Chapter 14
John and Rose pulled up in the DeLorian, in front of the steps of the mansion. They grinned at each other and opened the gull wing doors. Eyulf released himself from his seatbelt, while Rose leaned into the back and lifted Juleshka out of her seat. They climbed the steps together and the door opened, with Alistair standing there, smiling at them.
"Dr and Mrs Smith, you're looking very smart this morning," Alistair said as they walked past. Rose gave him a peck on the cheek, and he held his fist out for John and Eyulf to 'bump'.
"Thank you Alistair, it's sort of a special occasion," Rose said.
They went through to the living room, where Jackie and Pete were sitting with Tony as he watched some children's TV before going to school.
Jackie's mouth fell open as she saw her daughter and son-in-law enter the room. John was wearing a dark grey, pinstriped suit, which looked really smart, until she saw the white trainers on his feet (old habits die hard). Rose was wearing the Torchwood dress uniform of knee length black skirt and jacket, with white blouse and neck tab, and her black, Giuseppe Zanotti, calf length boots.
"Well, look at you two," Jackie said. "Don't we look smart?"
"Mornin' Mum..., John and me have got somethin' to tell ya."
"Oh," Jackie was suddenly worried. She looked over to Pete so see if he knew what it was that they wanted to tell them, but Pete shrugged his ignorance.
Rose and John sat down on the sofa. "We've resigned as Field Agents," she told them. "Today we start our new posts at Torchwood; I'm a Senior Field Agent Supervisor, and John's Senior Scientific Advisor."
Pete and Jackie looked at each other. "So what does that mean then, have ya finished goin' out an' lookin' for trouble?" Jackie asked them.
"Yes Love," Pete said. "It means that they'll be based at Canary Wharf, and may occasionally be asked to supervise investigations in the field."
"Oh thank God," Jackie said, reaching over and grabbing Rose's hand. For the first time since she'd met that daft alien, Jackie felt that she could stop worrying about her daughter.
Rose squeezed her mum's hand. "Those days I spent in that kennel, away from the kids, I found it hard Mum. I missed them, and I realised that it was time to start thinkin' about the future and what's best for my family, 'all' of my family." She stressed the 'all'. "Y'know, my husband and my children…, all of them."
Jackie caught that; didn't she mean 'both of them'?
"... All three of them," Rose reiterated. She sat there with John, smiling, while they waited for the penny to drop, and when it did drop, Jackie leapt up and pulled Rose into a hug. "You're havin' another baby?" She cried.
"Yeah," Rose cried with her mum. "We only found out the other day, and don't even ask when it's due, on the weirdness meter, this one's off the scale."
"I've come to expect nothin' less from you pair," Jackie said, rolling her eyes.
"John did this scan down there," she pointed to her pelvis. "And we saw…, er, well, never mind," she said, thinking it would be too much information.
"Oh Rose, I'm so happy and relieved," Jackie said, releasing the hug and then grabbing John in one.
"Congratulations Sweetheart," Pete said. "And good luck with the new job both of you."
Torchwood Special Operations Standby Room.
Torchwood Tower, Canary Wharf.
It was 08:00, and Captain Andy McNab was waiting for everyone in Blue Watch to grab a tea or coffee and assemble around the media displays to start the morning briefings.
"Morning people, I hope you've had an enjoyable and relaxing weekend and are ready for another week of weirdness," he started. "Just a couple of news items before we start; your briefing this morning, and from now on will be given by the new Senior Shift Supervisor, Rose Smith." There was a round of applause, with whoops, whistles, and cheers.
"Next, the scientific support will be coordinated by the new Senior Scientific Advisor, Dr. John Smith." There was another round of applause, whoops, whistles, and cheers.
"And finally, before I hand over to Supervisor Smith, I would like to introduce a new member of the medical team."
John and Rose looked at each other, frowning at how they had missed this information.
"She's newly qualified, and has agreed to do her Foundation Year One with us here at Torchwood. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a big Torchwood welcome to Dr. Marla Jones."
"WHAT!?" John and Rose shouted together.
Jack walked into the Standby Room, with Marla on his arm, to tumultuous applause. John and Rose ran over and gave her a big hug.
"What's going on?" John asked. "I thought you were starting at the Republican Hope."
Jack laughed. "She was, but after the debrief with Duncan, it turned out that she had an aptitude for dealing with alien casualties." He looked at Rose. "Remember Tarzan? So we contacted the Republican Hope, and asked if she could transfer here."
"Oh that is SO brilliant," Rose said, giving her a hug.
"Yeah, after my experience in those kennels, I kind of got bitten by the weirdness bug," she said with a smile.
"That's how it got me when I first went in the TARDIS," Rose told her with a laugh.
When they finished their hug, John stepped up and had a hug as well. "Welcome aboard, you're going to love it here." He turned to Andy. "And she's already got a nickname, it's Martha."
Andy grinned at him. "Fair enough…, right then, Rose if you'd like to take over?"
Rose had a big grin on her face. "Right then people, I hope you've had an enjoyable and relaxing weekend and are ready for another week of wonderful weirdness…."
Rose easily settled into her new role, having performed it in the past when she was pregnant with both EJ and Juleshka. That morning, she had deployed the teams on various investigations, sent out a crime scene forensic team, and spoken to a detective at Scotland Yard to offer advice.
At around eleven o'clock, she was ready for a cup of tea. ["Fancy a brew?"] She thought to John.
["Mmmm, that's a nice idea, I'm on my way."]
A few minutes later, John walked into the Supervisors Office, and grabbed his wife around the waist, pulling her into a kiss. "So, how's the first day on the job then?"
"Fairly routine so far, it's all about allocation of resources."
"Ooh, I love it when you talk technical."
"Shut up an' drink yer tea," she said, kissing him on the lips. "An' how's your mornin' been?"
"Fairly routine for me too, being brilliant as usual, showing the guys in the lab how impressive I am," he said with a cheeky smile.
"Showin' off yer mean."
"Oi, I do not show off."
Rose laughed and was about to respond when the intercom bleeped on her desk. She looked at the flashing button, and it was the Despatch Office. "Hi Craig, what can I do for ya?"
"Hi Rose, can you come and check the satellite feed from Jupiter Fifteen, it's picking up possible targets heading this way."
"Yeah, sure, I'm on my way." She stood up, took her jacket off the back of the chair, and shrugged it on. "Duty calls," she said giving him a wink, and pressing the amber alert button.
They left the office and walked over to Despatch, carrying their mugs of tea. The Despatch office was the hub of Special Operations, and was like the high tech offices that you see behind the news readers on TV. Craig 'Ace' Rimmer was the agent on despatch for this shift, and he was wearing a microphone headset to coordinate all the agents out in the field.
"What's the story?" John asked as he went over to the satellite desk and sat down.
"Multiple targets started appearing, over two hundred at the moment and rising. They are one hundred and seventy million miles out, and heading this way," Craig told him. "Rose, I've got Torchwood New York on video call."
"Put them through."
Todd Hunter appeared on a screen above the desks. "Oh, Rose, it's you. Congratulations on your new post, that uniform suits you."
"Hi Todd, news sure travels fast around here."
"Yeah, my father and Andy gossip worse than a couple of old women." Todd's father was an ex Navy Seal, and was head of Special Operations in New York. "Have you seen the satellite feed?"
"Yeah, we're lookin' at it now, my scientific advisor is analysing the data," she said with a smile. "Have you got anythin' your end?"
"We've put in a request to NASA to point the Hubble telescope at them to see if we can get a detailed visual."
"I'm trying to 'ping' their transponders, but nothing is coming back," John said. "They're on silent running, and they're coming in fast, should be here for afternoon tea."
"Any idea on their identity or intention?" Rose asked, keeping her cool, professional composure, but inside, starting to worry.
"Without the transponder response, they could be anybody. If one of the satellites is close enough we may be able to analyse the engine exhaust. As to intent, they may be rushing to tell us some really great news, running from an even larger force, or coming to attack us, knowing our luck, I know which one my money's on."
Rose looked back to Todd on the screen. "How long before Hubble can get us a look at them?"
"Fifteen to twenty minutes, I'll 'piggyback' the images directly to you."
"Thanks Todd, stay on the line, we may need to coordinate a response if it is a threat."
"Sure thing Rose."
Rose looked down at Craig. "Give Jack a call; I think he needs to see this."
Seventeen minutes later, the Hubble telescope managed to lock onto one of the five hundred and twenty approaching targets, and beam the image to JPL in Pasadena. The image of a large, ugly ship appeared simultaneously in London and New York.
"Oh well isn't that just wizard," John's inner Donna said.
Rose came and put a hand on his shoulder. "What is it John, who are they?" Jack came and stood the other side of him, looking at the image.
"You've met them before, both of you," John told them. "You Rose, beat the crap out of one of them, in that epic display of kung fu prowess." He was referring to the time when the Earth nearly became a planet full of zombies, to be sold as an army of dead soldiers.
"Caxtarids," Jack and Rose said together.
"Yeah, and I don't think they've come to say hello, have a chat, drink tea or eat cake."
"Can I talk to them?" Jack asked.
"Hang on; I'll set up a hyper wave transmission." John operated a few controls and then nodded in satisfaction. "There we are, they have your undivided attention."
"This is Captain Jack Harkness, Director of the Torchwood Institute in London, calling the commander of the Caxtarid fleet currently approaching our planet. Please halt your approach and state your intention."
There was no response.
"They can hear me, right?"
"Yes, but whether they choose to listen is another matter," John said philosophically.
"Right, time to invoke a little galactic law then," Jack said as he picked up a tablet PC and searched the database. "Ah, that's the one," he announced as he found what he was looking for. Unlike John, who could recite the Shadow Proclamation regulations, conventions and articles in his sleep, Jack had to look them up.
"I seek communication with the commander of the approaching Caxtarid fleet under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation."
There was a long pause, and then a humanoid alien with metallic red hair, and red eyes appeared on a screen. "The Shadow Proclamation? A bunch of ineffectual policemen, with idiot Judoon as their constables," the Caxtarid said his voice full of scorn. "So we will not halt our approach, and as for our intention, we intend to wipe your meddling species from the face of your planet, and sell any survivors as slaves."
"This planet is defended, and we will use lethal force," Jack told him.
The Caxtarid laughed. "Your puny defences are no match against a Caxtarid battle fleet. In fact, if you surrender now, we will only kill the adult males, the females and the children will be sold as slaves."
"Turn around and leave, and we will spare your fleet," Jack bluffed. The screen went blank, this conversation was over.
"Well, that told you," John said without any humour in his voice, in fact, Rose thought she heard something in his voice that she hadn't heard since they'd been in the old universe. She didn't have time to contemplate that though, she was Senior Shift Supervisor, and it was her responsibility to coordinate a response.
"Craig, go to alert status red, call back as many of the watch that aren't on a high priority mission." She looked up at Todd on the screen. "Did you get that Todd?"
"Yeah, we got it," he responded.
"I need to speak to the president," Jack said and headed out of the Despatch Office.
"John, have we got anything that can protect us against Caxtarid warships, or take them out?"
John looked up from the console. "Not on this planet, no. If they decided to land, then some special forces troops might stand a chance, but why bother to land when you can take us out from orbit?"
"What do we do then, is this it, the end of the human race?" She asked, her heart heavy with the realisation that they were on the verge of extinction.
He reached over and held her hand. "Hey, not on my watch," he said with a smile, desperately trying to think of a way to defend the Earth. "If only we had a weapon large enough to threaten them with, we could achieve a Nash Equilibrium."
"What's one of those then?" Rose asked.
"John Forbes Nash Junior, was a Senior Research Mathematician at Princeton University, in 1950 he produced his thesis on the concepts in non-cooperative games."
"A nice history lesson John, but if you hadn't noticed, there's a fleet of battleships comin' to wipe us out, I don't think they want to play games," Rose said in exasperation.
"Have you heard of mutually assured destruction, M-A-D? I always thought that was very apt, calling it mad," John said with a grin.
"Wasn't that America and Russia with their stockpile of nuclear weapons?"
"Yes, a Nash equilibrium is a set of strategies where no combatant can do better by unilaterally changing his or her strategy, which means, if they hit us, we hit them."
"But as you said, there's nothin' on Earth that can stop them, even the TARDIS has no weapons," Rose reminded him. "What about the extrapolator shield, is there anyway of, I don't know…, boostin' it, y'know to extend its range or somethin'?"
John shook his head slowly. "No, it doesn't work like that…, oh, hang on, hang on, wait a minute, wind back a bit, you said there's nothing on Earth that can stop them," he said excitedly.
"Well, actually, you said it first," she said, looking puzzled.
"Oh Rose, you're a genius, that's brilliant. You're right, I did say it first, didn't I," he said with a grin and a glint in his eyes that Rose recognised.
"You've thought of somethin', haven't ya..., you've got a plan," she said with a knowing smile.
"When have I ever had a plan? But I do have an idea, think back to the old universe and how you escaped from Krop Tor," he said.
"Well, it was in the escape rocket…, but what's that got to do with anythin'?"
"And how did the rocket escape the pull of the black hole? And then think about the Dalek Crucible, how did we get the Earth back in its orbit?"
"You used the TARDIS to pull the rocket from the black hole, and she towed the Earth back to its original position."
"And she could tow a fleet of battleships to the largest weapon in the solar system…, the Sun."
"Oh my God John, that's brilliant.