CHAPTER THREE

The mysterious figure tapped his entry code into a control panel at his condo, whispered his name softly, and quickly entered as the doors parted. The room he had once thought warm appeared dark, forbidding. It seemed to press on him from all angles. He felt the hands of fear gripping him as he steeled himself to report. He switched on his SONI viewscreen, accessing his superiors' commlink.

"So, you have the woman Rose Tyler?" a shrill voice seemed to call out from the darkness. The man breathed a sigh of relief that he was alone, and it was only his mind playing tricks on him.

"There were complications," the man complained. The light coming from his computer seemed to envelop him. He shielded his eyes from it.

"WHAT COMPLICATIONS?" The voice bellowed angrily.

The man drew back in fear, but he knew there was no place to hide. "A man helped her. I don't know who he was!" the man shouted. He placed his commlink on the scanning device by his computer and waited. He saw a picture of the stranger who'd helped Rose Tyler on the screen.

"Find out who this man is!" The voice instructed. "I will not let anyone stop our plans when there is so much at stake! Do this, and you will be amply rewarded."

The man nodded, switching off the viewscreen. He breathed a grateful sigh, happy that he was still alive to pursue the woman and her rescuer. Gripping the weapon in his hand, the man left the room. Next time, you won't be so lucky, he thought toward the stranger. He got onto the hover cycle, and started flying to the Torchwoodbuilding. He needed to find wherever Rose Tyler's hideouts might be. With its massive database on her, that think tank would be the best place to find answers. He let himself smile an evil grin. He knew that she would eventually return to Torchwood, if for no other reason than to see her brother. He had a hunch that the stranger who'd come to her aid would be there, especially if Ms. Tyler needed rescuing again. Once he satisfied his superiors, he could relax at his condo in Barbados, spending the reward they would give him. He pictured himself with a beautiful senorita-du-jour on his bed and kicked the hover cycle into high gear.

888

Rose typed in her password and used her voice identification to authenticate herself on her computer. She smiled as she remembered a simpler time when all one had to do to log onto a computer was to type in a password. The Third World War had changed all that, and more, however. As the screen flared to life, Rose patched into the Universal Data Base, a base which contained files on every person, native or not, on Earth.

As Rose entered the scant information on James Sanders, Rose mused, "I wonder what you were really doing in that garage." She waited a fraction of a second as the machine searched. All of a sudden, the computer screen blinked rapidly, as if the information could not be contained. "That's strange," Rose muttered. She stared as another website, an advertisement for a hover cycle, came up on the screen. Rose patched into her vocallink option.

"Computer," she instructed, "override previous instruction. Command code RTyler. TORCHWOOD DirectorCode16619. Specify: information on one James Sanders, approximate age: 50, hair color: black, eyes: grey, occupation: unknown. List any and all data sources." UNABLE TO COMPLY, the computer's vocal relay told the woman. INFORMATION NOT AVAILABLE.

She frowned her displeasure, switching the computer off. "Well, Mr. Sanders, you are a mystery, and it's high time I got some answers," Rose said, her eyes filling with determination.

She hurredly changed into a sweatsuit, grabbed a jacket from her closet, and tossed it on, going to one of her many cars. She pressed the ignition button and vocally confirmed her identity. As the car ignited, Rose programmed the code for top speed, and drove in the direction of the TORCHWOOD building.

888

The Doctor walked up to the front door of the Torchwood Towersbuilding. He pulled out his psychic paper ID, then waited for the guard to open the gleaming glass doors.

"May I be of assistance?" the guard asked.

"Yes, my good man," the Doctor answered. "I want to see someone in authority, if you please."

"If you're looking for Ms. Tyler, she no longer works here," the guard replied. "Perhaps you can see her brother, Mr. Tyler," the guard glanced at the Doctor, smirking, "if you have the proper credentials."

The Doctor showed the guard the psychic paper, which read Dr. James Sanders, Emissary to TORCHWOOD. The guard motioned to a small pad, saying, "If you will scan your fingerprint here."

The Doctor smiled confidently, staring at the guard for a moment, then he lifted his right hand, running it across the pad. The pad beeped in the affirmative, and the guard pointed to an elevator on the right side down the hallway.

"Last elevator on the right," the guard said, picking up a newspaper and reading. "Fifty-Seventh floor."

The Doctor gleefully went to the elevator, then realized what the guard had said.

Ms. Tyler no longer works here.

The questions his mind was spinning for him went into overdrive. Why wasn't Rose working there? Had she been fired, or had she resigned? Why was the man with the blaster after her? What about James Tyler? Had Rose told her brother about her life with him?

Upon entering the elevator, the Doctor punched in the floor entry the guard had told him, then heard the ding! as the doors shut. The When the doors parted on the fifty-seventh floor, the Doctor poked his head out, looking for any other guards. Seeing no one, the Doctor walked to the Executive Suite. He scanned the nameplates of the Executives of Torchwood, and then found Jamie's office. He knocked loudly on the door.

"Mr. Tyler?" the Gallifreyan called. When he received no answer, the Doctor gripped the door handle. The door to the room swung open. "Mr. Tyler?" the Doctor called. He glanced around Jamie's outer office. No receptionist was there to greet him. "That's strange," the Time Lord commented.

He noticed that the desk had the usual clutter, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He continued on to the inner office bearing Jamie Tyler's name. The younger Tyler's room was neat and orderly like his receptionist's room, with no papers out of disarray, no items scattered about.

The Time Lord glanced at an elaborate clock on Jamie's wall. "10:00…" the Doctor read aloud. "Where have you gone?" He asked no one in particular. He saw that Jamie's computer was not locked and began to access the database, saying to the compact screen, "perhaps you can tell me where Mr. Tyler is, eh?" The Doctor entered the password "Jackie". PASSWORD INVALID, the computer screen indicated. He tried another: TORCHWOOD, and got the invalid password message again. The Doctor typed in ROSE, and was met with an invalid message error box again. "I could be here all day, at this rate," the Doctor muttered, frustrated.

He looked around the room to see if he could spot any clues to aid him. His eyes scanned various trophies and newspaper articles, including one about the latest award Jamie had received for his work with benevolent aliens. One headline in particular caught the Doctor's eye; it showed Rose and her brother shaking the hand of the Prime Minister. The headline read:

EROS PROJECT APPLAUDED BY BRITAIN'S PM.

"Eros…" the Doctor mused. "Of course!" He exclaimed, marveling at Rose's brother's reworking of her name into the moniker of the God of Love. Typing the password in, the Doctor found that the screen jumped to life. So intent was the Doctor on finding the younger Tyler's whereabouts that he didn't see the inner office door opening a little wider. Rose Tyler stood looking at James Sanders on her brother's computer. She cleared her throat loudly. The Doctor raised his head from looking at the screen to see the fifty-year-old woman staring at him, her brown eyes narrowed into slits.

"Mr. Sanders," she greeted, "we meet again." The Gallifreyan raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

She continued, accusing, "just what are you up to?"

The Doctor assumed a totally innocent expression as he inquired, "up to, Ms. Tyler?" The Doctor looked at Rose, and she equally stared at him.

"What is your game?" Rose pressed, growing annoyed.

"My game…" the Doctor muttered, then brightened as he rambled. "ah, well, I'm partial to Twister myself, although I'm a whiz at Monopoly. I rather fancy game shows, too, like Deal or No Deal, and the Price is Right. Pity about Wheel of Fortune going by the wayside, but it wasn't as though Vanna could really be replaced…"

"You know what I mean!" Rose cried, frustrated. "Who are you working for?"

"Oh, I don't work for anyone," the Doctor answered calmly. "I'm as independent as they come."

"So you just happened to be in the parking garage at the particular time I entered earlier today, and you just happened to see that someone with a blaster was down there?" Rose asked, an incredulous look on her face.

The Time Lord shrugged, saying, "I admit it. I'm a trouble magnet. Trouble runs with me like syrup runs on pancakes." He pinned her with his grey eyes and whispered softly, "believe me, Rose, you have nothing to fear from me. I'd never hurt you in a thousand years."

"Step away from the computer," Rose commanded. The Doctor obeyed. "Now," she instructed him, "come with me."

"Or what?" the Doctor asked, appraising her. Seeing she didn't have a gun or any such weapon, the Time Lord chided gently, "you'll step on me with a high heeled shoe?"

Rose defiantly held up her commlink, showing him a red button. "All I need do is hit this; security will be up in minutes!" She shouted.

"And in that time, I could still render you unconscious and escape," the Doctor replied calmly. "Besides, who do you think let me in?"

"How did you manage that?" Rose asked. "I know many who work here, and I don't recall ever seeing you."

"I'd love to stay and chat, Ms. Tyler, but as it is, I have work to do," the Doctor replied calmly, "so, if you'll excuse me…" He turned away.

Rose mulled over all James had said thus far. His responses seemed so like the Doctor at times, especially with his playing things close to the vest that she almost thought he was with her now, but that was impossible. He'd said that he couldn't reach her, that if the universes remained opened, everything would collapse. It was just wishful thinking on her part. She wanted to believe that Sanders was no threat, but he was so mysterious about himself that she didn't know if she could trust him.

The Doctor strode out into the hallway in front of the Executive Suite, Rose following closely behind.

"Awfully quiet for a late morning workday, eh?" the Doctor commented, investigating his surroundings. Rose gave no sign of having heard him.

"What were you doing on my brother's computer?" Rose inquired, her tone accusing him.

"Better question is: why don't you trust me?" the Doctor challenged. "I save your life and you still doubt me?"

"I checked the Universal Data Base on you. Thing is, there was no information," Rose bit back. "It's like you don't exist."

"Oh?" The Doctor asked mildly.

"I'll ask you one more time," Rose said forcefully. "Either you tell me who you are, or you can tell the authorities!"

When the Doctor didn't answer but continued walking, she grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Ms. Tyler," the Doctor said seriously, "I would advise you to let go of me. I don't want to have to injure you, and I assure you, I am more than capable."

Before Rose could hit her commlink button, the Doctor released the band from her wrist and tossed it across the hall in one swift move. He grabbed her arms and rapidly spun her around so that she could not attack. Rose lashed out with her right leg, kicking him in the knee. The Doctor cried out, grabbing it. When his hold on her was broken, Rose kicked higher, aiming for his face. With lightning speed, the Doctor bent back to avoid getting hit. He deflected her next high kick with his arms, and spying a rug underneath her, yanked it out from under her. In seconds, Rose found herself on the floor. Seeing the commlink out of the corner of her eye, she scrambled for the device. The Doctor kicked it away, but Rose elbowed him so that he lost his footing. She got up, bracing herself for another attack. Her eyes widened as the Doctor didn't try to get up to fight her, but laughed instead.

"Wha'…?" Rose cried, amazed.

You always were a fast learner, my thorny Rose. I see you've improved on the Venusian defensive moves I taught you last time," the Doctor praised her. He rose from the floor, adding, "Of course, I would have beaten you eventually." Rose stared at the Doctor, completely gob- smacked.

Recovering, she ushered him into a smaller meeting room, locking the door behind her. She turned on the light, studying the Time Lord's face. Disbelief, then shock, then happiness filled her face and her eyes. Forgetting her annoyance at him, she bounded into the Doctor's open arms, raining kisses all over his face.

"I can't believe it's really you…!" the fifty-year-old cried. She hugged him tightly, breathing in his scent, savoring his touch. When they parted, Rose cried tears of joy. "How did you do it? I thought you could never return!" She hugged him tightly again.

"Oxygen's becoming an issue, darling Rose," the Time Lord teased.

"Not," Rose teased back. "You don't need to breathe the same way we do."

"I do, actually, it's just that I could suspend my breathing, going into a meditative state, and…" the Doctor broke off his rambling as he saw Rose smiling. "You probably didn't need to hear that."

"Anything you say at this point would be music to my ears," Rose admitted. "It sure took you long enough, though."

"As you humans say, 'better late than never'," the Doctor trickled back. Rose nodded.

"As for how I got back here…that's a long story. I promise, though, whatever happens, I will tell you everything soon," the Doctor told her.

"Really?" Rose questioned.

"Really, really," the Doctor answered in his best Donkey-from-the-Shrek-movies imitation.

You're still the same, even if you look different. Still that wicked sense of humor," Rose said.

"And you're still the Rose I remember, albeit with a few changes," the Doctor said. He studied her hair, her eyes, and her face. "You've grown up."

"You like?" she purred.

"Very much," the Doctor affirmed.

"I like the way you look, too," Rose commented, "although I miss the other ones I traveled with a little."

"I figured you might," the Doctor said.

"Did you, at least, have a fantastic life?" Rose asked.

The Doctor replied, "I did what I wanted to do, and saw what I wanted to see. More importantly, I helped as many as I could. I can't complain."

"I'm glad," Rose breathed, then she frowned, perplexed. "That still doesn't explain how you got back here to this Earth."

"Can't leave your questions alone to save your life, can you?" the Doctor chuckled. "I had help."

Rose peered at him. "What kind of help?" she questioned.

"As I said, a long story," the Doctor responded, "one I don't have time to tell."

"You came back for the man with the gun, right?" Rose inquired, knowing what his answer would be.

"He almost harmed you, and he had a weapon which should not be in his possession," the Doctor declared. "No one threatens my girl, to say nothing of possibly the human race, and gets away with it."

Rose beamed at the Doctor's declaration. She linked her hand with his, and the two of them exited the smaller meeting room. As they walked toward the larger conference room in the Executive Suite, a man, the one who had chased Rose, emerged from the shadows behind them He pulled up the image of the stranger who'd stopped him.

"Link computer," he instructed into his commlink, "pull up any information on this man, specifically, his name, and his connection to Ms. Rose Tyler." His commlink began to transmit the data to his superiors. He switched off the device and ducked back into his hiding place before anyone could see him.

When they reached the conference room, the Doctor's cell phone went off. "Hello?" he said into its receiver.

"I've been alerted to the fact that someone is trying to access information about you," Davin's voice came over the receiver. He punched some codes into the TARDIS's computer system. "I've tried to block any and all signals, but whoever is doing this is very good at stopping my attempts. I would suggest you conclude your business and return to the TARDIS as quickly as possible."

The Doctor said, "Got it. Are you able to track down the point of origin of this person's transmissions?"

Davin confirmed, "The first came from one Rose Tyler. It is the second that is proving more difficult to trace. I am trying to translate the encrypted data, but the individual who is using his or her system is well shielded."

"Mmm, more signs of technology which is out of place," the Doctor muttered, lost in deep thought.

Behind him, Rose asked, "what is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Rose," the Doctor assured her.

Rose's expression told him she wasn't buying what he was saying. "Save it for someone who doesn't know you," she said, glaring at him. "Who is that on the phone?"

"My son, Davin," the Doctor said. Into the phone, he instructed, "do what you can. I will get back to you as soon as I'm able. In the meantime, wait until I return." He snapped the phone's casing back, terminating the call.

The Doctor focused his attention on the suite. Rose harrumphed, rolling her eyes. She knew that when the Doctor seized on a mystery, Heaven and Earth couldn't stop him until he solved it. Why bother? She thought. Her attentions turned to the Doctor's son. She wondered who his mother could possibly be. Was she a human companion that came after her? Or was she someone similar to a Time Lady? Or, quite possibly, was she an alien species Rose wasn't familiar with at all? Pondering her questions, she found that she wasn't so much jealous, but curious. She decided that she would ask the Doctor later, if she got a chance to.

They opened the doors to the conference room and glanced inside, but the room looked as it always did. There were half-empty cups of coffee and tea littering the table. A tray with pastries and fruit was in the center of the table. The visiphone was where it belonged, with no pictures from incoming clients displayed on it. A panel showing Torchwood's stock figures prominently displayed the quarterly rates.

"Nothing seems out of the ordinary to me," Rose told the Time Lord. He examined the cups and saucers, the tray, and any other artifacts on the table. "They could have concluded their meeting," she reasoned.

"But where is everyone?" he asked. "We haven't seen anyone on this floor all day. It's only…" he glanced down at his watch with Gallifreyan symbols on it, "ten thirty in the morning. Bit early, don't you think, to be taking a break? Unless, of course, tea time is earlier in the day."

"No, it isn't until 3PM," Rose muttered. "Like you said, some people leaving would be normal, but everyone going all at once?" Rose's thoughts flew to her brother. "They may be in trouble. We've got to find them!"

The Doctor put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll find out where they are, and what happened to them, I promise!"

888

Outside of the suite by the elevators, the intruder was relaying information into his commlink.

"…It says that the man's name is James Sanders, and that he is an emissary to the company. There doesn't seem to be much more data."

"We must know more. Find any additional information for us by midnight, or you will pay dearly!" the voice commanded.

The man felt sweat pouring down his face. "They won't escape me a second time," he promised. He sighed. Guess I'll have to do this the hard way, he reasoned. He turned off his communications device and waited in the shadows for Rose and her friend.

888

Inside the TARDIS, Davin waited for his father. He paced and paced as his impatience grew. He glanced at the TARDIS' communications screen. DATA ON SPECIFIC POINT OF ORIGIN OF UNAUTHORIZED SIGNAL UNAVAILABLE, the screen indicated.

"Unavailable," Davin muttered. He tried again, saying, "TARDIS: scan all buildings within a fifty mile radius. Indicate any unauthorized alien transmissions, regardless of broadcast site. Correlate and display any information." A few minutes later, Davin got his answer. "Bingo!" he cried. He thought about waiting for his father to return before he gave dad any information.

He then imagined his father staying overlong if he found Rose Tyler, or if, as was the Doctor's curse, trouble reared its ugly head. Why should I wait? He thought. It's not as if he ever heeds my advice. He'll probably need my help anyway.

Davin checked his pockets, reaching for his sonic screwdriver. He checked the viewscreen, accessing information about Torchwood TowersWhen he found what looked like a safe location to materialize in, he set the TARDIS' controls. Seconds later, the ship materialized in the garage. He exited the time travel device, taking in the parking garage. Davin's ears perked up as he heard whispers coming from every direction. Frowning, he looked into the darkened space, but could see no one.

"Anyone there?" he asked. There was no answer. "Hullo?" he tried again. He put his hands in his pockets and sauntered through the garage, muttering, "I'm sure I heard someone."

He started going back in the direction of the TARDIS, but heard sounds in the garage. Not wanting to reveal his presence yet, the young man looked for a place to hide. Minutes later, Davin spied a ventilation shaft. Ducking into it, he inched his way forward. His brown eyes scanned the room he found himself in. Certain no one was in the room, the young man pulled out his sonic screwdriver and, undoing the bolts, gently lifted the covering to the shaft. Placing it to the side, Davin eased out of his hiding place. His eyes darted back and forth, looking for any cameras. He saw what looked like some, and, using his screwdriver, disabled them.

"Now I won't be interrupted," he commented to no one in particular. "But where is father?" He thought a moment, whipping out his cell phone.

He adjusted the frequency, saying proudly, "I'm a genius! Now let's see them try to trace the signal to me." Before he could contact the Doctor, though, he felt a dizziness overtake him. Oh, no…! Father, he thought before he lost consciousness.

From the darkness of the room, a well dressed businesswoman emerged, followed by two big men. "Love this new technology," she breathed in admiration in a Welsh accent. "It really works in knocking out unwanted guests!" Switching on the commlink, the woman spoke: "You were right. There was an intruder in here. He short circuted the cameras…" she peered at the cameras, "and, from the pictures you showed me, your scanning device. What are your orders?"

"Transmit an image of the intruder," a voice instructed. The woman did so.

"Patch into any alternate computer data records!" another voice commanded. "We must know who he is!"

The woman typed some instructions into her commlink, then, after a moment, announced, "I've located a database called Cybersystems. It seems to be some information left from the failed cybermen invasion of 2006. The records weren't totally erased."

Voices murmured, then said, "Bring him to us immediately!"

The woman gestured, and two men carried Davin's inert form out of the room.

After the woman and her henchmen left, voices murmured in the shadows.

After a moment's pause, one of the voices said, "The Cybertechnology data we appropriated indicate that he is an alien called 'the Doctor'."

"The records state that he was directly responsible for defeating the Cybermen's invasion of this world in the year 2006," a voice said. "Since he was able to break the scanner, it is possible we are dealing with a superior alien intelligence!"

"He must be with the Tyler woman and her companion," another voice reasoned. "If so, he will be very valuable, indeed!"