Chapter 5
The Doctor grunted as he dragged the mother of the dead child backwards through the city streets. Her feet slid across the sidewalk scuffing her black leather shoes. He knew this would look bad if any one happened to see him, but he couldn't worry about that now. He had a major paradox to avert. He expected the other Doctor would have been here by now to assist him. His counterpart was hurt, no doubt, but he knew any minute now the overwhelming need to protect the universe would outweigh the pain he was feeling.
As time wore on and there was no sign of the Metacrisis-Doctor he began to worry. He continued to drag the unconscious woman through the streets. If the woman hadn't been so tall, or he was in one of his younger, stronger regenerations he probably would have been able to lift her instead of dragging her backwards. Indeed he might have been able to carry her weight if she had been a willing participant instead of a limp sleeping form. The scraping sounds of her shoes were bound to attract attention.
Eventually he arrived back at the bookshop, but his jaw dropped when he looked inside the store window."He took my TARDIS!" said the Doctor, "It's gone!"
"Oi, you there! What are you doing?" The Doctor spotted the man across the street who had called out to him. Even in this universe he easily identified the clothing the man wore and the vehicle he stood beside as belonging to local law enforcement.
"Oh thank god!" said the Doctor, "this woman needs medical attention!"
The police officer ran across the street. "Let her go," he said.
"Please help me!" said the Doctor.
"Put her down gently, and we'll talk," said the man holding his hand close to his holster.
"Now this is really just a big misunderstanding!" said the Doctor, "This woman is my friend."
"Wrong! I have eye witnesses that saw you chase her down until she collapsed. This zone has a curfew. You shouldn't be here. Now let her go and no one gets hurt."
"Please that's not what happened," said the Doctor. The police officer drew his gun.
"Alright, easy soldier boy!" said the Doctor. He placed the woman down on the sidewalk as gently as he could, and backed away from her slowly with his hands up.
"I'm placing you under arrest," began the police officer. He walked towards the Doctor. "For attempted kidnapping, and trespassing in a curfew zone." He grabbed the Doctor's wrists, placed them behind his back, and cuffed him.
"I thought we were talking! What happened to talking?" interrupted the Doctor. "This is a misunderstanding. That woman is my friend and she needs help! Check my pocket! I have her medical ID card. You'll see she has diabetes. I think her sugar must be low."
The police officer frowned and gave him a skeptical look, but did as the Doctor suggested. He found the small scrap of paper in a leather bound case. For a minute he almost believed his eyes, but then the words seemed to vibrate on the page, and the paper went blank. "This is psychic paper!" he said, "you thought you could fool me with it, did you? Well, Torchwood held training classes, and I was one of the best in my class! You won't fool me."
He guided the Doctor across the street towards his cruiser. "Oh, why do I always get stuck with the worst of the pudding brains?" muttered the Doctor.
"Excuse me!" said the officer.
"Sorry, nothing," said the Doctor.
As the police officer guided him across the street he became more and more anxious. He couldn't believe the Metacrisis-Doctor would be so reckless as to steal the TARDIS. The half Time Lord knew what was at stake so how could he abandon him. Being arrested wasn't the worst of the Doctor's problems. He knew eventually the cops would identify the woman. They might even bring her home tonight where she would inevitably meet herself, and she would get her wish. He thought of the infant stripped of its flesh in the buggy just inside the bookshop. If they found that he'd really be in trouble. Of course if the mother was able to warn herself, the child wouldn't be there, but if the child didn't die there then she wouldn't be able to warn herself. He couldn't figure out what would actually happen. The future which was so clear in his mind a moment ago became grey and muddled. It terrified him. All he knew for certain is this universe would be irreparably damaged, which meant everything would die including Rose and her family. The more he thought about it the more uneasy he became. The half Time Lord wasn't that different from himself. How could he let this happen?
They were almost to the police car when a ferocious gust of wind blew the officers hat clean off, and caused it to tumble down the street. The officer stopped in the middle of the road when he heard a sound like an asthmatic police siren and looked behind him. His eyes widened as a telephone police box materialized where the woman lay moments ago.
"I don't believe it!" said the officer.
The Doctor smiled. He could tell by the distinctive sound that the TARDIS had just landed. He glanced behind him anyway, and let out a sigh of relief when saw the woman was secured behind its walls.
The police officer's jaw dropped. He stood twisted in an odd position in the middle of the street. He looked back over his shoulder at the magical object, but gripped his prisoner firmly with the other hand. The door of the old fashioned police box opened, and a man whose face he recognized from photographs poked his head out the door. Like so many people, he had seen the Cybus security video leaked to the internet from the day the Cybermen attacked London. There had been a second grainy video tagged "the Doctor" of a blue box vanishing in much the same manner that it appeared in front of him now. The famous Peter Tyler had said a nameless man called the Doctor help that day, but he had claimed the vanishing blue box was a hoax.
"Oh, hello!" John said cheerfully to the police officer.
"Doctor?" asked the police officer. "I've heard stories ever since the cybermen, but I never dared to believe it."
"Seeing is believing, they say. Yes, I am the Doctor," said John. The full Time Lord contorted his body so he could see his counterpart better. The police officer barely took notice of his struggle but did not loosen his grip.
"What have you done with that woman?" asked the police officer, "you didn't crush her with that thing?"
"No, of course not, she is safety contained within my TARDIS," said the Doctor. He gave the door of the box a tap and stepped out. He walked casually over to the police officer. "She's a Zygon, a shape shifter, very dangerous. You're lucky I showed up when I did." John glanced over at the Doctor who was struggling to stay in his contorted position.
"Just tell him who I am," said the Doctor.
"Oh right, of course. That man you have arrested is my associate. He travels with me. I'd appreciate if you let him go," said John. The Doctor shot him a look but said nothing.
"So that's why he had the psychic paper!" said the police officer, "he said that woman had diabetes and needed medical treatment! Was that a lie?"
John shrugged. "She might. Zygons change into specific individuals, health problems and all. If the woman she chose to copy had diabetes than the Zygon does too, but don't worry I'm sure she will revert to her old form before it becomes life threatening."
"So it's an alien?" said the police officer.
"Yep."
"He was helping you track it down. Oh I'm sorry," said the police officer. He pulled out his keys and in moments the Doctor was free. He rubbed at his wrists, and stretched out his back. His spine cracked loudly.
The police officer apologized again. Then he asked to see the woman. John motioned for him to follow him inside. When the officer was satisfied she was only sleeping, he decided his job was done. He raced out of the box shaking his head. The interior dimensions being so much larger than the outside, often had a strange effect on people. The police officer didn't want to give it much thought. Psychic paper was one thing, but this defied everything he thought he understood about reality. He left in a hurry.
"I travel with you?" said the Doctor after the police officer had driven away. John laughed.
"Well, we couldn't both be the Doctor. That would take too long to explain. Besides, I'm the face that's all over the internet. You were lucky he recognized me."
The Doctor frowned but said nothing further. He headed for the doors of his TARDIS.
"Wait! You should lock the door to the bookshop," said John. "That's how the shop keeper found it." The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the shop door, and they heard a clunk as the latch turned.
"I thought you had run off for good when I saw the TARDIS was gone," said the Doctor. He headed for the door of the TARDIS, but John Smith casually leaned against the door frame blocking his path.
"Nah, I always look out for myself," said John.
"How did you find us?" asked the Doctor.
"Simple, I plugged her mobile into the TARDIS. She's wired, like most of the people in this universe, so her phone can be used to track her. The TARDIS homed right in on her," said John.
The Doctor frowned. "If it was so simple then what took you so long?"
"I got a bit side tracked. The first time I tried it the TARDIS had other plans. It brought me ahead two days just two blocks away, but still inside my own time stream. I saved two kids from walking right into the vashta nerada, but I couldn't save their dog."
"Did you see yourself?" asked the Doctor.
"No," said John.
"What about anyone else who would recognize you?"
"No, nothing to worry about," lied John. If he mentioned seeing Rose he would certainly have to explain the rest and he wasn't ready to tell him. It was better to let the Doctor think he had succeeded when he left them on that beach. John moved to let the Doctor pass and the two of them stepped inside the TARDIS. Margaret Blake was sound asleep on the floor. John had even stuffed his long tan jacket underneath her as a pillow.
"No hard feelings, I guess?" said the Doctor eyeing the jacket.
"What we did to her is worse. What we're about to do to her…" said John Smith
"Why what are we about to do?" asked the Doctor, "We can't change these events. We could never have changed these events."
"I know. I see that now," said John, "I got the job because the woman who discovered the baby quit, but me being there is what drew the TARDIS to that location an endless paradox."
"A fixed paradox, one we could never change. You can't see it though can you? You've reasoned it out, but you can't see it anymore the way I can. Am I right?" asked the Doctor.
John sighed and shook his head. "No, I can't really see fixed and fluxing anymore. If I really exert myself I can see bits and pieces, but it's not like how I used to be. I probably wouldn't have been able to make her fall asleep, either. My Time Lord abilities are limited."
"Pudding brain." muttered the Doctor. He walked over to the console and studied the readings on the display. John glared at him but said nothing. "Why were you working at a bookshop? Shouldn't you be- Oh it was an undercover assignment wasn't it?"
"Something like that," said John. He sighed. He didn't like what came next. He unplugged the pink phone from the TARDIS console and slipped Margaret's phone back inside her purse. "You need to take her to Torchwood. Her name is Margaret Blake. They can help her. They'll make her whole family forget there ever was a second child. It's the best we can do for her. They'll give them Retcon and they will just forget. They can even wipe out the birth records."
"Oh that's so you isn't it?" said the Doctor.
"What are you talking about?" asked John.
"Oh, you wouldn't have remembered doing it. I suppose, you didn't do it. I did it when I wore your face. I had to erase her memory otherwise her mind would have burned."
"Donna Noble?" asked John. The Doctor nodded. John breathed in sharply. Donna had been his best friend. In a very literal way she was also his mother. She created him when she touched the jar containing the real Doctor's spare hand and excess regeneration energy. His human DNA came from her, but his outward appearance and his memories came from the Doctor. Donna ended up with his Time Lord consciousness in her head, and it was too much for her human mind to contain. John remembered Donna well and thought of her often, but Donna would never think of him again. John let his eyes lose focus as he looked down at the floor. The Donna I knew died on the very day I was born…
"It's good you're part pudding brain. If you saw the universe the way she could see it. You'd be dead," said the Doctor.
"I thought you might have to do that," said John ignoring the comment about his intelligence and his death. "I tried not to think about it too much. Was she happy?"
"Donna got married. Won the lottery on a scratch ticket some long forgotten friend gave her as a wedding present," said the Doctor with a grin. John gave him a knowing smile. "Yes, I think she was happy. We always do have to make the tough choices, like we're doing now."
"Like you did with Rose and me," said John quietly. He wasn't angry anymore. He understood the decision and had he realized he would have made the same choice if the roles had been reversed. There wasn't time for him to stick around to make sure it was the right decision.
"How is Rose?" asked the Doctor.
"Oh, Rose is fine," said John trying his best not to frown as he used that word again. "But we can catch up later, Doctor, right now you have a patient." He nodded his head towards Margaret Blake. "We have to get her out of her own timeline, and I need to get back to the bookshop. I can't leave the store unattended, especially if it's still there. If it's grown… You get her to Torchwood. Tell Rose what happened. They'll know what to do."
"Alright," he said. "You're probably right." He pulled a lever and it made a satisfying clunk. "I'll bring you back one second after you left. I can do that consistently now. It shouldn't be any trouble I know which universe we are in. The TARDIS is accurate. It will be like you weren't even gone."
"Oh come on. It was more fun that way, never quite knowing where you would turn up."
"Believe it or not I've grown up."
"Really? Where's the fun in that?"
"Fun? Is that why I used to travel?"
John grinned. "I think it's why you still travel, you just don't want to admit it."
The Doctor shook his head. He fished around in his pocket. "Here, take this!" He tossed John his sonic screwdriver. John caught it and put it in the inner pocket of his suit jacket. "It's been a week so make sure the swarm hasn't grown. I can monitor your readings from the TARDIS. I'll keep my eye on you." The TARDIS wheezed and landed with a soft clunk. John raced out and closed the doors behind him. He placed a hand on the tall blue rectangle. He admired the white on black lettering that said "Police Public Call Box." TARDIS began to flash out of existence and he stepped back and watched it go. He was surprised to find he was getting used to seeing it leave him behind.
John was relieved there were no customers in the store. He wasn't in the mood to explain the appearance and disappearance of the TARDIS. He went to the door and locked it. Next he flipped the closed sign around.
He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and made a face. The bulky oversized device seemed to scream 'look at me!' John didn't think it reflected the Doctor's new look at all. Although, if he were going for magician it did have something of a magic wand look about it. He didn't like the green indicator light or the way the contraption felt in his hand. Still it had the same basic functions as his old one. He scanned the whole bookshop, walking up and down each aisle, but he didn't find a trace of the vashta nerada and that troubled him. Although he had to admit it was better than the last time he encountered the shadows that melt flesh. It meant the swarm was small and localized. He climbed the tall ladder on a track that looped the room. He pushed off one of the shelves and rolled along the perimeter of the store scanning with the sonic as he went. Still nothing! But if I'm right they'll be back at night. I'll wait until it gets dark.
He could see his boss was returning through the front window. A quick buzz with the sonic screwdriver unlocked the door just before her hand reached the handle. He hoped she didn't notice the sign was flipped around reading closed. He noticed the copy of A Wrinkle in Time was still on the counter and slipped it into his pocket.
"How's your mother?" he asked. When he heard the door chime open.
"Did you just steal a book?" she asked.
"Oh, no sorry. I thought I would buy it. That's why I got this in my hand," he said pulling cash from his pocket. "I was just going to put it in the till now. I thought I would skip the step of giving myself a receipt though. It's going to be a gift anyway, for friend of mine's kid. I thought she might like it."
Rachel eyed him suspiciously but said nothing.
"Oh come on who steals a book, really? A book, from a second hand bookshop? Why do you think I put it in my pocket as you were coming in? So I could tell you! So you knew I wasn't stealing it." The Doctor pressed some buttons on the cash register and dropped the money inside and closed the drawer. "I could have stolen it any point while you were gone but I didn't. Come on you can trust me," said John. He pulled the book from his coat. "It's for a little girl who I've been told hates reading, but loves science fiction and adventure. What do you think?"
"It's probably perfect," said Rachel her eyes filling with tears. "My mother read it to me when I was a girl."
"How is she?" asked John.
"She doesn't have long. It could even be tonight," said Rachel.
"Then what are you doing here? I can stay tonight." he said.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"You'll never get those moments back. Go to her!" he said.
"Thank you, John. I'll make it up to you," she said as she turned and headed out the door.
"No need," said John.
Rose sat in her desk in a big open room on the top floor of the Torchwood tower also known as Canary Warf. Inside the room were three other desks and small a lab space. She could have had her own office, but that's not how she liked things. She liked to work side by side with her people. She might have been in charge, but the small organization meant she was a working manager and she liked it that way. She had no interest in sitting back and letting everyone else have all the fun.
Rose analyzed the video feed from one of the shops where the TARDIS had tumbled down from the sky three days ago. She still couldn't figure it out. The TARDIS had made some bad landings before, but never tumbling end over end like that. Why would the Doctor come back to save two kids and then run off. Perhaps if he had been in his own universe the action would make sense, but it should be impossible for him to even be here. If he were here, there must be a bigger reason than saving two kids. He must have been just passing through, and managed to rescue them. She took the boys story about flesh eating shadows seriously, but she had no idea what to do about it. Rose furrowed her brow. She clicked back a few frames and froze the image. She let out a gasp as she saw the words on the top of the phone box. How could that be there?
"Rose! Rose! Come Quick!" Called a young woman barely as old as Rose had been when the Doctor asked her to go with him. Rose sat at her desk studying her computer.
"What is it Angie? I'm kinda busy," said Rose.
"But it's the Doctor!" said Angie Webber.
Rose sighed assuming she meant the hybrid Doctor. The way the real Doctor had looked at her before he left made Rose sure he was never coming back. He wanted her to be with John Smith because he thought she would be happier, but obviously it was killing him to make that sacrifice. She saw it on his face that day. She couldn't stop thinking about him and what his return might mean.
"Rose it's him, the Doctor, he's here!" Angie said again.
"This better be important. I asked him to give me some space," said Rose.
"No, not that Doctor, the Doctor and the TARDIS!"
Rose grinned. "What? You're kidding!"
"Nope, they materialized in the basement lab 2. They're saying he has some sort of medical issue."
"What's wrong with him?"
"No not him, one of his companions. He says she needs her memory wiped."
Rose frowned. "That's an unusual request from the Doctor," said Rose, "and he's in the exactly right place. Very unusual!"
"I should warn you though, he's different. He's changed. I know you thought you saw him the other day but he is different."
Rose's face turned serious. "I did see him the other day, and I don't care how he looks. He's still the Doctor, and he needs our help. You got that?!" she said and stormed into the lift. "With me, now!" Rose barked and immediately regretted it as a frightened Angie joined her in the lift. Angie was the closest thing she had to a friend at Torchwood. She had been one of the few who seemed to understand why the human-Time Lord Doctor would not be joining them at Torchwood anymore.
"Sorry," said Rose, "I'm just a little on edge. I mean he's here. He's come back for me! I didn't mean to snap at you like that." The lift door closed. The door on the inside was wider and taller than the one on the outside. Angie said nothing and the two of them stood in silence for a moment.
The lift dwarfed both women with its size. It was easily tall enough to haul an African bull elephant, but the top floor didn't really need a freight sized elevator and the ceiling was too short for it so the exterior doors were smaller by design. Every time Rose stepped inside she was reminded of the TARDIS. It wasn't the strangest thing Rose had gotten used to in her life since the Doctor had entered it. She thought she liked the lift, but that was before the Doctor had manipulated her into staying here.
"Rose, the thing is I don't think he did came back for you," said Angie.
"Oh, so what he's changed. I've seen him change before!" said Rose.
"You say that but I don't think you mean it," said Angie, "otherwise you wouldn't have shouted like that." Rose took a deep breath but said nothing. "And he's old now," continued Angie, "he looks at least 50, maybe 60. I'm not great with age but he's old, Rose!"
"So what?" said Rose but she didn't bother to hide her frown.
"Don't you see? It could have been a hundred years or more since he last saw you. A hundred years that will change anyone," said Angie.
"You could have just used the com, but you chose to come and get me!" said Rose angrily. She pressed the button to halt the lift. "I don't need to be warned about the Doctor. I don't care if it's been a thousand years. I'll always be there for him when he needs me. No matter what!"
"I think he does need you. Your Doctor, the one calling himself John Smith now."
"No, don't you start! First my mum, then my dad but not you!" said Rose "You're not allowed to talk to me like this."
"Oh I'm not, am I?" asked Angie. She put her hands on her hips and gave Rose her best don't-cross-me face.
Rose glared at her. "One more word and-"
"And what I'm fired? You wouldn't do that. Fire me for speaking my mind. Something you've always encouraged me to do. I'm speaking as your friend. And I'm sorry if you don't like what I have to say, but it's the truth. That man down there, the Doctor, he probably thinks you're married to John Smith. He's not going to take you with him Rose. I'm telling you he's not the same."
"Angie he's the Doctor and that's the end of it okay!" said Rose. She fought back tears. The oversized lift had stupid round lights on the walls like the TARDIS. The architect must have thought it looked futuristic. They were right and Rose hated them for it.
Rose normally trusted Angie's judgment. She had this sort of sixth sense when it came to reading people that Rose often found useful. Rose feared she was right about the Doctor. She valued her friend's opinion, but she didn't want to believe her. She had been so close to getting him back. The first time she got stuck here had been an accident. The second time he tricked her. This third time she didn't understand at all. She wasn't sure she could ever forgive him for it. The tears fell. She couldn't stop them.
"I have a job to do and look at me!" cried Rose, "I have to meet the Doctor! This is going to be a tough decision day! I need to get ahold of myself. I'm a wreck!"
"I didn't mean to make you cry," said Angie, "I'm trying to help."
"It's not you. I cry all the time now," said Rose angrily, "sometimes just being in this lift makes me cry."
"You've had your heart broken," said Angie. She put an arm around Rose. Rose threw her arms around her and buried her face in her shoulder.
"Sarah Jane said if he ever left me, I should call her. She's probably the one person who would understand and she's in another universe."
"You can talk to me. It's not that complicated. I mean, I know it's the Doctor, time travel and all, but it's really not that complicated. Everyone's had their heart broken. I'm no stranger to it," said Angie. She pulled away from Rose a bit but left her hands on her shoulders. Rose sniffled.
"You're a good friend!" said Rose, "I wouldn't fire you! I should never have said that."
"But you didn't. You stopped yourself," said Angie. She let go of Rose's shoulders and began rummaging in her bag for something. "Where would you be without me, anyway? You hate paperwork as much as the Doctor," said Angie looking back up at her friend. Rose smiled although her eyes were still full of tears. Angie pulled out a small metal bottle and stood up. "Take a deep breath. You can do this. You're our fearless leader. You rebuilt Torchwood! You've done amazing things! Seen the universe, made stuff happened. You saw us through the end of the Cyberman, and saved us when the sky went dark. You can handle this!"
Rose closed her eyes and let the mechanical scent of the lift fill her lungs. "I suppose you're right," said Rose, "Thank you. It's just now my eyes are all red aren't they?" asked Rose.
"Yep, that's why I have this," said Angie handing her the spray bottle.
"A perception filter?" asked Rose.
"Yeah, a low level one. Basically it makes people see you how they are used to seeing you. No one will notice your red eyes."
"When did we invent that?"
"Technically we haven't since Wilson considered it a failed batch of the product and the paper work was never completed. He told me to dispose of it. He didn't think it was useful. If a woman had been in charge of that project they would have saved it. I've found my uses for it. Remember that horrible acne break out I had last week."
"No," said Rose. She laughed "Oh!"
"Exactly!" said Angie.
"Personal use of Torchwood property, you know I should fire you for that," said Rose with a smirk on her face to let her friend know she was kidding. Angie grinned at her.
"The Doctor can see through perception filters," said Rose more seriously.
"Only when he's looking for them. Why would he be looking for them on you? He trusts you," said Angie. Rose took the bottle, closed her eyes, and sprayed her face. A light mist fell down upon her. She opened her eyes. It wasn't the first time she used something like this at Torchwood so she knew what to expect. There was a momentary haze and then it cleared. She hit the resume button on the lift. Moments later the two of them stepped out and walked down the hall to Lab 2.
"Rose Tyler!" said a tall man with gray hair leaning up against a blue telephone police box. He held out his hand like he was introducing himself for the first time. Even with the warning Rose hadn't been expecting to be greeted by a man who supposedly knew her well as if he'd never met her before. Still, she smiled and shook his hand concentrating on giving a good firm hand shake. Even now he made her want to impress him.
"Doctor, I presume," she said.
"Yes, it's been a number of years though. I've changed," said the Doctor. The voice was all wrong, he sounded Scottish. She eyed him suspiciously.
"You don't believe it's me. A man in a blue box materializes inside the deepest floor of your Torchwood, calls you by name, and you don't believe it's me."
"It's just that accent," said Rose.
"I'm a Time Lord who changes his face and you're worried about my accent," said the Doctor. "Typical."
Rose smiled. "Oh, it doesn't matter you're the still the Doctor. How can I help?"
"I believe you're probably aware of that infant skeleton found last week in the bookshop."
"Yes, Torchwood looked into it, but the jurisdiction fell to the police. It wasn't deemed alien."
"I have the mother of that child asleep in my TARDIS. We were too late to save her baby."
"Oh, my god! What happened?" asked Rose.
"I materialized around them in the bookshop. Your Doctor, Margaret Blake and her baby. I didn't even realize I had done it. It shouldn't have been possible for me to come to this universe. When I tried to send them back, we moved backward in time about a week. Something was throwing off the TARDIS navigation, probably your Doctor. Complicated space-time events can have that effect."
"When you say my Doctor?"
"Oh, is he going by John Smith now? I didn't think to ask."
Rose stared at him for a minute. "Yeah, he's going by John Smith," Rose said recovering. She couldn't bring herself to say anymore.
"Unfortunately, it's a fixed point, a paradox. The TARDIS was drawn to John Smith, but he was only there investigating because of the missing child. It's a paradox, but it sealed itself. No damage to the universe that way."
"But what happened? What happened to the infant?" asked Rose.
"The vashta nerada," said the Doctor. When Rose gave him a blank look, he scrunched up his eyebrows. "He didn't tell you?"
"No, afraid not," said Rose.
"That does sound like me at all. I loved showing off, especially back then and especially to you. So why didn't he tell you?"
"Never mind that! Just tell me now!" demanded Rose.
"He must have suspected the vashta nerada. That's why he tried to stop Margaret from leaving the TARDIS. But he didn't tell you?" The Doctor paused a moment with a baffled look on his face. When Rose said nothing he described what happened in the bookshop and explained the dangers of the vashta nerada. Rose realized as he spoke that it was exactly as Bill and Joey had described, but they must not have known its name.
"What we know so far, is that at least last week it was not a large enough swarm to consume an adult yet. John is monitoring for vashta nerada life signs. He's at the bookshop keeping an eye out for them, but there is no sign yet. I'm sure he will keep people out of there, but that's a temporary measure. You should act to seal off that place. Probably the entire city block as soon as you can. Keep everyone away, especially children."
Rose shook her head. "Their range is larger than that. We've been monitoring animal skeletons for the past week. It seems to stretch about 8 city blocks from Zeppelin books. It's probably best to seal off all of zone seven, just to be safe. We can seal it off with bio-filters but unless we know what to filter for we can't evacuate anyone. We will need to be able to scan for the vashta nerada."
"Get the filters in place. I'll get you the information you need," said the Doctor.
"Now, what about the mother, Margaret Blake, did you say it was?" asked Rose.
"Yes, John said there was something Torchwood could do. They could make the family forget they ever had that child, a drug called Retcon."
"Oh, yes, we can do that," said Rose, frowning and rubbing her face. She hated using Retcon. She walked over to the lab station where Angie Webber already had filled several syringes from a larger container labeled Retcon 5. "You knew?" whispered Rose.
"I said memory wipe," said Angie, "I asked him her name and got the process started."
"Thanks, Angie, but next time wait for me to actually give the order," said Rose. She pressed a button on the intercom. "Jeff Duncan you're needed in Basement Lab two and assemble your Forget Team. Angie's got the process started for you. I want you to work with her and get it finished. The Doctor and I need a favor."
"Yes Ma'am! Be right there!" he said.
Rose turned back around facing the TARDIS. The Doctor had disappeared. She assumed he must be inside, but thought it best to wait outside. There were years of distance between them. She could see that now. Walking in there uninvited would be like barging into a school friend's house as an adult after not seeing them since childhood. She glanced back at Angie. She looked up from the vials and syringes. Rose could read the concern on Angie's face. Her friend was worried about her.
The Doctor stepped back into the room. He held a thumb drive in his hand. "So this is what you do. You just cover things up now?"
Rose sighed and didn't meet the Doctor's eyes as she spoke. "Sometimes it's the best we can do for them. The police yield to us in most cases, but they won't believe that shadows can melt flesh. If we don't act, the mother will get blamed for the death of her child, because she was last seen with him. If she gets a trial, it won't be a fair one. She has suffered enough without suffering that too."
"Rose Tyler, making the tough choices… I wonder, do I turn everyone into me?" he asked. Rose looked at him quizzically but said nothing. "You'll need this," he said handing her the thumb drive. "It contains a program that will allow you to scan for vashta nerada. It should be compatible with those bio scanners you've got over there." He pointed to a device on a nearby desk that looked like an oversized handheld barcode reader you would find at the local grocery.
"Thanks!" said Rose.
A sharp clean shaven man in his mid thirties raced through the door. "You summoned me ma'am."
"Jeff, for the last time this isn't a military establishment. Call me Rose," she said.
"Yes ma'am, sorry… Rose," said Jeff.
"The Doctor will explain. I'm sealing off Zone 7," said Rose as she walked out the door.