Chapter 8

The next morning, the Doctor and the Brigadier stood on the front step of the manor and said goodbye to the Duke.

"I'll be in town all of today, so I'm afraid you're going to have to carry on the investigation alone. Don't worry. I'm sure Wesley will be able to assist you in whatever you require." He smiled, tipped his hat, and then climbed into his Rolls-Royce. The car kicked up a cloud of dust as it drove down the drive.

The Brigadier gave a perfunctory wave and then turned to the Doctor. "Alright, Doctor. Now that he's gone, are you finally going to tell me what happened last night? Exactly?"

The Doctor looked down. "Er, yes. Yes. You must understand, it was as much a shock to me as for you."

"Really?"

"Yes. I…I had no idea I could do that either."

"Well, I must say, Doctor, the revelation isn't entirely unpleasant. Can you imagine the possibilities of a flying agent?"

"Yes I can and I've told you before, Lethbridge-Stewart, I am not your toy soldier to do with what you please."

The Brigadier coughed. "Yes, yes, of course." He sniffed. "You said you needed to gather more information – so I imagine you have a plan for today?"

"I was thinking Jo and I could take the jeep into town and question the locals. Find out a little more about Brightley's history."

"Right. Sgt. Benton and I will search the house and the grounds. I should telephone UNIT HQ, we'll need reinforcements…"

"You mean you want as many guns as possible."

"Whatever this thing is it's obviously malevolent and could be a threat to national security for all I know. You can never be too careful, Doctor."

The Doctor pulled on his driving gloves and walked toward the jeep. "Just make sure, Brigadier, that Brightley isn't a massive crater when Jo and I get back. Where is she, anyway?"

At that moment the front door opened and Jo stepped out. She bounced down the stairs and smiled at the two men. "Good morning, everyone!"

"Ms. Grant! Good morning! Are you feeling any better?"

She grinned. "Oh, it was just a little scare, that's all. A girl's got a right to be frightened after something tries to kill her, right? Anyway, aren't we going into the village today, Doctor?"

The Doctor smiled softly. "Yes. We are." He turned to the Brigadier. "We'll be off then, Brigadier. We'll see you later."

"Right. Call me on the radio if anything comes up."

"Of course. Come on, Jo. Goodbye, Brigadier."

"Goodbye."

The Doctor and Jo clambered into the car and drove away. The sun beat down on the road making little spirals of heat rise up. The sound of birds tweeting could be faintly heard behind the roar of the engine.

Jo, meanwhile, chattered incessantly about whatever came into her head. The weather, what she was wearing, what the Doctor was wearing, the various wildflowers that grew along the sides of the road. The Doctor smiled and commented occasionally, but there was a certain uneasiness about him.

"Jo, about last night—"

"—and I said 'Of course the rainforest is important!' and—what did you say, Doctor?"

"I—Jo, about last night. I just wanted to apologize…"

"Apologize? Apologize for what? You saved my life!"

"Well, yes, but I didn't exactly do it in a conventional way."

"Well that doesn't matter! It's the thought that counts, and all that."

"I suppose so. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't…that it wasn't…"

"That I wasn't scared of you?"

The Doctor stayed quiet and kept his eyes on the road.

"You do know, Doctor, that I didn't sign up for this job because I thought I would be making paper roses? I wanted adventure! I wanted to make a difference!"

"I know. I know, Jo."

There remained a pleasant silence as they rolled into the village street. The Doctor pulled up beside Bessie in front of the inn. He parked the jeep and hopped out onto the ground. Jo quickly followed.

"So what's the plan, Doctor?"

"We should split up. We'll cover more ground. I'll start in the inn and question the innkeeper. You can go across the road. Go into as many shops and houses as you can and get the local gossip on Brightley."

"Right. Shall I meet you back here?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll find you."

Not the most exciting chapter, I know. But I wanted to make sure I included the reactions of Jo and the Brigadier. Anyway...

Amron - Thank you! I do my best to convey that uneasiness.

Eryaforsthye - Thank you!

!PinkNinja - Thank you! I actually agree with you, but I'm a sucker for angst. ;)