Weighing on his mind as he continued following his orders given by Director Harriet, everything that happened thus far, the knowledge that his daughter's boyfriend was a person of interest for Torchwood, and that her boyfriend isn't even human to begin with.
All this time, he thought her boyfriend was just an odd ball that swooned his daughter's heart, whereas he has two!
Lying to him, his daughter had been risking her life going on risky adventures without his knowledge, different universes, and worlds over, getting hurt during them, and lied to him the extent of her injuries.
She thought he wouldn't notice signs of old bruising and scars and in all the times he noticed, he wished he would've called her out on them, sooner.
Hell, he thought it was Theodore and waited for the opportune time sacking him on his daughter's behalf!
No, she's just been in death defying adventures, is all.
It's difficult wrapping his head around the entire situation, but the fact of the matter's he doesn't even know where to begin telling Daphne, Billy, and Ethan, without risking look like one of those raving conspiracy spewing lunatics.
Hell, he doesn't even know how to begin explaining any of this, if he could speak freely!
Aliens!
Actual aliens!
Of all things, aliens!
It's impossible for him not to pinch himself, but he wasn't dreaming, this was real life, and the fact that aliens were real weren't helping him, either.
Not Vulcans, not Klingons, nothing that he'd be familiar with, hell, they could be real for all he knows, at this point, and they haven't showed up at the table, yet.
Just think, not too long ago, he'd spend his time working on different navy ships, occasionally getting shore leave to spend time with the family, sharing beer with his friends in the navy, but enough.
Regarding his situation with his daughter…
Perhaps he can recuse himself from Torchwood, he'd already signed the NDAs, he's proved himself to the director as someone who's capable of keeping things private, even though there's complications with that, but still, he won't tell anyone about this, and it wasn't like they'd believe the usually serious Paul S. Watson, anyway.
Lila won't like it, but it's not up for discussion, she's coming home whether she liked it or not, and Torchwood won't keep her here, end of discussion.
It did surprise him that none of the people working at Torchwood realized that this was his daughter, or the fact he has two sons, as thorough they've been tracking all movements regarding aliens, it'd be expected they're thorough about combing through all personnel's personal lives, especially since aliens have been mingling amongst the human population.
Not like he was going to bring it up, but it's telling, that they're only concerned with aliens more than humans.
Seemed like an egregious oversight and believe him, he's seen his share of egregious oversight!
However, despite his personal thoughts, there was one nagging thought in the corner of his mind that insisted that he stay aboard Torchwood's operations, despite the contrary, and it won't leave him alone.
It was the same thought that made him skeptical about the Dalek… thing they got chained up, but he chalked it up to spending his youth watching those hokey science fiction shows, always wanting to become a space cadet with his own phaser.
Something all kids his age at the time dreamed of doing, but here he was, thirty-some years in the navy, no phaser, not even a space engineer, and instead of a robot helper, there's a robot alien that shrieked like the dying speaker in his old Camry chained like a furious dog.
That's not even the tip of the ice berg!
Still, the thought persisted, doubt cast over Torchwood's handling of the situation.
It was hard enough to shrug off that it kept positioning itself at the forefront of his mind as Paul worked around Torchwood, doing engineering work as he's assigned, silently questioning himself.
Oh, why did he accept the job when it was offered to him?
…Because he thought it meant he would be working closer to his family, right, that was his first thought.
Well, they weren't lying…
The first thing he said to Director Harriet after she gave him the spiel about the potential new job when she came aboard his ship that day, "How's this a navy job?"
She wouldn't tell him and Paul had no choice but to agree with her terms, only because of he wouldn't be gone from the country for months at a time.
"Engineer Watson," he heard his name, causing him to stop in his tracks as he's working with others on schematics for equipment, turning his weary head to see Gwen staring at him with those doe eyes of hers.
Pardoning himself from the group, Paul walked with Gwen as she told him they're having problems with the TARDIS and hoped he'd have some insight, they worked to discover that it's like the ships that he worked on prior to joining Torchwood.
He's skeptical about that, but Gwen insisted he come with him to the holding cells, and he followed her throughout the cold Torchwood building, upon arriving his chestnut eyes illuminated with hidden anger as Gwen told him that they wanted him to work with the Doctor.
Hiding his gritting teeth, Paul asks, "Why do you want me messing with that thing for, with him, of all people?"
Gwen shrugs as she tells him, "The director's orders, she thinks you have better luck with it, than the scientists."
Given his extensive career, it shouldn't be too difficult, the director thought.
The soldiers let them through and immediately, Paul sees David sitting on a bed in one of the electrified cages, hands under his chins, causing Paul to step back with his brow raised at the sight.
His mind caught up to him, finally, as he stared at David as the man turned his head towards him, feeling his eyes on him.
A weak smile appeared on his face, before David pointed towards…
Him!
Paul may not understand everything going on, but he knows when someone's pulling a fast one on him.
It wasn't the director doing this, it was him.
Seeing Theodore weakly smile with his icy blue eyes as he silently waved at him, Paul held his contempt of the man, before Gwen relayed the director's message in depth.
Under supervision, Theodore (the Doctor)'s to help Paul with repairing the TARDIS, there's a leak somewhere, and from what the scientists managed to gather, it's something Paul's capable of fixing with Theodore's help, the thought alone made Paul further question the director's decision.
"I'm not the only engineer you got on here, you know this, don't you?" Paul pointed this out to Gwen and while she agreed, she's only the messenger, and Paul sighs as he forced to follow through with the director's orders.
With the soldiers' aid, they pulled Theodore out of his electrified cell, even the cuffs they forced on him were electrified, so he couldn't escape from his confinements if he tried.
Forced to walk with muzzles digging into his back, Theodore followed Paul and the soldiers ahead of them towards the holding area where he sees his TARDIS, restrained, as scientists scrambling to clean up the vibrant blue coolant leaking out from underneath the door.
Al said he made it where only Paul would know what to do, though he didn't mention sabotaging one of his miniature nuclear reactors to try and force Torchwood's hands into pairing Theodore with Paul.
The fear of potentially leaking radiation would keep the scientists away from trying to enter the TARDIS during the repairs and they'd want to contain the radiation, at a safe distance.
However, Al assured him that he wouldn't risk anything going wrong, what would Medikus say?
Paul retrieved the key to the TARDIS from one of the scientists before she huddled behind a barrier, watching from afar with the others.
They provided the tools that Paul would need, it's the toolbox near the TARDIS, it's all on him, now.
With the key in his hand, his chestnut eyes on the TARDIS, Paul exhaled sharply as he began walking towards the machine with Theodore straddling beside him, his arms stiffly moving.
Retrieving the tools, Paul briefly closed his eyes, as he shakes his head, before opening the door inward with the key.
Entering the TARDIS with Theodore behind him, the door closing behind them sharply, preventing any scientists from getting clever thoughts, it left the men inside the console room, as Paul's chestnut eyes surveyed what he considered impossible.
Somehow, there's an entire room inside what looked like a simple blue police.
The realization quickly went away and anger soon took over the moment he heard Theodore talking, as the aloof giant walked ahead, telling him that he'll take Paul to where it's leaking.
Dropping the toolbox on the ground, an echoing thud, Paul sharply asked as the southern in his voice roared out, "What do you take me for, son?"
Weakly, Theodore said it wasn't the best idea, causing Paul to shake his head disdainfully towards him, before angrily gesturing towards him, "Sir, if you let me explain— "
Paul stepped forward with anger in his chestnut eyes as he jabbed his finger into Theodore's chest as he emphasized, "I don't want to hear it, son!"
He already went through this was Lila and he won't with Theodore, but Theodore wouldn't give up trying to force the issue.
"It was my fault she got swept up in this," Theodore insisted on telling Paul as the fuming man stared angrily at him.
Nodding, his peppery chestnut hair stiffly moving, Paul echoed, "You're damn right, it is your fault!"
Because of Theodore, Paul's daughter risked her life, unbeknownst to her family, and Theodore stated that it was Lila's choice to stay, after everything finally settled.
Trust him, he told her that she could leave at any time, multiple times, but she wouldn't, she wanted to keep traveling with him, and well, Paul knows his daughter best.
He sees the temperamental Paul walk around, his boots sloshing through the coolant, before Paul stopped as he exhaled sharply, "Son, the only reason you're not on the ground with all your little pearly white teeth outside your fuzzy head's because of her."
In his own way, Paul tells Theodore that because of Lila, he wouldn't lay a hand on Theodore, but left it open to interpretation that if his daughter hadn't fallen for Theodore, had Theodore treated her poorly, things might've been different.
Nodding, his wild hair bobbing, Theodore understood what Paul meant, before Paul asked him, "Do you love her?"
Showing his pearly whites, Theodore expressed that he couldn't go on an adventure without her at his side, it'd be practically boring for him!
Seeing the look in his chestnut eyes, Theodore catches Paul questioning himself, before finally saying, "Prove it."
Earnestly as he's capable with the cuffs on him, Theodore says that if Lila wants it, he'll stay away from her.
That's how much he grew to love her.
So much, if she asks, he won't be in her life.
Seeing conflicting thoughts in Paul's mind, Theodore goes, "I know it's unconventional, sir, but believe me, I'd go to France for her!"
Paul already said some things with Lila that he's questioning himself for saying, unable to take it back, Theodore can tell from gleaming his mind, before a third voice rang out, "Sir, you have to believe the kid, it's true!"
His chestnut eyes alert, Paul spun around trying to look, until his eyes caught the sight of…
"Dean Stockwell?" Paul's jaw dropped as he sees the actor in front him, before he heard the actor say, "Close! But… I'm not… I'm not Dean Stockwell. Not the point! Not the point! Trust me, sir, the kid goes ga-ga over her!"
Gesturing, Al insisted that Theodore's telling the truth, that he absolutely loves Lila, believe him, he's been their traveling buddy for centuries, he knows their ups and downs, but at the end of it, the two were inseparable.
"He treat her, right?" Paul stared at Al as he's silently questioning what's happening and the AI asserted that Theodore treated Lila like a queen.
Slowly, Paul nodded, before turning around to face Theodore.
Motioning his hand, Paul made Theodore take him to where the coolant's leaking from, as he retrieved the toolbox.
Following Theodore's lead, Paul sees the winding hallways that seemed endless, stopping at a room with coolant leaking from underneath the door.
Unable to lift his arms, Theodore tells Paul how to open the door, and he did.
The aroma hit his nose instantly and Paul goes, "Detergent?"
It's leaking out of an opened… detergent bottle?
It's enough for Theodore to question Al, before Al says that he had to come up with something, and it bought them enough time to get everything out in the air without Torchwood monitoring them.
"You mean to tell me; you tricked the eggheads into believing detergent was coolant?" Paul stared at Al questionably before the AI gestured rapidly that it was the only thing, he could think of at the time without risking a full-blown radiation leak.
It's not as easy as it looked when he's locked down!
"Mr. Watson, I need your help," Theodore struggled to gesture as he pleaded for his help in unlocking the TARDIS from Torchwood's grip.
While it sounded crazy and believe Theodore, it does, they needed to track the Daleks.
There's a shift in Paul's mood as he listened to Theodore pleading for his help, begging him that Torchwood isn't looking hard enough, that without his help, they'll be blindsided by the Daleks.
Chewing on his lower lip as he processed everything that happened, Paul exhaled sharply, before breaking down and telling Theodore, "I don't think we're looking at a scout."
Doesn't make sense sending only one scout to cover the span of an entire planet, while they're able to stealthily hide themselves from Torchwood and much of the world's powers, something isn't adding up, and since he's forced to speak with Theodore, he might as well voice his thoughts.
Al tilted his head as he goes, "Well, if you expect Daleks knowing math, I got bad news for you, sir."
Daleks and math go together as well as tomatoes and chocolate.
Shaking his head, Paul gave his reasoning, he doesn't think that this was a scout, more than a bait, something tangible, and something they wouldn't bother caring if it gets destroyed or captured, but something that they can use as a lure.
"You think it's a bait for Torchwood?" Theodore gestures as he asked Paul's thoughts on the Dalek intentionally getting caught by Torchwood, but Paul suggested that it might've not been Torchwood they had in mind.
Gesturing, Paul haphazardly asks, "Don't they have some dispute with the whatcha-call-'ems?"
Referring to the Cybermen, Paul asked if it's possible that the Daleks have a belief that there's Cybermen on Earth, and used one of their own as a bait to lure them out of hiding, but because Torchwood intervened, it didn't go according to plan.
"Well, I didn't see anything on the scanners, sir," Al admitted that he didn't see anything suggesting that, but then again, he didn't see anything about the Dalek, either.
Thinking to himself, Paul then suggested, "Is it possible that we got ourselves a secret war?"
A suggestion that came out of left field, Paul knows, but it's the only thing that made sense for him, that the only reason none of them knew about the Dalek until now's because the intended plan's luring out an old foe, that wasn't the Doctor, necessary.
Upgrade everything that caught them the umpteenth time, Cybermen and Daleks kept themselves off each other's scanners, and everywhere else.
"It'd make sense, why do all this just to get to Torchwood, or you, kid?" Al agreed with Paul's thoughts, that this wasn't an elaborate ploy set out by the Daleks to take over Earth and destroy the Doctor.
They'd make it clear from Day One that they're here and they're running the place, hell, they'd be out in the streets causing mayhem and chaos trying to find the Doctor, holding the world hostage to draw him out, but it wasn't like that.
No demands, no declaration, just silence.
"If that's true, then, Al, they've been here all-along!" Theodore winced as he came to the realization that they looked for the Daleks in the wrong places.
Shocked as he nodded, Al affirmed that if they weren't making a trip here, they're already hiding among somewhere in the world, waiting for a time to strike.
Worryingly, Theodore asked Paul if he's willing to buck the rules, and Paul replied as looked into Theodore's icy blue eyes, "I don't trust either of you, but I'll be damned if anyone's playing war games on my watch."