CHAPTER FOUR

The Doctor and Rose went to Rose's old office, where she booted up her CPU. "Hopefully, they haven't deleted my password yet since I just resigned this morning," Rose told the Doctor. She verbally gave her password to the computer and waited, as the Doctor peered at the screen over her shoulder, saying softly, "you resigned? Might I ask why?"

"Many reasons," she answered, pleased that she could be as elusive with the Doctor as he had been with her on many occasions.

"And you won't tell me, right?" the Doctor asked.

"Precisely," Rose answered, smiling. She turned to her computer and verbally gave her password, commanding, "computer, show visual records of the Board Meeting for 08102037." She turned to the Time Lord, saying, "What are we looking for, exactly?"

"Anything that will provide a clue as to the Board members' whereabouts," the Doctor responded. They stared at the last three visual records, but saw nothing unusual. "Zoom in on the papers on the desk. I want to take a better look at them." Rose instructed the computer to do so. When the image was made bigger, they studied the

findings.

"These records cover the last three hours before my arrival this morning," Rose commented. "I still don't see anything."

"Strange happenings aren't always easily defined, Rose, you know that," the Doctor chided. He stared at the screen, surveying the papers on the desk in front of Jamie, Emma, and the others.

"All they seem to be are the treaties we developed," Rose said.

"What exactly were these documents?" the Doctor inquired.

"They were mostly trade treaties between our alien neighbors. They strengthened the relations between Earth and other worlders who would trade with us. We trade all sorts of things now, like computer technologies…art and music, an' so on. I was instrumental in drawing them up." Rose replied, beaming with pride. The Doctor continued to glance at the papers, but upon not spotting anything, said, "what about the Eros Project? What was that about?"

"Something my brother an' the scientists at Torchwood came up with…" Rose answered. "We supplied our galactic neighbors with nutritionally beneficial foods, like agricultural products an' the like. Helped some starving planets, and gained good PR for Earth." Rose shut down the computer. "You know, Jamie was instrumental in drawing up several agreements between our intergalactic roommates."

"Remind me to recommend your brother for the Nobel Prize," the Doctor commented dryly.

Rose snorted, saying, "What's with the attitude?"

"About?" the Doctor asked.

"This. I mean, if it wasn't for Jamie and me, an' others at Torchwood, we'd still be fighting many of our otherworldly neighbors; now, we' don't have to." Rose pressed her point. "You said a long time ago on my old world that aliens were coming. Well, they're here, and Torchwood has been instrumental in engineering Earth's most prosperous, and peaceful age."

"I wouldn't trust the efforts of your former employers, too closely, Rose. My universal experiences tell me that most visitors to your planet tend to receive a rather hostile reception," the Doctor replied, "and the reverse has been true for the way your neighbors from outer space treat humans."

Rose's voice started to raise. "That's only cause they didn't know us…" she defended. "Why are you criticizing any efforts to make peace with them?"

"Let's just say, I have been around a few more galaxies than you," the Doctor said. "I'm not saying there aren't benevolent groups out there, but you want to be certain that your efforts, and theirs, won't be misconstrued, and subsequently, turned against you."

"I'm no' dumb, Doctor," Rose said bitterly. "I know not to trust everyone…my travels with you showed me that. That's why the treaties are so vital, an' why it isn't just Torchwood who's involved, but several groups, both from Earth and other worlds, who decide on how things are done, and what needs changing."

The Time Lord declined to comment as they studied the last five minutes of the records. As the computer scanned the data, Rose and the Doctor saw the screen begin to cloud and then turn black. The fifty-year-old woman punched buttons, but to no avail. She commanded the computer to pull up the last five minutes of the Board meeting, but then she saw the words DATA UNAVAILABLE.

"I don't understand this…" Rose muttered. "How could this be erased?"

"Security could have erased it, or just a simple glitch," the Doctor told her. "You know that machines are not infallible."

"But this is my own personal screen, with my own personal entry code," Rose insisted. "No one knows about that."

"Maybe…" the Gallifreyan mused. His ears perked up as he heard a noise outside of Rose's old office. He peeked outside and saw the man with the blaster skulking through the halls. "Our old friend's in the building and is taking a stroll. I think I'll see where he's going. He might be forthcoming with the missing information." As Rose nodded her assent, the Doctor asked, "where will you be?"

"I'm going to the mainframe computer in the basement. Maybe I can pick up a trail, see why those records are unaccounted for," Rose replied.

"I suppose I don't have to tell you to be careful," the Doctor advised.

"No, you don't," Rose answered, walking in front of him. She opened the door, checking. She saw the man enter the second elevator and pointed his location to the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded, walking ahead of Rose. The fifty-year-old went toward the third elevator. The Doctor stood waiting for the first, looking at the floor indication board to see where the man went.

"Ah, hah!" He cried, then said, winking at Rose, "the game is afoot!"

"Quoting Sherlock Holmes, are we?" Rose queried, pressing the third elevator's down button.

"Not exactly," the Doctor said smugly as he entered his elevator, "Arthur Conan Doyle got that quote from me."

Rose shook her head, smiling as the Doctor's elevator's doors closed. Her elevator dinged, and she stepped inside. She pressed the button for the basement, but the elevator stayed still. Rose muttered, "Great, jus' great! What a time to be stuck!" She pressed the emergency button, but nothing happened. The doors opened, and a well dressed woman entered. Rose smiled grimly at him, pushing the emergency signal once more. "You might not want to take this one," she told her. "It isn't working."

"On the contrary, Ms. Tyler," the woman said, "the elevator's working just fine. It's you who soon won't be." Before Rose could react, the woman took out what looked like an ink pen. She pushed the button on its side, releasing a puff of smoke. Rose's world suddenly went dark and she slumped to the floor. "I have the Tyler woman," the woman said into the commlink unit on her arm.

"Bring her to us," a voice instructed.

"Immediately," the woman said. She laughed softly, pressing the elevator button which would carry Rose to her fate. "We have Ms. Tyler," she said into her commlink. In the second elevator, the man with the blaster smiled triumphantly. He switched off the commlink, saying, "Now it's time to collect on what her friend owes me."

888

The Doctor's elevator stopped at a midpoint. He exited, looking to the right, then to the left, but seeing no one. He then spied the man he was looking for not too far ahead. Following him, the Doctor saw the man creep into one of the meeting rooms. He walked inside the room, hoping to find the man, but saw no one. As he turned to walk out of the room, the doors slammed shut, locking automatically. Solid metal gratings came crashing down over all of the windows. Trapped! The Gallifreyan thought. He heard a buzzing sound overhead. The Doctor spun around to see the man's face on a TV screen.

"Congratulations!" the man exclaimed. He saluted the Doctor in a mock gesture. "You followed the wild goose chase exactly! Too bad you don't get a prize!"

The Doctor grabbed at the door, but could not pry it open. He tried lifting one of the gates covering the windows, but to no avail. "Relax," the man said. "We don't really want you. Now that we have Ms. Tyler and her otherworldly companion, it's time for you to take a long nap." He laughed at his little joke. The man envisioned his fantasy woman from Barbados, nuzzling his ear, telling him how great he was. The screen winked off.

The Doctor's ears perked up as he heard a hissing sound. "Gas!" he cried, coughing. He whipped out the sonic screwdriver, aiming it at the lock. The light failed to reach its target as the Doctor felt his concentration lagging. Coughing once more, he grabbed his chest as he collapsed on the floor.

XXXX

Rose felt a dullness inside her head, then rubbed her temples, feeling as if her head had elephants pounding on it. She groaned, wishing she had a mega vat of aspirin. She fluttered her eyes, blinking several times to clear her head. A noise grabbed her attention.

"Hello?" She cried. The fifty-year-old woke completely, seeing that her hands and feet were chained to a side wall. She felt a bouncing sensation and reasoned that she must be in motion. Rose studied her surroundings. The cramped quarters looked to her like the inside of a truck. She became aware of a groaning noise from the floor in front of her. The figure was on his (or her) back, securely bound in chains. Getting a closer look, Rose saw that it was a man. He tried sitting up, but could not move.

"Are you all right?" Rose asked.

The person tried to nod, but couldn't. Rose saw the prisoner jerk his head slightly in her direction. "I'm na' bad," she heard a slight Scotts accent coming from a familiar sounding voice. It resembled the Doctor in his tenth incarnation somewhat, except for the slightly more pronounced Scottish brogue. "Are you okay?" the man asked.

"So far," Rose replied, looking at him. She took in his pinstriped suit, which was now coated with dirt. The hair was a little shorter, not quite as shaggy, but still was so much like the way the second Doctor she'd traveled with had worn it. Rose wondered if he resembled the Doctor she had been taken away from in personality as well as looks.

"I'm Rose Tyler," she greeted.

Davin's hearts beat with excitement at having his mother within close proximity, but he cautioned himself not to give too much information away. Better to wait, he thought. He lifted his head up as much as he could in response to her greeting.

"My name is Davinthetasigmagammon," Davin answered. "You can call me Davin for short. He then told her, a wry expression on his handsome face, "I'd shake hands, but I'm rather tied up at the moment."

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Rose thought about his sense of humor. Aloud, she said, "do you have any idea what they want us for?"

"I don't know," Davin answered truthfully. "They haven't told me anything yet."

"Where could they be taking us?" Rose pressed. The vehicle hit a speed bump, causing both prisoners to hit their heads. Davin cursed silently. Rose wondered if she would see her brother or the other Board members soon. She prayed that they, and the Doctor, were unharmed.

"I haven't a clue," Davin answered, "although I was out for awhile."

Rose swore softly. She recovered, glancing at the Doctor's son. She silently vowed that if it was the last thing she ever did, Rose would get him out, unharmed, before anything horrible could be done to him. "We must escape," she decided, her look resolute. "Can you try to loosen your bonds?"

"I've been trying ever since I regained consciousness," Davin answered her. "I can't, tied up like this."

Presently, the vehicle stopped. The well-dressed Welsh woman got out, heading inside. "You know what to do," she instructed the two men who answered to her.

Inside the truck, Rose replied to Davin, "I think we've reached our destination. If I can buy you some time, can you figure out a way to escape?"

"I think so," Davin answered. His ears perked up as he heard footsteps. "Here they come."

The door to the truck opened, and two big, burly men took Davin out first. One man looked at Rose, snarling, "Don't try anything, missy! There can always be an accident where you're concerned!"

"You're lucky you've got me trussed up like this," Rose ground out, "or I'd kick you into next century!"

"Yeah, yeah," one of the men said. He shoved Rose ahead of him. Davin's eyes closed, but then opened again, as he reached out in mental waves to his male parent.

Father…Davin thought. He prayed to Rassilon that his father was okay. Hearing no response, the younger Time Lord tried again. Father! He thought louder than before.

Davin didn't let any worry cloud his face, but his brown eyes told a different story. Where could he be? He thought to himself.

He hoped his and Rose's kidnappers would give them a clue. If not, he vowed, and his father was irrevocably harmed, Davin would seek justice. As he and Rose were pushed down a corridor toward their abductors, Davin continued trying to reach his father.

The Doctor groaned as he sat up, rubbing the side of his head. I'm really getting too old for this, he thought. He remembered where he was, thanking Rassilon for his quicker metabolism in overcoming any long term effects of the gas. He took a deep breath, concentrating on Davin.

Davin! You must tell me where you are! He thought. Where are you? Where is Rose? He thought again. Are you hurt? Answer me!

Father? He heard Davin's thoughts breaking through.

Thank Rassilon! Where are you? The Doctor thought back.

I don't really know, Davin responded mentally. They took us in a truck to an undisclosed location. The building looks ordinary….I don't see any clues that could tell you where we are.

They'd want you in close proximity to the TORCHWOOD building where I am, I'll wager, the Doctor thought to his son. Try to find any signs or symbols that will lead me to your location. As soon as I can, I'll get to you. In the meantime, don't draw too much attention to yourself.

Right, Davin thought back. He let his telepathic link with his father dissolve.

The henchmen opened a door, leading Rose and Davin into what looked like a dungeon. The smell of mold greeted the prisoners as one of the men chained Rose to a wall. The other man kept Davin outside. He led the half-Gallifreyan to another cell, shoving his still-fully-chained body inside. He withdrew, satisfied that the young man wouldn't be escaping any time soon.

In Rose's cell, one of the men sneered, "Make yourself comfortable, Ms. Tyler." He reached out to Rose's bound form, caressing her body. "Too bad I've got orders not to touch you. If I had my way, we'd be touching each other."

He leered at her suggestively, raping her with his eyes. Rose spit in the man's face. The man slapped the middle aged woman, snarling, "You try that again…I just might forget my orders!" He left her alone; Rose seethed inwardly, angry that she was, at the moment, so helpless. She hoped Davin was okay.

Davin struggled in vain to escape his chains. He knew that if he could loosen his chains, he could reach his sonic screwdriver and use it to rescue his mother and any other prisoners. His impatience grew with each passing second. The door to his cell opened. In stepped the beautiful Welsh woman with dark hair and an impeccable business suit. She stepped over to the young-looking man and caressed his cheek.

"Hello," she purred in a deep voice. "Sorry I was detained, but I had some business to take care of."

"Quite all right," Davin responded. "I don't suppose now that you're out of here that you'd loosen my chains before I lose all feeling in my muscles."

"I would," the woman teased, "but I have this nagging feeling that you'd escape…." She looked at his scruffy, brown hair, his chocolate eyes and his handsome face. "Too bad, really, about this whole situation," she said reluctantly. "Were we working together, I might actually jump your bones. You are kinda cute."

"I really fancy you, too," Davin lied, hoping to appeal to her vanity.

The woman smiled. "That true?" she inquired.

"Let me loose…" Davin said in what he hoped was a husky voice. Inwardly, he hoped he wouldn't have to carry this charade too far. "I promise I won't disappoint you."

"Tempting…" the woman rejoined, "but, sorry, 'can't do that." She activated her commlink, saying, "I brought the Time Lord!"

"Wonderful!" a distorted voice cried. "Leave him!" The woman replied in the affirmative, switching off the commlink. She turned to leave Davin's cell, then came back to him, kissing him passionately on the lips.

"When they're done with you, I'll claim whatever part of your body is left," she joked before exiting.

Back at the TORCHWOOD building, the Doctor exited the room he had lost consciousness in, gripping his sonic screwdriver. He looked around at the rooms on the floor he stood on, deciding not to return to Jamie Tyler's office as he was sure he would get a nasty reception there. Using the screwdriver, he let himself into one of the many offices on his floor. Looking about, he saw that no one was in the room. It looked to him like the person was, more than likely, on leave or on holiday, as the blinds were closed, and the desk had been cleaned off. He crossed over to a monitor which was neatly covered with a vinyl sheet and lifted it off. Booting the computer, he started to initiate the sequence to gain access to TORCHWOOD's files, when he became aware of a presence in the office.

"Who is it?" the 1200-year-old Time Lord asked. He looked around, but could see no one in the darkened room. As he started typing, the Doctor felt something touch him, but again, he couldn't see anyone.

"Who's there?" he asked again. When there was still no answer, the Doctor continued typing away until he broke the security code to access Jamie's files. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, just like before. "There's got to be something," he mused, "something I am overlooking…." The Doctor started to delve deeper into the younger Tyler's files when something touched his shoulder. The Doctor bolted up from his seat.

"All right!" He cried. "I know you are there!" He adjusted his superior vision, trying to see anything out of the ordinary. "What do you want?"

"You," was all that he heard before security guards came into the office.