The Doctor: It was scared! It was scared and running for its life, and you killed it!
- Aliens of London
Ninth Doctor.
UNIT headquarters, early 1970s
In the Brigadier's office, the Doctor was looking over the list his predecessor had left. His scowl deepened with every line he read.
"Where is this being kept?" he said. "And why haven't- hasn't the Doctor done anything about this before now?" He sneaked a glance at Rose to see if she had caught the slip.
It looked like she hadn't; she was glaring at the Brigadier herself, stubborn resolve etched on her face.
Good girl.
He turned back to the Brigadier, who returned his gaze with aplomb. "He left just a few hours before you arrived, Doctor. He seemed to be in a hurry."
"Hold on, hold on," the Doctor said. Inwardly, he cursed. Why couldn't he remember any of this happening- this box full of death, for instance?
Blasted regenerative memory loss; it must be.
"Why would he leave so quickly, if he just found out..." He stopped and stared at the Brigadier, a look of suspicion growing on his face. "You didn't say anything about using it yourself, did you?" He closed his eyes and rubbed at his forehead. "Please tell me you didn't do anything that... well, just that you didn't do anything that stupid."
"As I recall, he was very keen to head off a possible invasion!" retorted the Brigadier. "Perhaps you'd like to take a look at the items yourself?" He leaned forward on his desk, his hands coming to rest amidst piles of papers and files. The Doctor's glance noted one off to the side that read OPERATIONS SURVEY UN44D51 - MISSION DEBRIEFING - PROJECT BAD WOLF. "I have a meeting with several of the finest medical, bio warfare and nuclear safety experts the U.N. has to hand. You're more than welcome to attend that, as well."
"When is that?"
The Brigadier checked his watch. "It is set for this evening-"
"Postpone it. Or cancel it."
The Brigadier looked like he was starting to lose his temper with this 'new' Time Lord. "Doctor," he snapped, "I am in command of this base, and international security concerns in this area are under my jurisdiction! I don't care how many years it's been for you, but you work for me, not-"
"And I don't care what Earth authority you hold, or how many shiny badges and pretty colored ribbons you have on your shirt, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart!" said the Doctor hotly."You let those stupid apes run loose, poking their monkey fingers into that mess, and I guarantee that you'd not only have written their death warrants, but everyone in the surrounding countryside for at least fifty miles. And I don't care what precautions you'd be taking, none would be enough!"
"How dare you!..."
The Doctor held up his hands, and his tone became much quieter. "Listen, Alistair. You only survived your prior encounter with that box because the Doctor was there with you. You probably didn't try to touch it yourself, correct? You waited for his analysis."
The Brigadier looked suddenly uncomfortable. "Well, yes, but..."
The Doctor stepped closer, studying him. "Even then, you nearly bought it, didn't you?" he said.
"Well, yes, but y-" The Doctor cut him off with a slight shake of his head and a glance toward Rose out of her eyesight. "But the Doctor was wearing a standard radiation suit when he went to inspect it. Surely that means they would be enough protection?"
"He probably performed some additional decontamination before seeing you, as a precaution," the Doctor said. He took another look at the list, then sighed. "I'll tell you what. I don't know that I even have the resources to dispose of some of these; they're a bit volatile. I can take another look at the box, though- see if there's any way I can at least contain it until it can be moved off-planet, somehow."
He started out the door.
"Don't you want to know where the store-room is, Doctor?"
The Doctor stopped and grinned at him. "My memory hasn't gone that bad, Alistair." he said. He grabbed a radio from a table near the door. "I'll keep in touch with you on this."
"What about me?" said Rose.
"I want you to stay here and out of trouble. I know how hard that second one can be for you," he said with a half grin, "but if anything goes wrong, absolutely do not come after me. The things in that box might make me a bit queasy, but they would kill you stone dead in a matter of moments."
Benton had returned by this point. "Don't you think you're being a little dramatic, Doctor?" he said.
"You tell me, Sergeant. What did you and he," he jerked his thumb toward the Brigadier, " go through a few hours ago? By the looks of things, the two of you shouldn't even be on your feet, let alone on duty." He gave the three of them a pointed look. "I'll be back as soon as I can, and be giving you regular updates in any case. Let me know if the other Doctor turns back up, as well." The Doctor looked uncomfortable. "I don't know if I should be seeing him, but the way things are going..." he sighed. "Anyway, be right back!" He strode out the door.
He found the armory without any trouble, got a radiation suit and put it on. "No-where near enough," he muttered. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and played it over the various joints and connections. He then flexed at them experimentally, then nodded.
He made his way down the deserted corridor and keyed himself through the heavy steel door. Apparently, Alistair had cleared the area; a smart move.
He closed the door behind him, then turned toward the box, sonic screwdriver at the ready. He flipped on the radio and placed it in a pocket near the mouthpiece of his suit. After a moment's thought, he ran over it with his screwdriver. "Right," he said into it. "I've proofed this thing against radiation and jamming, so you should be hearing me just fine."
"Loud and clear, Doctor," said the Brigadier.
"Good." He switched off his screwdriver for a moment. "Maybe I should go from where I did before," he said thoughtfully. He pulled out the tool kit at his belt and looked at it. He rolled his eyes. What limited supplies I had to put up with when I was stuck here before, he thought. He put the kit aside on the table, and brought his sonic screwdriver back online, which he then began playing over the various panels and visible switches on the box. He stopped after a few minutes.
"It's worse than I thought. There are several hidden recesses my predecessor must have missed, as they have no outside access panel. I've sealed up all I can find; now I have to see what- eh?"
"What is it, Doctor?" said the Brigadier.
"Just a second, I thought I heard something," said the Doctor. "I'll be right back." He switched off the radio, then switched it back on. "Radio silence for now." He flipped the switch back to the 'off' position.
Back in the office, Rose rolled her eyes. "Typical," she said. She turned to find the Brigadier looking at her with an amused twinkle in his eye.
"He does this a lot, doesn't he."
"Yeah," said Rose. "Your Doctor do that, too?"
"From what I've seen so far, none of the Doctors are very keen on following rules or procedures," he replied, frowning slightly. "It has caused some... friction."
Rose laughed. "That's him, alright!"
----
The Doctor sighed.
"All right," he said. "Kinda pointless, you lot trying to be stealthy, with your big clunky boots and all. Come on in."
The heavy steel door swung open, and two figures rushed in, rifles trained on the Doctor, who simply raised his hands and took this moment to study them.
They were wearing Altarian deep-space mining suits, altered to fit humans; the rifles in their hands screamed 'reverse-engineered blaster,' and to the Doctor's experienced eye, could just as easily blow up in the user's hands as be an effective weapon. The Doctor sneered.
"Oh, fantastic. More 'collectors.' Who sent you, Van Statten? No, wait," he said, waving them off, "he probably hasn't been born yet."
"I don't know how you're still alive wearing just that, UNIT boy," said one figure, "but that's a mystery we can save for later. We'll be taking that box now."
The Doctor laughed. "UNIT? Oh, that's funny!" He slid his arm out of the sleeve of his suit and reached into his pocket, pulling out the psychic paper. "How about I just show you my papers, hm? I'm wearing a wire, by the way," he said, indicating the radio, "so thanks just so much for blowing my cover." He slapped the paper, face out, onto his faceplate, where it would be visible to the others.
He grinned in the silence. As they continued to just stand there, his grin slowly faded. Then one of them spoke.
"Right. A blank badge. A psychic trick, maybe? We're trained to resist psychic tricks." The one on the left leveled his rifle anew at the Doctor, flicking a small dial in the side. There was a rising whine.
"Now get your hands where we can see them!"
His grin vanished, and he shrugged. "Worth a try." He gave them a small, bland smile as he got his arm back into the sleeve, and raised both hands. "Guess I'll have to try something else, eh?"
Without replying, the other one shoved him aside and grabbed at the box.
"Hold on!" said the Doctor angrily. "If you really have any idea what's in that box, why the hell are you taking it? What country are you planning to wipe off the map?"
The two men had wrestled the box down from the table and had it between them, keeping him covered. "Would you rather we left it in UNIT hands, then?" said one.
"Yes, actually. I don't know who-"
The other had slapped a large green button on his wrist, and with a shimmer, both the men, and the box, were gone.
The Doctor stared at where the two had been standing, and the position of the box, and shook his head, and flipped the radio back on. "Alistair?"
"What was the noise, Doctor? And why the radio silence? You said you would be keeping us-"
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You seem to have a little problem with security," he said. "Perhaps something that you meant to mention to the Doctor, but never got around to it?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Some local group, collecting alien technology it looks like. I think we should have a little chat about them when I get back over there."
Silence. Then, "I suppose we could do that. What about the box? Did they take that?"
The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the point where the box had been, made a few adjustments, then activated it. A transmat shimmer showed up, along with the box- and two empty suits, which collapsed to the floor.
"The box is fine, and so is the area," said the Doctor. "It's safe enough to send in some men to get this thing to my TARDIS- but do it quick; I'd like to have it out of here before they decide to come back.
A pause. "I've just ordered three squads into the area to secure it, and I've lifted the lockout," said the Brigadier.
"Good." The Doctor opened the door removed the helmet of his suit, then with it under his arm, strolled into the corridor. He was passed on both sides by soldiers running back to their stations, along with a group of them in heavier combat gear who stopped in the general area of the store room, one small group entering with a dolley while the rest lined the walls, looking alert. The Doctor watched this for a second, then, shaking his head, resumed his walk back towards the office.
