Chapter 9
Confrontation
John and Eight were in the Switch Room of the Power Distribution Hub of Torchwood Tower, using their sonic screwdrivers to isolate the power to the electronic systems before restoring the power.
['John, where are ya?'] Rose thought in his head.
['In the Switch Room, resetting the system. And as if by magic . . .'] He pressed the button on his sonic, and the control panels beeped before the indicator lights went green and the cabinets started to hum. ['I'll be up in a minute,'] he thought back.
['NO! Just hang back. UNIT have turned up with a ministerial order to conduct an investigation.']
['It's probably routine. I should imagine they did something similar when we blew up Number Ten that time.']
['That's what River said, but Andy's not buying it, which means I'm not buying it either.']
['Okay. I've learnt to trust Andy's gut. We'll stay out of sight and wait for an update.']
['Thanks Love. I'll be in touch.']
'We may have a problem,' John told Eight.
Eight had been watching John, and suspected he was communicating telepathically. 'You shared your name with Rose, didn't you?'
'Of course. She's my wife,' John replied with a smile. 'Apparently UNIT have turned up to investigate, but Andy isn't convinced.'
'Hmm. So what are we going to do?'
'Rose is keeping an eye on things, so it's probably best if we keep out of sight for a while. UNIT don't know we are here so if we need to take action we can do it covertly.'
Eight nodded, and they started chatting to pass the time. 'So how did you get a TARDIS then?'
'My other self gave me a piece of coral when he dropped us off in "Pete's World",' John explained.
'Who's Pete?'
'Rose's dad. In our universe, he died when Rose was a baby. In the other universe, he's alive and a very successful businessman. He also became director of Torchwood there and cleaned it up.'
'And he just accepted her as his daughter?' Eight asked in surprise.
'Not at first, no. But when Rose's mother appeared after Pete's wife died, he came around,' John told him.
'It sounds like a convoluted plot from a Shakespeare play . . . Hang on. Did you say you had a piece of coral? But that would take thousands of years to grow into a TARDIS,' Eight said.
'Yeah, but I shatterfried the plasmic shell and modified the dimensional stabiliser to a foldback harmonic of thirty six point three. I accelerated growth by the power of fifty nine.'
Eight raised his eyebrows in admiration. 'That is brilliant!'
'Yeah, it was,' John said with a sad look on his face. 'Not my idea though. It was Donna . . . You know, the other half of the metacrisis.'
'Ah. I'm sorry.' Eight knew a human couldn't survive a metacrisis.
'Thanks. But she didn't die. Other me saved her by wiping her memory. He was as good as dead to her though, because she didn't even know he existed . . . or me.'
Eight put a hand on John's shoulder. 'That's rough.'
['John. Special Operations is in lock down. It's like they're under house arrest or somethin','] Rose thought in John's head.
['Are you there too?']
['No. Andy asked us to hang back. I'm with River and Lucie in the corridor outside. To say UNIT are supposed to be conductin' a search, I can't see much evidence of it.']
'It looks like Andy's gut was right,' John thought and said at the same time. 'I think we need to have a chat with the real Yvonne Hartman and see if she knows what the Prime Minister is up to.'
['That's what River says. We'll meet you on the top floor then.']
[Okay. You can use the lifts now so we'll see you there. And Love, be careful. Someone is keeping Special Operations out of the way for a reason.']
['Okay. You be careful too, yeah.']
Down in the Standby Room, Colonel Mace was listening to some instructions on his earpiece comms unit. He nodded to himself and looked at Andy.
'Captain McNab. Your director is concerned that on your own volition, you decided to release some of the detainees from the secure holding facility.'
'That's right. It was the Zygon who had ordered the detentions, so I rescinded the order,' Andy told him.
'It wasn't the Zygons orders though. It was the government's,' Mace said.
'Yeah. A government whose leader was an alien planning to invade the Earth,' Andy countered.
'Nevertheless, Director Hartman as asked that you be detained in the secure holding facility until a disciplinary hearing can be convened,' Mace said with a hint of satisfaction.
'You are kidding. This is a joke, right?' Andy said in disbelief.
'Gray and Harris,' Mace called to two privates. 'You know what to do. Escort the captain down to the cells.'
'Sir!' They had their rifles held ready and ushered Andy towards the lift doors. Andy looked at them intently for a few seconds before turning his back on them and walking towards the lifts. They didn't see the smile on his face.
Yvonne Hartman looked up in surprise as John, the Doctor, Rose, Lucie and River barged their way into her office.
'Hello Yvonne. We didn't get properly introduced downstairs, did we?' John said with a winning smile. 'John Smith, a relative of the Doctor here. Well, sort of relative. This is Rose. She's my wife. And this is River, she's a bit of an enigma. Not married yet are you?'
River looked a bit bemused by his runaway mouth. 'Er, yes. I am actually.'
'Oh yes. That's right. Sorry. It's your husband who isn't married yet isn't it?'
'What in God's name are you on about?' Yvonne asked in annoyance. 'I am very busy.'
'Yes, of course you are. A lot to catch up on after all that Zygon business I bet,' John agreed.
'Yes exactly. It was very nice meeting you all. Now if you don't mind?' Yvonne said with a raised eyebrow.
John frowned. 'What?' And then he realised. 'Oh. Right. Very busy. Of course you are.' He moved towards the door, and the others followed. He put his hand on the handle and then turned back towards Yvonne. 'But shouldn't you be resting after your ordeal?'
'Thank you for your concern, but I am fine. You know what they say, "no rest for the wicked".'
'You must be particularly wicked then,' Eight said with a mischievous smile. 'Even before you were a Zygon.'
John grinned at Eight. 'Oooh. That was good.'
They went through the door of the office, and then John stopped and leaned his head back through the door. 'Me and my head. Too much stuff floating about. I'd forget it if it wasn't attached. I nearly forgot why we came up here. UNIT, they've come to search the building?'
'Yes,' Yvonne said suspiciously.
'Why? Doesn't Harriet trust you any more?' John asked.
'Of course she does. Not that it is any of your business. It's . . .'
'Standard operating procedure,' John finished for her, rolling his hand in the air. 'Yeah, that's what River said. Only a friend of ours is getting a bit of indigestion trying to swallow that.'
The rest of the group started to filter back into the office as Yvonne replied. 'Perhaps you could call into the pharmacy on your way out and get an antacid.'
'Ah, yes. We could. But we're not leaving yet. There's a few loose ends to tie up. It'll mess with my OCD if I don't tie them up,' John said with his cheeky smile.
'You are leaving,' Yvonne said with a hint of menace in her voice. 'And you are leaving right now.'
'And who's going to make us?' River asked. 'You and whose army?'
Rose stepped up. 'Yeah. 'Cos at the moment, your army is being held at gunpoint in the Standby Room.'
'Why is that do you think?' Eight asked. 'It's almost as if you don't want anyone to be able to put up any armed resistance.'
Yvonne's hand started to move towards the top drawer of her desk.
'Yeah. But armed resistance to what?' John asked. 'Not a Zygon invasion. We've prevented that. So, is there another invasion being planned?'
Yvonne opened the draw and frowned. She started to rummage through the items of stationery.
'Looking for this Sweetie?' River said, holding the Browning nine millimetre handgun.
John rolled his eyes and snatched it off her. 'What is it with you and guns?'
'Well. Someone's got to keep my husband alive,' River said with a charming smile.
John pointed a finger at her in a gesture that said "don't, just don't". He handed the weapon to Rose, who checked the safety was on and then put it in her pocket. 'Right then. I think we need to speak to UNIT. Shall we go?'
Yvonne stood, walked around the desk, and out of the door. They followed her down the corridor towards the lift, where they noticed a lift was already coming up. Rose and River readied their stunners, just in case. The lift doors opened, and it was fair to say they weren't expecting what they saw.
John raised his eyebrows and laughed. 'Blimey. It's Rambo!'
Andy walked to the back the lift when the doors opened and turned around. 'Should I put my hands behind my head?' he asked, doing it anyway.
'If you like,' Harris said as they followed Andy into the carriage. 'Might as well make it look proper.'
'I'm guessing that what you are about to do isn't proper then?' Andy asked as the doors closed. Andy was in full "special forces" mode now, and he could tell that these two soldiers were about to do something that went against the Geneva Convention. His senses were heightened and he was aware of everything the soldiers were doing. It was all about seizing the moment. Who dares, wins.
Gray was to his right, his back against the wall of the lift carriage. Harris was to the right of the door, and turned his back to operate the lift controls. Andy's right hand moved slowly down the back of his neck, under his collar, and down towards his shoulder blades.
Harris pressed the "Basement" button, and as the lift started to descend, he heard an odd ripping sound, the sound of surgical tape being ripped off skin. He casually turned away from the doors and froze. His colleague Gray, had a Heckler & Koch MP5SF handgun with bits of surgical tape hanging from it, pressed underneath his chin. The rifle Gray had been holding was now pointing right at him.
'Press the stop button,' Andy commanded, but Harris didn't move, either out of fear or confusion.
Andy pressed the handgun a little harder under Gray's chin. 'I can always press it myself after I've eliminated the obstacles.'
Harris was galvanised into action and hurriedly pressed the stop button. 'So what were your orders?' Andy asked them.
'To take you down to the secure holding facility and put you in a cell,' Harris told him. He was holding his rifle across his body. His right hand on the handle, his left hand on the barrel.
'Okay. With your left hand, slowly lower your rifle to the floor and then slide it over to me with your foot,' Andy told him. Harris complied and Andy put his boot on the rifle. 'Now that was the answer to give to your prisoner. You are now MY prisoner, and I out rank you Private. So what were your real orders?'
'To take you down to the secure holding facility and execute you.'
'And who gave you those orders?'
'Director Hartman.'
It was fair to say that Andy wasn't expecting that answer. 'Okay, now, both of you. Using your thumbs and forefingers, carefully remove your side-arms and drop them on the floor.' The soldiers started to remove their handguns from their holsters. 'Easy! At the moment I am very highly strung. I'd hate for us to have a misunderstanding, if you get my meaning.'
The soldiers definitely got his meaning. They slowed their motions right down and carefully dropped their guns on the floor. 'Good lads. Now I want you to slide down the wall and sit with your legs out straight,' he said to Harris.
Harris slid down the wall and sat down. 'Now put your hands under your buttocks, palms up with knuckles on the floor,' Andy instructed. In this position, Harris would not be able to make any sudden moves.
Andy took the gun from under Gray's chin and backed into the corner of the carriage, where he could train the weapons on both of them. He instructed Gray to sit in the same manner, and then pressed the button for the top floor. He wanted to know why Yvonne Hartman was giving orders to have him eliminated.
He rounded up the handguns with his boot, and then put the strap of the rifle he was holding over his head and left shoulder. He picked up the other rifle and put that over the other shoulder. He picked up one of the handguns and put it in his holster, before picking up the second and holding it in his left hand.
He stood at the back of the carriage looking like a one man army, which being an SAS soldier, he was. The lift "dinged" as it arrived and the doors slid open. He heard someone laugh as they said, 'Blimey. It's Rambo!'
Andy grinned at his new friends. 'I wish I could do half the stuff he does without special effects.'
'Andy, thank goodness you're here,' Yvonne said quickly. 'These people are trying to kidnap me. They have weapons. Shoot them, quickly.'
'Ah Director. I was coming to see you. These two sweethearts had orders to take me down to the secure holding facility, but somehow I don't think they were going to put me in a cell. And apparently, Colonel Mace received those orders from you. Any comment?'
'I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about Andy. Take these people into custody and we can sit down and work out what's going on.' Yvonne suggested.
'I've got a better idea,' Eight said. 'We were going down to the Standby Room to speak to the UNIT leader, this Colonel Mace anyway. We can ask him about his orders, can't we?'
'Somehow, I don't think he's going to be happy to see us,' Andy said. 'Especially me.'
'Well, that's never stopped me before,' John said, and nodded sideways at his wife. 'Just ask her mum.'
'Well, what are we waiting for then?' Eight asked them 'Allons-y! You know, I think it's growing on me.'
'Maybe I should introduce you to the word "Geronimo",' River said.
Eight stopped and looked to the ceiling as he thought about it. 'Geronimo. Ger-On-Imo. Gero-Nimo. Even Geron-Imo. No. Doesn't do it for me like Allons-y.'
'It will,' River said saucily. 'One day.'
