"Rose River" AU
'The Oncoming Storm'
Chapter Four
- Slitheen -

A/N: Still not there. Will make sense later, but notice what else is missing.

Materializing in the same spot one year and a few days later, the TARDIS thunked into existence. The area was cordoned off already, and the Doctor simply watched the goings on from inside the ship. He was only slightly amused that the ship crashed in nearly the same exact spot. He would've been laughing, but for the fact that it had crashed through Big Ben and nearly hit the London Eye. Shaking his head in annoyance, he watched what he assumed were UNIT soldiers moving about under bright spotlights.

Flipping things about on the screen, a corner of it began showing the BBC News. Frowning at how he was a few hours late, he heard the announcer saying something about taking a survivor to Albion Hospital. His curiosity got the better of him, even though he knew it was a mistake. Setting the controls, he moved the ship to the hospital.

Outside, as the TARDIS dematerialized, a man in uniform with a red beret on his head pulled out his radio to check in. "Greyhound Twenty Five to control." He waved his hand through the air where the blue box had stood, marvelling.

~Control. Report, Greyhound Twenty Five.~

"He's here," he said simply.

Stepping out of the TARDIS, the Doctor realized that he landed in some sort of a cupboard. Frowning, he opened the door and saw a squad of soldiers on their break. After a brief moment of staring at each other, the squad grabbed their rifles and pointed them at him.

Sighing, the Doctor raised his arms and looked at them as if they were stupid.

One man in the back flicked his eyes to what was standing behind him. Mouth dropping open, he looked at him again. "Doctor?"

"Well, who'd you think it was?" the Doctor snapped at him. "Thought the box gave it away. And you are?"

"Lieutenant Benton," the man said. "Stand down men. This is The Doctor." After they lowered their rifles, Lt. Benton saluted him sharply. "Sir."

"Oh, don't salute," the Doctor said, then came up short. "Hold on. Are you in any way related to…"

"Yes sir," Lt. Benton nodded. "He was my father. Changed your look a bit though, from what he told me."

Grinning, the Doctor chuckled. "Oh, a few times since I saw him last. How's he doin', then?"

Before he could reply, a woman screamed off in the distance. Jumping through the men, the Doctor shouted. "Defence pattern Delta, c'mon!"

Running through the corridors with the squad behind him, the Doctor turned a corner and found a lady doctor with rather pretty legs and chocolate shaded skin, cowering on the floor. "It's alive!" she gasped.

Turning to the men, the Doctor barked out some orders. "Spread out. Tell the perimeter it's a lock down."

"Sir," Benton nodded. "You heard him, move it!"

Stepping forward, the Doctor knelt down to the slightly panicking woman. Taking her hands, he tried to look a bit less pissed off than he was.

"I swear it was dead," she said.

He nodded. "Coma, shock, hibernation, anything. What's it look like?"

There was a noise of something small falling, and the Doctor turned to look over the examination table – then to the desk at the far side of the room. "It's still here," he said quietly Standing slowly, he backed to the door of the room and glanced at the soldier left behind to watch him.

Waving him into the room, the Doctor made his way over to the desk. There was another noise, and he dropped to kneel on the floor. Crawling to the back of the desk, he looked around the corner and saw a very short humanoid. It turned around, revealing it's head to be very pig-like.

Incredulous grin on his face, the Doctor said "Hello." The space pig then screeched and ran for the door on two stubby legs. Seeing the soldier stand and aim, the Doctor held his hand up. "Don't shoot!"

Running after it, the Doctor saw it go through a plastic partition. He came through just as he heard a gunshot. Staring at Benton in shock, he shouted at him. "What'd you do that for? It was Scared!"

Stepping up to him, the Doctor looked him in the eye. "When this is said and done, your father and I are going to have a rather long talk."

Not bothering with him any more, he turned and knelt next to the pig. Placing his hand over its forehead, he apologized. "I'm sorry." The pig let out a small breath and was still.

Back in the autopsy room, the Doctor and the pathologist were staring at the pig on the table. "I just assumed it was an alien, but you're saying it's just an ordinary pig from Earth?"

"More like a mermaid," the Doctor said quietly. "Victorian showmen used to draw the crowds by taking the skull of a cat and glued it to the skeleton of a fish, calling it a mermaid." He paused, watching her process that bit of information. "Now, someone's taken a pig; opened its brain; stuck bits on; then strapped it in that ship and made it divebomb. It must've been terrified.

"They've taken this animal and turned it into a joke," he glowered. Whomever these Raxicoricofallipitorians were, they were a sadistically cruel lot.

"So it's not an alien," she said quietly, earning a half grin from the Doctor at how she was taking this. "But whatever changed it is like nothing on Earth. It's alien. Aliens faking aliens? But why…" Turning to the Doctor, she found that he was gone already.

Running out to the corridor, she looked for him. Not seeing where he went, she pulled out a radio. "He's gone."

Coming back into the break room, the Doctor saw Benton standing in front of the cupboard. "Move," he said rather rudely.

"Sorry Doctor," he shook his head. "Command wants a word. We're to take you to the Ten."

"Oh, really? Why's that then?" the Doctor asked a bit petulantly.

"The Prime Minister is missing, and your presence has been requested."

The Doctor shook his head. "Not takin' charge of you lot. Don't care what you offer me. I may be nuts, but I'm not insane enough for that."

Benton sighed. "Please come along, Doctor. We'll explain on the way. Don't worry. I'll have a guard set for your ship."

"Not like anyone can get in anyway," the Doctor muttered. "All right, I'll play along."

During the ride in the back of the Army truck, the Doctor listened to the plan that Benton was explaining. Interrupting, he was more than a bit rude. "So what you're saying, in a nutshell: The Prime Minister and a few others are missing, resulting in a bit of a power vacuum. This lot shows up, and some random nobody is now in charge? What are you, stupid? I already told you that so called alien pig was altered and aimed at you. This nobody that's been put in charge, tell me, is he a bit overweight?"

"Well, yeah," Benton said a bit confusedly.

Sighing, the Doctor counted to ten; backwards; from the highest prime number he could remember off the top of his head. "Right. This is what you're going to do. Do not deviate, or the lot of you will be dead. Do we have an understanding?"

Coming to a stop at the river side of the Ten, the Doctor hopped out of the back of the truck. He was about to run in when he saw someone. The sight of the elderly fellow leaning on a cane had him smiling. "Hello Brigadier."

He chuckled. "Haven't been called that in a dogs age, Doctor." He tapped his own shoulder, pointing out the crossed sword and baton, pip, and crown. "Just General will do."

The Doctor tilted his head. "Doesn't have the same ring to it. So, what's the story?"

"We've detained Joseph Green as you requested. However, it would appear that he isn't acting alone. We've found the skin of Oliver Charles in a cupboard, and now the Chief of the Defence Staff is behaving rather oddly. Tried to fight the arrest."

They were in the lift at this point, and the Doctor looked sideways at him. "Don't tell me. He's a bit wide in the middle, yeah?"

"As am I, Doctor. But, yes. General Asquith is a bit on the larger side. Fortunately, I actually outrank him."

"You carry it better," the Doctor offered. "Surprised you're still in uniform though. Didn't you always say that you'd retire in the nineties?"

"They never let me," the General scowled. "Apparently, I have a certain knack with alien invaders."

The Doctor actually laughed at that.

The lift opened, and the General led him to the Cabinet Room. Just outside, the Prime Minister's secretary was tending a rather distraught older lady.

Inside the Cabinet Room, Joseph Green sat at the end of the table, looking quite bored. Next to him was General Asquith. Looking them over, the Doctor got directly to the point. "Right you lot, out of those skins. Not talking to dead people." When they just looked at him like he was mad, he slammed his fists on the table. "NOW!"

Startled, Mr Green glared at him. "I don't know what you're talking about. Am I not the Prime Minister?" He looked to Asquith, "Who is this man?"

"I'm the Doctor. You lot are from Raxacoricofallapatorius, so enough with the act. Take them off, or I'll deactivate your compression fields. I understand that it's a rather uncomfortable situation if they're deactivated while you're still compressed. That part doesn't really bother me, but I'd like to keep those skins intact for their families."

Standing, Green and Asquith looked at each other. Asquith reached for his holster and the sound of a gun went off. He slumped back into his chair with a hole in his forehead. General Lethbridge-Stewart then pointed his pistol at Green.

"Oh please, try," the General said.

Snarling, Green reached for his forehead. There was a strange sound as he unzipped it, then pulled it down. The sight of something green coming out of it was ironic. Once he was out of the skin, he dropped it on the table. "It is rather good to be naked," his voice reverberated.

The Doctor shook his head. "What family are you? I doubt this was authorized by the Grand Council or the Assembly. Are you part of the Blathereen Syndicate?"

The alien snarled. "Slitheen! I am Jocrassa Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen. The Blathereens are idiotic fools!" Looking at the General, his eyes blinked twice. "You will pay for killing my brother."

"You were doing untoward things to this planet, were you not?" the General asked. "I have no sympathy."

"What was your plan, anyway?" the Doctor asked while scanning the aliens compressor collar.

"Ohh, like I'm about to tell you my sordid plans? Not likely," his voice reverberated.

Holding his sonic up, the Doctor shrugged. "Doesn't really matter. Alistair, there are at least six more inside the building." He paused, tilting his head. "Make that five. One just left rather abruptly. I'm scanning another just outside the building. I suggest you detain anyone that's overweight." As an afterthought, he turned the sonic on the General. "Nope, bonehead."

While the General rolled his eyes, the Doctor frowned and turned the sonic back towards the fallen one. "That one has a transmitter, relaying some sort of signal."

"Stay away from him, barbarian!" Jocrassa snarled.

"Shut it," the Doctor said as the guards searched. Finding the device, it was tossed to the Doctor. "What is this, an advert?" Scowling at what he was reading, he changed the message and left it running. "You lot were going to blow up the planet and sell it?"

"Fuel is at a premium," Jocrassa said with a bit of a grin.

The Doctor tilted his head. "I get it. You lot turn up in here; make the world paranoid; then get the codes for a nuclear launch. The other countries have no other choice but to strike back. So, what … you sit back and let the Earth become irradiated? How's that an economical plan?"

"Shouldn't you turn that off?" Alistair said, nudging him.

The Doctor shook his head. "Changed the message and redirected the frequency. We should have Judoon here in less than an hour."

Jocrassa glared at him.

"And who are they?" Alistair asked.

"Footsoldiers for the Shadow Proclamation."

"I thought you didn't like them?"

"I don't," the Doctor said with a shake of the head. "These lot are right up their street though. Gangsters, thugs, petty thieves."

"Petty?" Jocrazza shouted.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah… Pet-ty," he enunciated. "You want me to draw you a diagram of how stupid you are? Part One: You decided on Earth. Part Two: Earth is under MY protection."

Whatever else was to be said was interrupted by the sound of gunfire from outside. Jocrassa grabbed his head, wailing. "No! Stop killing my family!" Enraged, his large arm crashed into the table, solidly breaking it. He took a single step forward, before he was shot by the guards.

"One way of ending it, I suppose," the Doctor said. He turned to Alistair. "Remember, there's nine total." He made to turn to the door, when the cupboard door rattled. Stepping over, he pulled it open, yanking it out of the grip of a woman.

Her squeak made the Doctor relax. Looking up, she asked. "Is it over?"

"Who're you?" the Doctor asked.

She held up her identification. "Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. Is it over?" she asked again.

"Not quite, my dear," Alistair said. "But for this room, yes." He turned to the Doctor. "Is she one of them?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Too skinny for them to use."

"Oh!" she perked up. "Thank you for noticing."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and left the room.

The following day, the Doctor was leaning on the TARDIS outside of UNIT Headquarters, looking bored. Alistair came up to him. "You will be pleased to know that there is only one remaining, if you counted correctly that is."

"I count just fine," the Doctor snarked. "Any word on who that last one could have been?"

"Too early to tell," Alistair said. Tilting his head, he appraised him. "Something's happened."

"What?"

"With you, I meant" Alistair clarified. "What's wrong? Usually when things are over, you relax a bit. Kick back or do something other than look like you're going to pounce on something. I've seen that look a thousand times before, so I'll ask you again. What happened?"

The Doctor swallowed and looked at the parked cars instead of him. "There was a war," he said quietly, "and we lost."

Standing a bit more straight, Alistair put a hand on his shoulder. "With whom?" he asked softly.

"The Daleks."

"Your people?"

"Gone."

"Anyone else besides you?"

"No."

They were quiet for a bit. "My home is open to you whenever you need it. Doris is an excellent cook, and has often asked when you would stop by."

The corner of his mouth turned up, and the Doctor looked at him. "Thank you. I'm sure I''ll turn up some day. Off now, though."

"Where to?" Alistair asked.

The Doctor inhaled sharply. "Here, just a bit off in the future. Gonna get a head start on the next problem."

Alistair nodded, not really liking that answer. "You could stay here for a bit. Your replacement is completely daft. I don't like him."

The Doctor snorted, then laughed loudly. "I seem to remember saying something similar about yours." He shook his hand. "See you."

Pensive grin on his face, Alistair nodded. "Till next time."

"Come when I call," the Doctor said as he entered the TARDIS. "And, discipline Benton!" he yelled, before slamming the door.

Alistair's grin fell into a frown when the TARDIS dematerialized. "Oh, Doctor," he whispered sadly. Turning, he walked with his cane towards the main building.