Chapter Twenty-Five
The last time Pete Tyler had been to Downing Street had been when he had met with Harriet Jones on the heels of the break-in at the mansion. Even though that had been just over a month earlier, after the events of the past few weeks it seemed far longer.
The area surrounding Downing Street looked like a war zone. Pete saw broken glass, overturned cars and burned out buildings. Undoubtedly the damage had happened during riots, although he saw no rioters. In fact, he hadn't seen even a single demonstrator that morning. Undoubtedly they had been cleared out in preparation for the meeting of the heads of the European Alliance that evening, he thought. President Greene certainly wouldn't want to broadcast on live television the problems in Great Britain to the rest of the world.
As he drove, he had to pass four checkpoints. Each probably took only minutes, but each felt like a quarter of an hour or longer. Driving towards Downing Street was an exercise in patience, if nothing else. At each he had to pass over his identification as the head of Torchwood as well as his new, government issued registration card. He had gotten his several days earlier when authorities had registered all the Torchwood employees, but Jackie and Tony had yet to get them. He'd need to do something about that. Either he'd have to get them registered or get them out of London, and possibly out of the country. And soon.
He knew which option he preferred.
Finally, after passing through a final checkpoint and getting approval to enter, he parked in the small car park near Number 10. Although security had always been tight at the building that served both as the president's home and the head of the government, it now reminded Pete of a fortress. There were twice as many guards: at the corners of the building, on the roof and patrolling the street. And where the guards previously had worn historical uniforms or plainclothes, now they looked like soldiers, wearing military uniforms and carrying weapons that looked lethal and were clearly not for show.
After passing through several security checks, Pete was escorted through the halls of Number 10 by two members of the military wearing uniforms emblazoned with UNIT insignias, not by the plainclothes Secret Service agents normally assigned the duty.
When they arrived at the outer office of the president, his executive assistant phoned to notify him Pete was there.
"You may go in," he said after hanging up the phone.
The soldiers escorted him in through the doors and then entered as well, flanking the door and standing at attention.
In the past, the president's office had always impressed him whenever he had visited it. The room was filled with fine furniture and priceless antiques. Portraits of previous heads of state as well as other paintings by famous artists graced the paneled walls. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling and a thick, Oriental carpet lay on the floor. It was designed to leave visitors awestruck, and it usually did. Even someone who had become as jaded as Pete Tyler had over the years wasn't unaffected by it.
But this time Pete was hardly aware of his surroundings, focused as he was on the circumstances of the visit. Behind the ornate cherry desk sat Brian Greene. It was odd to see him there, to see anyone there, actually, other than Harriet Jones. She had been president for eight years and had only narrowly lost to Greene. What was more shocking, however, was to see Harrison Keeling, the leader of the GBF, standing next to him. Or maybe he shouldn't be surprised, Pete thought, as Keeling was instrumental in getting Greene elected.
Pete crossed the room to stand in front of the desk, as he hadn't been invited to sit.
"Director Tyler, we were just talking about you," the president said.
"What's he doing here?" Pete asked gruffly, jerking his head at Keeling.
President Greene raised his eyebrows at Pete's rudeness. "Harrison Keeling's the new leader of UNIT, Director Tyler, and for the moment he's your boss."
"For the moment?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. He wasn't surprised; he had thought he'd be getting fired.
Keeling walked around the desk and nodded to the guards at the door. They stepped forward and stood on either side of Pete.
"Peter Alan Tyler," he said, "you are under arrest on suspicion of treason to the government. Due to the serious nature of your crime, your house will be impounded, your assets frozen and your shares in the Vitex Corporation will be forfeit."
"What?!" Pete demanded. "Suspicion of treason? On what grounds?"
"You have knowingly and willingly consorted with a dangerous alien intent on taking over the planet. It is reported you have even sheltered him in your home."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Do you deny harboring an alien known as the Doctor?"
Pete's heart began to pound. His eyes darted nervously from Keeling to Greene and back again. How on Earth did they know about that?
Keeling continued. "Your failure to deny it is tantamount to an admission of guilt. Where is he?"
Pete's jaw tightened. He looked straight ahead and remained silent.
"Come now, Tyler. We are reasonable men. Tell me where he is and you walk out of here a free man. But if you don't tell me, you'll spend the rest of your life in prison, your wife and your daughter will also be arrested for treason and your son will grow up knowing you and your family not only betrayed the country, but the planet and all of humanity."
Despite Keeling's threats, inwardly Pete breathed a sigh of relief. At least they didn't have Jackie and Tony yet.
"Think about this, Tyler. Is your family worth it? Is this man, this alien, truly worth risking your family over? Just tell me where he is and this will all go away."
~oOo~
The Doctor showered, dressed and headed to his workshop, barely paying attention to what he was doing. Instead, he tried to make sense of his argument with Rose. Evidently he had made a mistake in not telling her about his contact with his other self. But honestly, it hadn't even occurred to him to tell her.
No, that was wrong. It had occurred to him, and he had immediately dismissed it. He had thought it would be too painful for her to hear about him, to think about him and to find out how he was doing.
No, that was wrong too. He would find it too painful to see the expression on her face if he told her.
Over their years together, he had seen so very many expressions on her face: wonder, amazement, happiness, anger, and now desire and ecstasy. And he knew she loved him; he could see it in everything she did and had been able to feel it on those brief occasions when they had been joined telepathically. But the one expression he couldn't forget, would never forget, the one that sometimes haunted him after she had gone to sleep and hounded him in his dreams, was the look of hurt, of grief, that he had seen after he had left in the TARDIS for the final time.
No, this was not the time to think about that.
Well, he was nothing if not a genius in compartmentalizing and burying his feelings. Had he not been, after the centuries he had gone through he would scarcely have been able to function. So that is what he did; he boxed up his fear and shoved it in the dark corner of his mind that he reserved for the most painful things he had experienced.
He put on his glasses and sat down at his computer. As he tried to make sense of the images of recent events flying across the screen, he tapped his foot and drummed his fingers, an aid to concentration. Rose had said she wanted them to be ready to go back and sort whatever was going on in London as soon as she got Jackie and Tony to safety, and he was anxious to do just that. The sooner this was sorted, the sooner he could get things sorted with Rose. But what the hell was going on?
The election of Brian Greene. The formation of UNIT. The DNA registration of Great Britain's citizens. They felt like pieces of a puzzle that didn't fit together properly. And then there were others. The rumors of an alien invasion. The break-in at the mansion. The surveillance equipment from Torchwood he had found in Pete's study. Pete's insistence on no one knowing he and Rose were in Cardiff and his use of code words with Rose. The explosion of Torchwood Two. He was certain it was all related, all entangled, but how? What was the link?
He was missing something. He knew it. It was staring him straight in the face and somehow he was still missing it.
But what the hell could it be?
~oOo~
Despite her best intentions, while Rose drove, her thoughts repeatedly returned to the Doctor. This was the first fight they had had since they had truly been involved, the first fight they had had since they had been reunited, really the only fight she had ever had with this him.
He had lied to her. He had lied to her.
It wasn't the first time he had lied to her; he had lied to her more than once while they were traveling. She had hated it every time, but she knew it was usually to protect her from something. He had lied before he had sent her back home at the Game Station, fooling her into thinking he had come up with a way to save them when he hadn't. He had lied about Jack to protect her from the knowledge of what she had done to him. He had lied when he had told her that the beast at Krop Tor was wrong.
But was this lie to protect her, or to protect himself?
Her mind returned to when they had first been left on this planet. She had overheard him talking to her mother about someone named Susan, and she had asked him about her. He had eventually told her that Susan was his granddaughter, and she remembered that during the course of the conversation he had told her he wanted her to be able to ask him anything, had said he wanted to tell her everything.
Evidently he hadn't meant it.
She suddenly remembered them talking about the metacrisis, when he had finally convinced her that he was not only the Doctor but was in essence the same Doctor that she had traveled with. She had asked him then whether they shared thoughts or anything, and he had put her off. He, the master of evasion, had distracted her from her question and had never answered it.
For a moment she was furious again, until she remembered how he had answered her when she had asked him why he hadn't told her about his telepathic contact with the other Doctor. When he had accused her of still loving him, an accusation she couldn't deny, he had sounded angry, almost bitter. But she realized now that there had been an undercurrent of fear in his tone.
She had accused him of being jealous, but she hadn't realized until just now how deeply it ran. And she didn't know what to do about it. Or even if there was anything she could do.
She was so distracted by her thoughts that she was stopping at a checkpoint before she even realized it was there.
The motorway had been reduced to one lane, and she was blocked in, with several cars in front of her and a long string of vehicles stretching behind. It was such a tight squeeze that she wouldn't have been able to pull out of the line even in her tiny car, and even if she had wanted to. But she didn't, at least not now. Trying to avoid the checkpoint would draw more attention to her than if she just went through it.
Well, this would be the real test for her new ID, she thought. It was in the name Penny Meyers, a woman who used to live in Newport who was approximately her age and vaguely resembled her. She had been picked by Toshiko because the real Penny had married and moved to Helsinki.
When it was her turn, an army private had taken her new government issued registration card and spent a long while comparing her to the photo on it. Eventually satisfied that the photo was of her, he ran it through a handheld scanner, presumably to verify the information on the ID was correct. She held her breath. After a moment the scanner went ding, a light on the top lit up green, and the soldier waved her through. As she pulled forward she let out a sigh of relief.
After having passed through the checkpoint unimpeded, Rose concentrated on paying better attention to her surroundings. She knew another slip up like that could put them all in danger. But the rest of the drive was uneventful, and she found that despite the checkpoint, she had made it to the mansion in record time. She pulled around to the garage and walked into the house through the kitchen, calling for her mum.
"Rose," Jackie exclaimed, rushing into the room when she heard her daughter's voice. She pulled her into a hug. "Why didn't you tell me you were comin'?"
"Because I didn't know I was coming until just a little bit ago."
Jackie looked at her soberly. "It's time, isn't it? You came to take me and Tony with you, didn't you?"
Rose nodded. "Got a message from Dad and came straight here. Is there anyone else here? Besides Tony I mean."
Her mother shook her head. "Your father put them all on extended leave. He even put Todd on leave."
"What? Why?"
"Because someone at the zoo was askin' questions about you and the Doctor. Pete wasn't sure who he could trust, so he thought better safe than sorry."
Before Rose could process that, her mobile rang. She quickly pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at the display before answering.
"Yeah, Ianto?"
"Rose, a friend of mine who works at Number 10 just rang me. Your dad's been arrested."
"What?!"
"There's more. They've issued warrants for you and the Doctor, and there are BOTLs out for both of you."
"Damn," she said. "If they've got warrants out for us, they've figured out we're still here. What else?"
"They've also issued a warrant for your mother's arrest, and they've frozen all of Director Tyler's accounts. Where are you?"
"I'm at the mansion."
"Get out of there," he said. "They are going to impound it. They may be on their way already."
Rose swore using every curse word she had learned in her years at Torchwood as well as a number of alien ones she had learned from Jack Harkness. Since Ianto had also worked for Torchwood for years, he understood most of it.
"I couldn't agree more," he said.
"I'll call you from the road," she told him.
"Don't take your car. They are watching for it as well as all the cars your dad owns."
She swore again and stomped her foot in frustration.
"Ianto, call the Doctor and tell him what you told me. Then I want you all to get over to the farmhouse. Rhys, too. If they are looking for us here, they may be able to track us to Cardiff, and if they do, they'll try to get to us through you. I'll meet you there as soon as I can."
"Will do," Ianto said. "Stay safe, Rose."
After Ianto rang off, Rose stared unseeing as the wheels turned in her mind. They needed a car. And she couldn't think of anyone she trusted well enough to contact to get one. She hadn't really gotten to know many people in London. The only people she was really close to, other than the people in Cardiff, were Mickey and Jake, and with Mickey gone and Jake missing, there wasn't anyone. Well, there was Martha… but they had involved her too much in this already. No, she'd only contact her as a last resort.
She turned to her mother, wondering how to tell her about her stepfather. Finally she decided that there was no way to break it to her gently.
"Mum, Dad's been arrested."
"What?!"
"And there's more. They're coming to impound the mansion. We need to go now." Rose looked at her mum, and for the first time since she had walked into the house she noticed what her mother was wearing. As was typical, Jackie had on a track suit, this time in hot pink, and she had matching bedroom slippers on her feet. "You need to change. Wear jeans and trainers. And we need a car. Do you know anyone who could loan us one? Someone you really, really trust."
Jackie thought for a moment. "There's Mrs. McDonald's son Jeremy," she said. "He's tryin' to sell his car."
"Can we trust him?"
"Oh, Rose…." She stopped herself. Considering the circumstances, it was more than a fair question. "Yes," she answered confidently. "I'm sure."
"But would you stake your life on it? Or Tony's? Because you will be."
Her mother took a deep breath before she answered. "Lydia McDonald's been with us the whole time we've been here. Outside the family, I trust her more than anyone else. And Jeremy's done work around here over the years as well. If we can't trust them, we can't trust anyone."
Rose stared at her mother for a moment before handing her her mobile. "I hope you're right about trusting them. Call her and tell her we'll buy Jeremy's car, but we need to have her son bring it over right away. But he can't bring it here. Tell him we'll meet him…" She thought for a moment, considering the possibilities that were within walking distance of the mansion. And where they would go unnoticed. "We'll meet him on Beale Street, in front of St. Stephens. Where's Tony?"
"Upstairs in his room."
"I'll go get him. After you call Mrs. McDonald, I need you to get dressed and pack a bag. But only bring what you can carry. While you do that, I'll get some things for Tony. And don't bring your mobile. They may be able to track it. We'll use mine if we need to call anyone. And Mum," she said seriously, "we absolutely need to be out of here in less than five minutes."
Jackie nodded. As she began to dial, Rose grabbed a knapsack for herself out of the cupboard in the hall. Back during the days Pete had been involved with the Preachers, he had begun keeping emergency supplies on hand and ready in case he needed to leave somewhere in a hurry. He hadn't kept the knapsacks packed in years, but he still had them. Whispering a word of thanks for that, as well as for the fact that he trusted her with the combination to the safe, she practically ran to Pete's study.
Rose opened the safe and grabbed all the cash and papers out of it, dumping it all into her bag. She didn't bother to sort through it. There'd be time enough for that later. Underneath it all she spotted the battery the Doctor had used to store the Kern. It was vital that they, whoever they were, not get ahold of that, she told herself, and put it into the bag as well. Then she rushed upstairs to find her brother.
She found him in his room, playing with his toy zeppelin.
"Rose," he said excitedly when he saw her. He ran to her to give her a big hug, and she hugged back, squeezing him tightly and trying not to think what all this might mean for him.
"Tony," she said after she had let him go, "put on your shoes and then get your knapsack and put your favorite jimjams and a couple of toys in it. You and Mum are gonna come and stay with the Doctor and me for a couple of days, okay?"
The boy brightened. "At your new house?" he asked.
"Yep. At our new house." She grinned at him to cover up her anxiety. The last thing she wanted to do was scare her little brother.
"What about Dad?" he asked.
"You don't worry about Dad, Tony. The Doctor and I'll come and get him right after we get you and Mum settled. Okay?"
"Okay," he said.
She knelt down and hugged her little brother again. And for the first time in her life, she really understood why her mother was so protective of her. It was how she felt about Tony. She would do anything to keep him safe.