harry nodded. "I wouldn't risk meeting with her again had we not been."

The two senior intelligence agents were silent for a few moments.

"I've only considered one option, which involves some danger for us," Harry said after an extended period of silence.

"Oh?" Mansfield asked.

"A trap, we eliminate the threat posed all at once," Harry paused. "Kate mentioned the PM is caught between the Enabling acts and other bits of UNIT guff."

"Guff?" Pearce shook his head slightly amused.

"Go on Potter," Mansfield prompted.

"UNIT must think the PM knows absolutely everything we get up to and will just hand us over," Harry continued.

"You think we should use the PM and UNIT?" Mansfield asked, she gave him a wry look. "You're brave Potter."

Harry shrugged to her. "I'd rather tackle UNIT, or whatever corrupting element is in the organisation head on. One day they might become useful."

Pearce snorted.

"UNIT is easier to deal with when they're being incompetent or trying to play as one of the big players. Not as petty assassins," Mansfield commented. "Potter's suggestion has some merit, we can assist UNIT weeding out some of their corrupt elements." Mansfield paused.

"By placing ourselves in the firing line?" Pearce challenged in a lightly amused tone.

"You were both spies at some point, being shot at can't be foreign to you," Harry asked curiously earning looks from both intelligence heads.

"Our blood and thunder days are behind us Potter," Mansfield paused and looked to Harry Pearce. "But occasionally we need to exercise the skills."

"Very occasionally Olivia," Pearce said.

-/ - \\-

Present...

To say the collected UNIT shadow people were surprised was something of an understatement.

Harry shot a spell into the air to silence them. Some were grabbing at their phones.

"I think you will find that your lines to the outside world have been cut," Olivia said.

"How did you find this location?" Asked one of them in a monotone that made Harry grab the two intelligence operations heads and push them down under a near by desk.

"Potter what are you-" Then someone started shooting at them. Which was perfectly fine. Both Pearce who'd asked him the question and Mansfield were wearing next-gen bullet proofing.

But monotone man wasn't shooting at them with a regular gun.

Then the doors exploded.

"Gold bullets, third from the right!" Harry shouted.

"Gold?" Pearce shouted from beside him where he'd pulled him down under the desk.

"Cybermen?" Mansfield wondered curiously in a softer tone.

"Perhaps," Harry said as he peered over the table as British Army soldiers stormed around the room handcuffing people.

"You can come out now Harry," the voice of Kate Stewart, not Lethbridge-Stewart, too ostentatious, or something said.

Harry looked over and saw Judith and Ioan coming in through the door. "I dislike being bait. Even if it was my idea."

"Now you see how the other half have it," Judith teased as she and Ioan followed him over to the monotone man.

Harry was vaguely aware that Mansfield had wandered over as well. Gesturing with his wand he ripped the man's clothes off.

"A Cyberman?" Judith wondered.

Harry made an indifferent noise. "Left over from the International Electromatics incident?" As he internally wondered further about the Cybermen's intrusion into UNIT.

"Or the Cyber incursion in the 1980s?" Mansfield wondered earning a look from Harry, Judith and Ioan.

"As a non-Britton Gustav Lytton fell into my jurisdiction initially," she explained.

"Or perhaps the incursion in the late 80s involving Hans De Flores?" Judith mused.

"I think rather than listing every Cyberman incursion into the United Kingdom we can allow Ms Stewart to discover what this...individual is," Pearce began.

"Science leads and all that," Harry said looking to Kate as he wondered just how much UNIT knew about this Cyber-person. Back after the Torchwood One incident UNIT had been somewhat slow in their investigation. Judith gave him a quick look seemingly acknowledging his silent musings.

"Yes, Harry. Now I just have to sort out all of this," Kate said looking around the room. "I didn't even know this was here till your people traced it."

"Hopefully you'll find your own people to trust," Harry said. "And why these people were the ones with the secret room."

"Not to blow up the world," Ioan added. "Make that a priority."

"Or to hand the reigns over to anyone stupid enough to want all that power," Judith added.

-/ - \\-

This was it, Harry thought he was on holiday. Albeit a short one.

Daphne had proclaimed that after the Doctor's visit and suggestion of doom coming during the Christmas period that they should take a short time between themselves, away from the kerfuffle that was his normal day.

Although she'd put it far more eloquently than that, and most definitely hadn't said 'kerfuffle'.

He'd left it up to Daphne. "Surprise me," he'd said, he'd only asked if he could bring one of his 'conveyances', if they weren't going somewhere wholly wizardy.

"Do not worry Harry, I would not seclude you into forced relaxation in a wizard-only enclave," she had promised in gently mocking tone.

Instead they were somewhere in Finland, Daphne had said they were on the shores of Lake Inari.

"I did not wish to smell the sea air, that is something enough experienced in business Harry," she'd said when he'd mused why not a beach hut somewhere. That supposedly was some people's idea of an ideal holiday vista.

He'd left the phones and worrisome things like that with Judith and Ioan, both insisting that they had managed during his brief sojourn into the past, they could manage without him for a short while. After the Daleks' invasion and everything connected with it people, businesses and organisations both secret, intelligence-related and humdrum were settling down. September would just be another month on the walk into the end of the year.

It was beautifully silent out here. Harry thought to himself looking up at the sky.

The night was cold, but the fire and a subtle warming charm was keeping that away.

Daphne had suggested a much more aggressive warming charm so he could join her on a morning swim in the lake.

Swimming was not something he'd learned easily, and it was still something that filled him with some unease. Not just because of his experiences with the gillyweed and the horcrux with Dumbledore. Earlier in his schooling he vividly recalled Polkiss and Dudley's other friends pushing him into the council pool and tugging at his legs, holding him down.

He was sure he had experienced nightmares from that, but bigger more vivid nightmares at Hogwarts replaced those, as had experienced that followed shunted those aside.

But that danger, the thoughts of it lingered. He could swim, if need be. Water itself filled him with little fear. But to go swimming, to elect to do so...

"In the morning then," he said to himself looking at the fire. He decided he would spend the morning swimming with the woman he loved. There at least were worse ways to face your fears.

-/ - \\-

The next morning, while Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass towelled off after a wet, intimate and somewhat tense for the former swim in the quite cold waters of Lake Inari something was coming in the United Kingdom.

Something that announced itself through the children.

Something that Judith had only read of. She'd only been a kid at the time.

Mostly.

Sort of.

Skipping back through the footage she watched the arrival of the aliens again. CCTV had captured the event and then been deleted by the highest authority in the government.

Harry Pearce, indeed the whole of MI5 had been ordered out of their offices by someone close to the Prime Minister.

Said man had taken the footage with him when he'd left his office.

"And where's Potter?" Pearce asked her.

"On holiday," Judith answered. "This is not something he would be able to assist with I do not think," she said calmly as she watched the footage.

"Oh?" Pearce asked. "You know something Judith, about this?"

Judith looked to the security service man and nodded. "I was too old when they came."

"They?" Pearce looked to the screen they were watching the footage on. They were both stood in LPI's London HQ inside the Post Office Tower.

"No name. Nothing like that," she explained. "It was something I was instructed on. The procedures, what happened was...distasteful," she explained with some awkwardness.

"What was?" Pearce asked walking around into her field of view.

"1965. An alien incursion. They arrived like this. An offer was made. Westminster agreed," she paused in halting sentences. "After Shoreditch everyone was jittery about aliens. But they were even more scared of what was cooking."

"You learnt of this during your-" Pearce began.

Judith cut him off. "During my education. About what was right and what is wrong. Involving children is never right." She looked at Pearce hard. "Even knowing what I know of myself and my potential future."

"And what are they, why have they commandeered the children?" Pearce asked.

"All good questions. None of which we should care about Pearce," she said. "We can only do what we can in our particular fields."

Pearce looked like he was about to speak.

"Some people authorised the exchange in 1965," she mused as she turned off the screen. "What do you think our government will do now? Now that UNIT is a little more capable with Kate Stewart somewhere near the tiller?"

The colour drained out of Pearce's face. "A blank page order?"

Judith was pulling on her coat. "We need to find out who they're going to order be swept aside."

"There will be repercussions," Pearce he replied in a low dark tone.

"No doubt the US is already barging in," Judith said as they walked over to the lifts.

Pearce opened his mouth.

"I know that's not what you meant. If the government is efficient the order will have been given already," she said as the lift descended. "How many of your agents can be trusted?"

"This is messy business we find ourselves in Judith," Pearce replied simply.

Judith looked to him but didn't say anything as the lift reached the ground. "Messy is what I often find myself in," she finished as the doors opened.

-/

"Michael Sanders," Judith said as she looked around his office.

"OBE," Pearce commented. "They have been rather efficient," he said idly.

"A pity. It took a lot longer to organise a blank page back in my days," she commented.

"Were you involved in many of those?" Pearce asked.

"That would be telling," Judith commented with an air of mystery. "I extracted one or two people from the Village back in the day," she continued.

Pearce looked over to her surprised. "Unfortunately for Sanders the government is pursuing the extremes."

"There is nothing extreme about a blank page order Pearce. Just the way the government likes it," Judith said looking around her.

"Perhaps they have not reached all those involved," Pearce was saying to himself in a doubtful tone.

Judith gave him a look. "Pearce, the Special Forces are many things. Inefficient is not one of them."

"If this was the Forces' work," Pearce said looking around the room. "You're jamming everything I take it?" He asked of her.

Judith nodded, patting a pocket. "Of course. Although this has been done in a rush. They should have been a lot more thorough. If Sanders was involved in the business in the 60s he'd have at least Top Secret clearance."

"Beyond no doubt," Pearce mused.

"There's one...individual that will have probably survived," Judith began "along with their organisation if the government has any sense," Pearce looked over at her. "It would involve a journey over the River Severn."

"Torchwood," Pearce muttered with a sigh. "Would he know anything more than you?"

Judith shrugged slightly. "I only know the basics Pearce." Looking around a final time. "Should we be pursuing Captain sex pest or our government?" She wondered.

"And the mistakes it finds itself in," Pearce said following her out of the building.

"Whatever it is, it will not be pleasant," Judith considered. "If children are involved."

-/ - \\-

It had not been complicated to discover that COBRA was in session, a threat like this was above and beyond that which UNIT might be called to deal with. And of course an 'ambassador' was within the newly renovated section of Thames House.

A section that was currently devoid of any surveillance systems that they might hack into.

"These are Potter's?" Pearce asked having been handed the binoculars by Judith.

"They are. From Harry's kit bag of emergency items," she explained.

"And where is Mr Potter?" Pearce wondered.

"Ioan and Myers are up to the task of monitoring the 456 in Thames House," Judith said, they had learned of the alien's name somewhat easily. But spying on COBRA was somewhat more difficult. Several of the UK's governmental sites had been overhauled following the Slitheen and Saxon incident. Harry had mentioned in what passed as his free time offering some advice making it 'wizard spy-proof'. Just in case any wizards with paintings, mirrors or random fireplaces wanted to drop in.

Unfortunately that made spying on COBRA somewhat more difficult.

"Word has been sent to Harry Potter Pearce. The destruction in Cardiff will need attention. The bombing in Cardiff will mean Torchwood's controls on the rift will need reconstructing," Judith explained.

"And Potter is uniquely qualified concerning matters of time travel," Pearce composed to himself. "Including that bedevilled rift."

"There are controls on the side for lip reading by the way." Judith said distractedly. "You might find it useful now that you've located the room they're meeting in."

Pearce looked over to her wondering how she might've discerned that instead focused on the task at hand.

-/ - \\-

"10 percent," Myers said again.

Torchwood agent Ianto Jones was dead and the 456 had effective control over Thames House.

"Storms over Finland are making locating Harry difficult. The best owl is on its way," Ioan had said.

"There's little Harry could do short of crucioing and imperiusing everyone in the government," Judith commented. "These are nasty decisions, an agreement should never have been entered into."

"No. But what are we going to do now?" Myers asked not them but Harry Pearce. "Harry?" She added in a worried tone looking to the MI5 man.

-/ - \\-

Harry Potter stood looking at what remained of Torchwood Three, the 'Torchwood Hub', now it looked like a bomb site.

The First Minister of Wales had barred any representatives from Westminster from entering Wales because of this attack, a somewhat audacious act for such an audacious and violent attack.

Harry was here because his organisation was best versed in how to deal with what was now an incredibly unstable site. Not just because of the damage, but the rift, which had become less unstable after the Daleks' invasion, but was still flaring according to the energy scanners. They'd hooked up all the energy dampeners that LPI had and wired that into the power grid which would work as a stop gap measure for the time being.

Harry was still annoyed, somewhat at himself for taking a holiday, and being so uncontactable.

The owl that had reached him and Daphne, which had been waylaid by the storm that had seen them retreat into their cabin, the letter it had been carrying had informed him of the events in the UK.

But by the time he had made it back there had been little to do.

Pearce and Judith had decided not to pursue a coup. After hearing what the government had decided upon that would have been his course of action. COBRA would have been far too secure to get in and use a polyjuice to reverse the government's decisions.

It seemed however that the 456 stopped before the government had made any messy decisions.

Brian Green had been removed and Aubrey Fairchild, the man who had been in charge of the caretaker government following the Master's brief stint had been placed in charge again of another caretaker government. The British people would soon again very likely be heading to another election.

But for now they had this to sort out.

His phone rang.

"Potter. Yes, I'm here now," Harry paused. "I do have a solution for when people start wandering out of their homes to keep people away from the bomb site. It's not exactly-" The person from the Welsh government didn't want to hear what it wasn't exactly. The fact that Torchwood existed had gone from being some sort of joke, to an open secret and then back to some sort of clandestine secret that everyone in Wales knew was better to have than not. Torchwood, sometimes, when it wasn't being hampered was occasionally useful.

And then someone within the British government or something connected to it had authorised an attack on Wales.

That particular piece of information was so top secret it effectively didn't exist.

Except Harry, the First Minister and a handful of other people who did know about it.

"I will get it sorted sir," he said.

"You will have all the support you and your organisation needs Potter, if there's anything else?"

"Just one, Gwen Cooper, I know what happened with Harkness." The man on the phone exhaled a breath. "But Torchwood or whatever you'll be calling it will need someone to run it."

"They've got a bloody big budget."

"Rightly so. Someone'll need to run it. Cooper's been quite capable thus far," Harry paused with a smirk. "She's also completely Welsh, I think you should have someone who understands the Welsh frame of mind in charge of protecting you," Harry explained.

There was a moment of silence. "You're quite right Potter. The police will be informed to locate Cooper."

"One thing sir. Use your police. The change over in Britain's happening but-" Harry was cut off by the man on the phone.

"We understand Potter."

"Thank you," Harry said as the call ended and he dialled another number. "Ioan!" Harry exclaimed brightly. "Have you found your Quidditch buddies?"

"Yes, but they're not sure about setting up the wards around Cardiff, it goes against-"

Harry shook his head forgetting he was on the phone. "I can only set up so many charms at ground level. We need world championship protection around here. I don't think anyone wants a resumption of the Anglo-Welsh wars. The statute can be damned, we need to control this. Muggle and wizards alike."

"One crisis at a time eh Harry?" Ioan asked. "The statute seems to matter even less when things like this happen."

"My feelings exactly," Harry ended the call and didn't jump to find Judith standing next to him looking down into the hole which once held most of Torchwood.

"The British really didn't like phalluses did they?" She wondered.

"Did you find it?" Harry asked.

"Storage code DDD, 7 boxes, 25 kg each of stuff," she paused. "You think it's wise?"

Harry shook his head looking around. "It wasn't for the British government to authorise a bombing on this place." Harry shone a torch down into the hole. Supposedly it was stable, however it was also flooding. They had pumps going already, but he didn't want to broom or otherwise down there until they wouldn't be snooped on and that was more important, for now.

One crisis at a time.

"You can't be everywhere all of the time Harry. This was minor in comparison," Judith said calmly.

"And had nothing to do with magic," he said and then added. "Although the briefing notes tell a very dark story of what the government planned for the general population. I'm not sure the Ministry would have agreed," he paused. "At least I hope they wouldn't have," he continued in a dark tone as there was a swirl of a portkey arrival revealing Ioan and several of his mates. Some of whom had worked with LPI before in the past, while others were new to Harry, all were holding what looked like very good brooms, and all had a sort of worried excited expression. Obviously wizards didn't get to fly around muggle cities very often.

"Harry," Ioan said by way of greeting. "We're ready. How far are we doing this?"

"The plass needs to be the most secure, around and above it. The Welsh government is enforcing a no fly zone over the entire city, but we can't be too careful," Harry said gesturing around. "Ground level we need to keep people away from here, exclude the National Assembly building over there, but everything else, it's about control," Harry looked to Ioan's mates. "You probably know what to do better than I can tell you. Just think of this..." Harry trailed off trying to think of some way to describe the bomb site he was standing beside. "Hole," he finally went with. "As a Quidditch stadium, that no one can locate."

"Gotcha boss," said one of them.

"And no muggles'll be watching us if we're flyin'?" Asked another.

Harry shook his head. "Until the morning there's a curfew for safety," then he added. "You'll see the police lights on the edge of the Cardiff business zone. That's as far as you can safely fly without being seen. But-"

Ioan finished for him. "But the Welsh government doesn't care at the moment. They're pissed with the British and by extension the Ministry," Ioan said looking to Harry who nodded.

Harry watched the collected wizards and witches take to the sky.

"You wish you're going up there with them?" Judith asked.

"To ride brooms in the full view of a muggle city?" Harry asked in an amused tone.

"Whenever you can get one out you should Harry." Judith answered her tone laden with suggestion.

"Just because Captain Innuendo isn't here Judith doesn't mean someone else needs to take up the slack." He countered.

"Now while your phallus flying friends spurt themselves around the city we get to venture into the abyss?" She asked with a smirk.

"And hope it only gazes back at us and doesn't swallow us whole. I do not wish to be spat somewhere by this rift. Once was enough." Harry mock shuddered.

-/ - \\-

Late Morning.

Temporary fences would be coming soon. But if one could smell it the air would be heavy with charms and spells. No one was walking into the plass without facing some very real and very dramatic charms.

They were erring on the side of caution, with the amount of alien technology around what remained of the Hub they were abseiling down, even though using a broom would have been faster and easier.

But they did not wish to crash onto what remained of Torchwood should they hit a pocket of energy instability that might make a broom fall out of the air.

Ioan's mates had encountered a few pockets of 'unstable air' around Cardiff, but nothing that made them drop out of the sky.

"They weren't very thorough," Ioan said gesturing with his wand around as they descended into the Hub.

"According to Pearce who's got a hold of the blank page orders-" Judith began.

"Something of a contradiction there," Harry interrupted Judith as he swept his torch around. "I thought those sorts of orders were 'blank'."

"Very droll Harry," Judith countered as she descended further into the hole. "The idea was to destroy Harkness. Not the Hub."

"Collateral damage." Harry said. "How very..." He trailed off as his torch found purchase on something. "Lucky," he said seeing the mostly intact rift manipulator, with bits of debris hanging in the air around it.

"Uh..." Ioan began.

"Time lock probably. I seem to recall Jack said the Hub had something," Harry observed.

"When...?" Ioan slowly asked.

"After the Daleks were destroyed and when I was in the Doctor's TARDIS after we flew the Earth back from the Medusa Cascade." Harry explained.

"How casually that sentence is said belies how complicated it was," Judith commented idly.

"Does this mean it's not an impossible problem to solve?" Ioan asked.

"Not to be swallowed by the rift?" Harry nodded. "Hopefully."

-/ - \\-

26 hours later...

"Looks like we're going to be crashing into another election." Judith said reading from a newspaper as Ioan gestured with his wand supporting further bits of the hub whilst banishing other bits into one of their large expanding bags.

On the other side of the Hub Harry swore, again as he sonicced and burnt his fingers on another bit of technology as he tried to reconstruct the rift manipulator.

"LPI. She's here," said a voice on a radio. Part of the police who were on watch around Cardiff.

"Send her down." Harry called from below the rift manipulator controls.

Judith idly picked up the radio. "Send her down Davidson. She probably knows the way."

Harry pushed himself out from under the manipulator as he heard shouting and clomps of footsteps.

"What the bloody hell...I thought this was destroyed," she said looking around.

"We reconstructed it," Ioan said.

"We?" She looked around and focused on Harry. "Potter."

"Hello Gwen," Harry brushed his hands down on his quite dirty clothes.

-/

"You want me to take charge of this?" She asked looking from Harry to the Hub.

Harry nodded. "Someone's got to."

"What about Jack?" She asked.

Harry gave her a look. "You know he was involved in the 456 thing the first time?"

Her expression darkened. "I know," she rubbed her stomach. "I can't I'm...pregnant."

Harry shrugged. "It doesn't need to be chasing aliens across Cardiff. I have a couple of people in mind," he paused. "But the First Minister is in agreement with me. The rift's here in Cardiff. Shouldn't it be a Welsh person in charge?"

"Not Jack?" Gwen asked curiously.

"The UK government is reassessing all interactions Jack's had and everyone involved in the vile 456 business," Harry shook his head. "Dealing in children..." He continued in a dark tone and trailed off in thought.

"Who do you have in mind? I'm the last one left," her voice cracked. "Tosh, Owen, Ianto."

"Martha Jones, I believe you've worked with her?" Gwen nodded. "Has resigned from UNIT, I believe she might be amicable to joining you. An associate of hers; Mickey Smith recently returned from a parallel universe."

Gwen laughed. "You make it sound so normal Harry. Not like Jack. He made everything seem extraordinary."

"A lot to live up to," Harry commented.

"Your team's cleaned up well," she said looking around after a moment's silence between them.

As they'd talked they'd walked around and come to sit in two chairs that had been found and repaired on the edge of what now remained of the Hub.

"Once the supports are in place we'll be putting the roof back in," Harry said, pausing. "But we think ex-Torchwood agents have already pilfered Torchwood's stores."

Gwen looked at him eyes wide. "What?"

"Surveillance is patchy but there were several large vans that turned up after you escaped," Harry explained, he'd only just learnt of it from the police.

"Stealing stuff from here?" She looked around.

"Hopefully nothing too dangerous," Harry mused.

They sat in silence for a long time.

"So will you take the job?" Harry finally asked again.

"Do I have a choice?" She asked him. "Honestly?" She looked at him.

Harry nodded. "There are elements within the British government that still want you and anyone else involved in this business dead. Realistic or on paper. The First Minister will tell them that you are, and you disappear off into the great Welsh countryside," Harry offered. The First Minister hadn't said anything like this, but he fancied he could convince the man.

"Or I get to be head of an organisation they tried to destroy," Gwen smiled.

-/

"She took the job then?" Ioan asked.

"Of course she did. Any chance to piss off the English." Harry chuckled.

"Then you might want to bring her along. The First Minister is upstairs overseeing the new stones being brought in," Judith said as she walked towards them.

Harry exhaled. "All this and I wasn't even that far away." He looked between his two associates. "And you both told me to leave all my comms off." He pointed between them. "Gwen!" He shouted over to the woman. "Come on, we've got to meet the boss."

-/

"Might I introduce Gwen Cooper, the woman now in charge of Torchwood," Harry said. "The only Torchwood."

Gwen looked at him. "Only?"

"None of the others are operating. Unless you want another name for it First Minister?" Harry asked. Said man had his back to them, he was watching Ioan work with a crane to manoeuvre the flag stones onto the plass to cover up the hole.

"Your League has done excellent work Potter," he said turning around to them.

"The government can't be trusted all of the time. Same with UNIT. Eventually you end up with people you trust," Harry said.

"Until then?" He asked.

"Then you have people outside the government," Gwen smiled broadly.

-/ - \\-

A/N:

Minor edit done June 2021.

I began this chapter intending just to tie up things from the previous chapters, stuff to do with UNIT etc. That came in at just shy of 3000 words. I've said previously that lowest word count I like for chapters in this story is 2500-3000 words. But leaving it at just that seemed like bit too short. I prefer to upload longer chapters where possible.

Then I decided I'd try and do a 'Harry-lite' half-chapter and also cover Torchwood: Children of Earth.

The problem with that particular story arc of Torchwood is that it would have been hard to insert Harry into the middle of that story arc. It's a very dark and dirty sort of story, which has close ties to Jack's story.

So I thought I'd try and do a Judith-focused story. Which ended up being a lot harder than I thought it'd be. But there's at least a few more insights into Judith here.

Going forward there may be a little bit here and there of the new Torchwood featuring Gwen, Martha and Mickey. Jack by the way goes missing for 6 months post-Children of Earth then teleports off Earth then. More broadly this new direction with Torchwood is something I'll be pursuing a little more in future chapters. This change is also a divergence from 'established' Torchwood events. As I'll explain in future chapters some things in the Doctor Who universe are harder to write around than others.

It's also been pointed out to me in the first reviews (I've made a few minor edits) that I've somewhat over estimated Wales' power. I fall back on two linked concepts; that the Doctor Who universe isn't the same as the real world, and that maybe Wales has more power in the DW universe than in the real world.

Or maybe it just thinks it does.