Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who. None of it. If I did, that would be good. Hope you like this chapter, so read on and please let me know what you think.

John hurried down to Torchwood and found Pete, Gwen and Adeola in the clinic.

"John, thank God," said Pete.

John went to look at Harriet Jones. Her eyes seemed glazed over and she was obviously in some kind of pain.

"Harriet Jones, President," she said almost looking absent-minded.

"What's happened?," asked John.

"She said she was hearing a voice," said Pete.

"A voice?," asked John.

"I'm not trying to be insensitive, but shouldn't we be talking to a psychiatrist?," asked Gwen.

"It's not like that," protested Harriet, "I know I'm not hearing it. It's just there. I'm not mad!"

"No, you're not." John took the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket.

"Are you carrying that thing around now?," asked Adeola in dismay.

"Yes," he said, "and it's a good thing I am. It's not in her head, it's coming from somewhere. Something like a psychic signaller, I would suppose."

"Psychic signaller?," asked Gwen. "You're serious? Have you got a tape deck you can use to build that one as well?"

"Tape deck?," asked Harriet.

"Don't worry, Madame President. Mr. Smith is one of our most experienced operatives."

"What's a psychic signaller, John?," asked Adeola.

"It's a device that sends a message into the brain of the recipient anywhere in time and space."

"Someone wants in my head?," asked Harriet. "Oh, my goodness."

John looked at Pete. "It would be better if she were relieved of her duties for the time being, until we know where the signal is coming from and what the sender wants."

Pete nodded. "I'm inclined to agree. Madame President?"

Harriet sighed, defeated. "I suppose I have no choice."

"I'll alert the vice president," said Pete.

"Madame President," said John, "you need to tell Adeola when this began and everything you've thought since, particularly if something seems off, as if it's not your own."

"What good will that do?"

"If we can uncover a pattern, it might help us decide what they want and who they are."

Harriet nodded. "I'll do my best."

"Gwen, you're with me."

John and Gwen went to the hall. John started heading for the lift, he pushed the button and they waited.

"Where are we going?," asked Gwen.

"To see our prisoner."

"Do you think he has something to do with this?"

John shrugged. "I don't know, but this is alien technology, a subtle psychic signal directed at an individual, mass mind control is much easier."

The lift doors opened and they got in.

"Like the Cybermen," said Gwen.

"Yeah, sort of, but there's no mechanical helper in this case, this is all organic, all on the fly."

They arrived at the holding floor and went past the guard. John took out his key card and opened the door to Commander Harkness' cell. The telly they had supplied him with had the unmistakable sound of moaning, screaming and cheesy music.

"How did you get porn on there?," asked Gwen.

Jack shrugged. "A lot of free time and a toothbrush."

"We need to talk," said John. He shut off the telly. "Know anything about a psychic signaller?"

"No, don't you?"

"Why should he?," asked Gwen.

John turned to Gwen. "Only psychic species would make one usually. At least you would need someone with psychic abilities to help you along."

"Like the Time Lords," supplied Jack, not turning his gaze from the telly.

"You said they were all in seclusion," said John.

"There might be one or two stragglers or someone who's being punished," Jack added.

"Oh, good of you to mention it," said John.

"What? This is the Time Lords?," Gwen asked in disbelief.

"No, the Time Lords wouldn't bother," said John. "If they wanted Earth, they'd have it by now. So, that leaves a rogue, a renegade?"

"Ever met someone called the Master?," asked Jack.

"What?," asked John. His heart sank.

"Exiled to Earth before seclusion began, he's crazy."

"Yeah, I know," said John.

"Oh, you do know him. When I met him, he seemed a little obsessed with your counterpart. Want to tell me what that's all about?"

"Where do I find him?," asked John.

"No idea."

"Oh, well, that's helpful." He paused. "Next time, be sure to tell us about any psychopaths you know of living on Earth."

"What? Are you two just going to leave me here alone? Again?," asked Jack.

"Oh, you and your right hand ought to be fine," said Gwen. "Wouldn't want to get in the way."

John shut the door before hearing the end of Jack's retort.

"I'm going to make a list of aliases," said John, "pseudonyms of the Master, I'll need you to search for them, see if you can find any records."

"We have facial recognition software," said Gwen.

"That won't work," said John.

"You sure it's him?," asked Gwen.

"Seems like something he might do."

"What did he have to do to get exiled?"

"That we probably don't want to know," said John.

A few hours later, Gwen came up to John's desk with a sheet of paper. "I found something on one of the aliases you gave me. Harold Saxon?"

John swiped the sheet. "A missing persons report?"

"His wife, Lucy, reported him missing six months ago."

John shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. That doesn't make sense for so many reasons. Do we know anything about him? Harold Saxon?"

"Taxpayer, member of the Bucklebury Men's Show Choir, does pottery."

John rubbed his forehead. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Why? A little boring-"

"He doesn't run a secret lab? He didn't appear out of nowhere and try to take over the Parish Council or something?"

"No, John, he's thoroughly ordinary."

John sighed. "I suppose we're off to Bucklebury."

Gwen groaned. "Here I go, yet further into England."

Donna couldn't believe what she was witnessing.

Ethan. On time. With child appropriate plans for the weekend. It was if she wasn't speaking to the same man.

"So, first we'll go to the children's museums I think," said Ethan. "Then, lunch. Then the park? What do we think?"

"Okay," said Josh.

"Okay."

Ethan looked at Donna. "I'll have them back in time for supper tomorrow. Got to be in bed early for school, don't we?"

Donna just shook her head. Who the hell was in front of her?

"Ethan, is something going on?"

Ethan shrugged. "No. Nothing. Oh, I did meet a new girl. She's done me a world of good."

"I can see."

"Well, kids, say goodbye to your mother."

"Bye, Mummy," said Ella.

Donna knelt down and hugged her. "Goodbye, sweetheart. Call Mummy if you need anything."

"Okay."

She turned to Josh and hugged him. "Mummy will miss you. Call and say good night, alright?"

"Okay," he grumbled.

Then they were off. Donna's mobile rang.

"You won't believe what just happened," said Donna.

"I won't?," asked John.

"Ethan arrived on time to collect the children for the weekend and he's taking them to the museum."

"That's unlike him."

"So, have you wrapped up saving the world yet? We have the house to ourselves, we could be doing truly unsavory things to one another."

"As much as I would like to, I have to go to Bucklebury."

"Bucklebury? Are you serious? What's that got to do with anything?"

"Trying to piece that together now," said John.

Donna took a breath. "Let me know that you're alright later."

"I'll be fine," said John.

Gwen drove one of the Torchwood Land Rovers as John sat in the passenger seat.

"When are you getting a car, John?," asked Gwen.

"I don't need a car."

"I bet Donna would love for you to have a car. She would probably get you anything you like."

John groaned. "Has she been speaking to you?"

"No..." She looked at John's scowl. "Okay, yes. She just wants to get you a wedding present and you do need a car. Two trains and a bus is ridiculous."

"We could carpool."

Gwen snorted. "Yeah, why don't I drive all the way to posh Notting Hill from my hovel in my Peugot? Your neighbors will call the police."

"Probably."

"It's only funny when I say it."

"Who's being funny?"

They drove to what was supposedly the house of Harold Saxon. John spied the figure of Lucy Saxon in the garden. They went up and introduced themselves and she invited them in for tea.

Tea, they were having tea.

John found that although Lucy Saxon may have looked the same as her counterpart, she wasn't as emotionally brittle. She was obviously upset over her husband's disappearance but she wasn't at an Ophelia-like edge of madness. She proudly showed John and Gwen their wedding photos and some of her husband's pottery. Just when John thought it wasn't weird enough, she showed them a video of the Bucklebury Men's Show Choir doing a Scissor Sisters medley.

"And he just disappeared?," asked John.

Lucy nodded. "Yes, I went out to my garden. When I came back he was gone."

"Was there anything askew?," asked Gwen. "Anything else missing?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, I checked and checked. The police thought he just ran off, but my Harry would never have done that."

"Your Harry?," asked John.

Lucy looked at John in confusion. Gwen stepped on his foot, he yelped.

"Oh, sorry, John. Anyway, Lucy, nothing else unusual?

"Well, the lights were flickering."

"The lights?," asked John.

"Yeah," said Lucy.

"Wasn't the weather or anything?"

"No, weather was fine."

"Okay," said John, "do you have any medical records for your husband?"

"No, Harry's never sick."

"How did you two meet?," asked Gwen.

"I just found him one day. He was practically homeless, no money, no job, said he had just been dropped off by his doctor or someone-"

"Doctor?," asked John. "A doctor or the Doctor?"

"Well, not that I can remember his exact wording, but I think he said the."

John and Gwen thanked Lucy for her cooperation and promised they would be in touch.

"You think that thing about the lights is anything?," John asked Gwen once they were back in the car.

"Sorry, I was too distracted by the show choir thing."

"Yeah, that was disturbing," said John.

Gwen started the car and turned to ask John another question: "Do all Time Lords have an affinity for show tunes or is it just you two?"

Rose pulled her car up to the designated meeting point. Another warehouse. Her new employers weren't big on variety. She went inside where Madame Kovarian was waiting for her.

"Miss Tyler," she said, "how do you like your new charge?"

Rose shrugged. "He's alright, I suppose. I got him to do what you asked."

She heard a scream.

"What was that?," she asked.

"Another of our charges. I'll introduce you."

Madame Kovarian led Rose through the warehouse and down a long and winding staircase to a small room with two guards.

At the center of it was a man, in his early forties maybe, short brown hair. He was tied to a chair with his hands behind his back. He looked up at Rose with a sneer.

"Oh, good. A visitor. Come to play torture the Time Lord? Step right up and have a go!"

"Time Lord?," asked Rose. "That's impossible, though."

The man looked at Kovarian. "I know you want to shoot electrodes through me but do I have to listen to little girls say stupid things as well?"

"Rose Tyler," said Kovarian, "meet the Master."