Child of Earth

By Lumendea

Chapter Forty-One: Children of Earth: They Return

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

…

Her father's face swam before her made hazy by tears. Rose couldn't hear anything even as his lips moved. Then a swirl of black invaded the vision as a sharp toothy smile appeared. A deep rough laugh filled her ears and Rose felt the world falling away beneath her. Voices began to shout for attention in her mind, a mix of different tones, words and even languages that became impossible to tell apart though the voices sounded a lot like her own.

The Dalek rolled towards her with its eyestalk focused on her. The small bulbs on its head flashed, but she still couldn't hear it over the voices. Her right arm felt heavy even as she tried to summon her sword. She couldn't and she turned to run. A man was standing behind her in black body armor with a large rifle in hand. He raised it and pointed it at her as her eyes were drawn up. Overhead the sun began to turn black, sending a rush of panic through Rose.

Waking up quickly, Rose struggled to breathe as she felt tears slipping down her cheeks. She wiped at them with her hand and slowly sat up trying to get her bearings. Around her, the cold and mostly empty room reminded her quickly of the situation and she sniffed.

"Rose?" Spock's voice softly called. "Are you alright?"

"Nightmare," Rose answered. "My Dad and…" she trailed off not wanting to talk about the bad memories from other lives that sometimes broke through. "And other stuff. It's just the stress."

Her whole body ached from sleeping on the too hard surface. The pad of carpet due for installation hadn't done much, but Rose was grateful for it. That and the lack of mirrors. Reaching to the side, she grabbed her shoulder bag with a slight smile. The poor thing was due for retirement. She'd have to keep her eyes open for something a bit more solid. Maybe a small leather satchel, something with pockets at least.

Rose dug out a comb and began to straighten up her tangled hair. It felt dirty, but she settled on pulling it back into a braid. Simple and functional seemed to be the order of the day. Spock was silent except for the soft hum of his interface. Rose was grateful for the few minutes to try and sort herself out. The nightmare lingered on the edge of her awareness and Rose found herself unable to just shrug it off. Looking towards Clem, she sighed in relief when she found him still asleep.

"What have you got this morning?" Rose questioned Spock, leaning forwards slightly.

"There has been construction going on at Thames House," Spock informed her. "Numerous messages and supplies were going in and out of the building all through the night."

"They're building something."

"Yes, but it seems to be tied to the Civil Service rather than the Prime Minister herself," Spock answered with a hint of unease. "I have managed to get into the camera system and Hartman visited Thames House last night."

"Could you see what they were building?" Rose asked tightly, clenching her fists. "Bloody Torchwood," she grumbled.

"They are building some sort of tank," Spock informed her. "Beyond that, I am still uncertain. Much of the goings-on are being done by hand delivered documents rather than the digital systems."

"Smart. Not good for us, but smart," Rose sighed and looked towards the window where light was streaming through. "What time is it?"

"Almost noon," Spock answered calmly.

"What? Spock, you should have woken me sooner," Rose hissed, glancing towards Clem again.

"It would have done no good," Spock reminded her. "And you need rest. I will keep searching for information."

Nodding her head, Rose lay back down and tried to stay calm. The light pouring in reminded here that there was more to do even as she listened to the soft hum of Spock's interface. She followed the long power cords to the wall outlets and bit her lip. Rose really hoped no one noticed how much power was being used her. There wasn't the time to install the energy cells they had Sarah Jane's.

Somehow she must have fallen asleep again because she woke with a start to the sound of Clem whimpering. Rose sat up sharply and looked around as she reminded herself of their location. Clem was pacing in a small area, rubbing his head and whimpering. Climbing to her feet, Rose hesitated as to if she should touch him.

"Clem?" she called gently.

"I knew they'd come back. Bastards always come back." Clem groaned as he stumbled back into the corner shaking. "I can smell them! Just like last time, isn't it? Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, Stop!"

"Clem," Rose called gently as she lowered herself to her knees and half crawled after him. "It's okay, I'm here. We're going to stop them."

"The others walked into the light," Clem hissed with tears in his eyes. He didn't fight as Rose settled next to him. Instead, he turned his head and started crying into the fabric of her jacket. "They didn't want me, but they took the others. I ran and I hid, but I knew. Always knees they'd come back."

"I've got you," Rose whispered softly as she gently rocked the man. "Anything else Clem?" she asked even as she felt guilty. "Do you remember anything else?"

"T… one of the women's badges had a T on it," Clem whimpered. "She was scowling and looked angry and sad, but she didn't stop taking us to the light. I asked her it was safe isn't it." He hiccupped and shuddered. "Isn't it?"

That explained that tic at least and Rose felt sick. They'd really been handed over the aliens. But by who… the T could be Torchwood she realised with a jolt. That might explain why they were working so hard at the government level to get control rather than helping UNIT. If it came out that they'd handed children over…. It still didn't explain who was meddling at the UN to block UNIT.

Then Clem's hand rose into the air and pointed towards the window as he stopped crying. A vacant expression took over his face tying Rose's stomach in knots. Her head ached for a moment as she felt that strange pressure at her temple once again.

"Spock! Scan him!" she ordered as she shifted to give Spock a clear view. A small beam shot out of the interface and centred on Clem's forehead.

"Reports are pouring in on the news," Spock told her a moment later. "Children across the world are pointing towards England." He paused and then added. "They are pointing towards the centre of London."

"Thames House," Rose whispered, biting her bottom lip, torn between staying with Clem and calling Harriet.

"We are here," Clem announced. Then his hand dropped and he blinked at her. "It's them. They're back."

Rose thought her heart might stop at the words, but instead, she turned towards Spock. "Have you found anything Spock?"

"I'm having difficulty getting through the layers of security," Spock informed her sadly. "It took more time than I expected. Representatives from various countries are flying in and Thames House is at the centre of it all. Some sort of construction is underway and I believe that they have contact with the aliens."

"That's not reassuring," Rose sighed as she turned her attention back to Clem. "And you're making sure you aren't traced."

"I've been bouncing my signal around," Spock assured her. "Part of the reason it is all taking so long."

Clem was sighing softly and was beginning to doze. Rose wondered how much sleep the old man had gotten over the last week. Gently she helped him to his feet and guided him back to the pad. She laid him out and watched in silence for a moment as he shifted in his sleep. Another whimper escaped him and Rose looked towards the window.

"Spock… I need to call UNIT," Rose breathed.

"I wouldn't suggest the superphone. We don't know enough about if it can be traced by modern technology."

"No, there was a phone booth nearby," Rose answered as she picked up her bag. "I'll call from there."

"Be careful," Spock cautioned Rose. "And clean up a bit first."

….

Rose dropped another quarter into the phone booth and glanced around nervously. She hadn't been in one of these things in years and wasn't sure how closely monitored they were. Still, she managed to put in the number for UNIT and waited nervously. The call went to the automatic machine and Rose pressed the zero button impatiently.

"UNIT UK," a female voice greeted pleasantly after the machine clicked off.

"It's Agent Tyler," Rose said as she fought back a nervous fidget. "I need to speak with Benton at once."

"One moment," the receptionist answered carefully. "Brigadier Benton left orders in case you called." She paused and then added, "Agent Tyler officially you haven't been cleared to work on this by the United Nations and I never spoke with you."

"Wait what-" Rose started to ask only for the line to beep.

There was ringing and the receptionist was gone. Rose waited uncertainly for something more to happen. "Hello?" her friend Shareen's voice answered softly a moment later.

"Shareen? It's Rose," she told her quietly with relief flooding her system. "You okay?"

"Rose!" Shareen cried out in obvious relief. "Oh thank God! We've been so worried."

"Are you safe?" Rose pressed as she glanced around again, afraid that more men in black were about to appear.

"Yes, we're alright. UNIT came to our flat yesterday. We're… well, I probably shouldn't say over the phone. But Sarah Jane, her family, your Mum, Rita Anne, the Chestertons are here. It's some sort of bunker. Not very comfortable, but we're safe. I wasn't expecting this phone to ring though. Anyway Ian and Doctor Shaw are communicating with London, but Benton said there's something weird going on at the Security Council."

"That's what Harriet told me," Rose agreed, sighing at the bad news. "She's finding it hard to do much at her level. Apparently, Torchwood is part of this mess somehow."

"Bugger Torchwood," Shareen huffed. "Have you got a plan?"

"No," Rose groaned. "I'm still trying to find out what is even happening. Spock is running searches and I just… I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"We're fine. After that attack a general alert was sent out by Benton. He told us that all the known companions have been taken to safety. Mentioned that the Jones clan was being rounded up as best they could manage." Rose chuckled a bit at the reminder of Jo's larger family that were scattered around the globe. "What about the Doctor? Is he with you?"

Rose swallowed and didn't know what to say. Sarah Jane hadn't told them apparently. Maybe she was in denial. "No," she finally forced out. "I'm solo this time. Can't reach the TARDIS."

"You mean voicemail again?"

"No I mean the TARDIS won't accept the call," Rose answered softly. "He's not meant to be here. Whatever happens… it's on humans."

"Oh," Shareen breathed with a hint of terror. "Rose you can do this. I know you can."

"Thanks," Rose replied feeling a little stronger. "I think I needed to hear that." She paused and looked around again. "I can't talk anymore. I'm trying to stay under the radar. I still don't know who those people were."

"Benton thinks Eclipse," Shareen told her quickly. "They shot one of them and found a suicide capsule."

"He told you that?"

"He said he wasn't supposed to, but thought you might call," Shareen answered. "Careful Rose he's starting to figure you out."

"Right, okay so Torchwood is trying to strong arm the British government, probably to protect their own secrets and Eclipse are probably the ones meddling with the UN."

"Be careful," Shareen begged. "I mean it Rose, be careful."

"I will be. Love you and do your best to look after my mum."

"Well do," Shareen promised. "Stay safe Rose."

Hanging up the phone, Rose slipped out of the phone booth and began to walk back towards their little base as quickly as she could. No one paid her any mind and Rose hoped it stayed that way as she thought over everything that Shareen had told her.

…

It was hard not to pace. Clem was awake but was distant as he looked nervously towards the window. Every so often his nose flared and Rose couldn't help but wonder what he was smelling. The silence in the building was almost oppressive in contrast to the sounds of life outside.

"Rose, there is a transmission on the situation from Thames House," Spock told her as the small screen flickered on.

Harriet was seated at an impressive looking desk, looking cool and confident, but Rose could see signs of stress. "In light of what's happening with our children, we've temporarily closed the schools effective tomorrow morning," Harriet announced to the world. "As a further precaution, we have introduced a temporary curfew for everyone under the age of eighteen. Keep your children at home where they'll be safe. The curfew takes effect immediately and will continue until further notice. But rest assured, we're doing everything in our power to find out what's going on, to safeguard our children and all the people of this nation. In the meantime, we are asking everyone to stay calm and to go about your lives as normal. We have not yet determined if this event is a threat and are exploring all avenues open to us. The public will be informed as we learn more and until then I ask you to remain calm and look after yourselves and each other." Harriet took in a deep breath before adding, "I thank you, for your trust, and for your faith."

Rose almost rolled her eyes at the calm and clearly canned speech. It lacked Harriet's sharpness and fire: the two things that Rose had always liked most about her as Prime Minister.

"Spock," Rose called, "See if you can connect with Harriet's office. Her computer if possible. I think we need to check in on what is going on at Thames House."

"As you wish," Spock intoned softly. "I'll see what I can do."

Then it was silence again and Rose bit her bottom lip. There was nothing she could and she was beginning to feel a nervous itch at the back of her neck. She felt like a filthy mess and the banana she'd had earlier hadn't managed to completely sate her hunger.

"I'm connected to her computer," Spock announced. "A message to her on the screen has indicated that it is you how wishes to speak with her privately. We have to wait."

Rose was about to whine about how long that would take when the screen suddenly changed. The image of Harriet Jones with Ganesh standing behind her sprang to life through the web cameras.

"Rose," Harriet sigh, relaxing her shoulders in visible relief on the small screen. "Where are you- wait no don't answer that. Are you safe?"

"I'm fine," Rose assured her. "But what more can you tell me, Harriet? No one can really talk to me right now it seems."

"It's a bloody nightmare. Everyone is covering up something. Torchwood and some of the old civil service clearly know something." Harriet thudded her fist on the table. "They even tried to declare you a terrorist after that business on Bannerman Road. I was able to stop that."

"Thank you," Rose told her quickly.

"Yes but you're still wanted for questioning," Harriet told her. "So while the police won't be out hunting for you, they are supposed to be looking for you."

"Did Torchwood request that?"

"I believe so," Harriet swallowed. "Oh, Rose I'm just not sure what to do. A special tank has been built. The aliens will be here any moment. I want to believe it is peaceful, that they used the children so they didn't surprise us but…"

"Harriet years ago these aliens were given a small group of kids. Not sure why, but they've been here before. I can confirm that."

"And they took children?" Harriet asked sharply. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Rose promised, glancing towards Clem in the corner who was beginning to rock himself. "That's probably what someone is trying to cover up. What about on your end? Have you got anything useful?"

"I had Ganesh retrieve a few things for me," Harriet told her carefully. "Nothing too fancy and I can't enter the room."

"What? Why?" Rose questioned, suddenly confused.

Harriet sighed, suddenly sounding very old and tired. "These aliens came to Britain and communicated with us, but of course other countries want a say in what happens. It's a diplomatic nightmare so to avoid usurping anyone else's authority no world leaders enter the room directly."

"Then how is this happening?"

"The British Civil service and… Torchwood is heading up the negotiations," Ganesh answered carefully with a grimace.

"Oh, I wish you hadn't said that," Rose muttered. "I feel sick."

"I was able to insist on video feeds for world leaders in the room," Harriet reassured her. "Cameras stream the events to us though we don't speak. It's a mess, but at least I'm not completely in the dark."

"Is Hartman there herself?" Rose found herself asking nervously.

"No, not so far. She's sent one of her executives. He's got a history in the civil service and marketing."

"Sounds like a dangerous combination," Rose muttered. "I don't like this Harriet."

"I don't either," Harriet agreed. "But surely you need more information at this point."

"Yeah," Rose sighed, unable to argue. "Without any description or name Spock and I really don't know who we're dealing with." Rose breathed out slowly. "What about Enterprise? Any sign of a ship in orbit?"

"Nothing so far," Harriet answered sadly. "We've been scanning, but they are well hidden. Close enough to transmit signals and transmat."

"Spock could find them if he had all his sensors," Rose groaned. "Bloody hell!" She shook her head and sighed. "When does this all start?"

"In only a few minutes," Harriet answered her with a nervous clenching of her fingers.

There was sound from the other room and Harriet looked up from the camera quickly. There was a muffled voice and Rose couldn't breathe out of worry of being discovered. It was almost comical, the idea of the Prime Minster getting in trouble for talking to her, but her faith and confidence was beginning to wane.

"Oh course," Harriet answered with a nod. "I'll switch on the feed. Thank you." Harriet looked up at Ganesh. "You ready?"

"Oh course Prime Minister," Ganesh agreed with a deep nod before vanishing from the screen. A moment later there was the sound of a door closing.

"Ganesh is carrying a small recording device in a pin," Harriet told her quietly as the sound of fingers on a keyboard reached her. "Just in case anyone tries to cut off the feed of the cameras." There was more typing. "Okay, Rose I'm going to share my screen with you. You'll see what I see."

The screen changed a moment later, flickering to black before turning on once more to show a fancy looking large room. Rose was completely still as she heard the movement of people around the camera. There was a faint humming sound that was growing louder and making Rose nervous. She risked a look at Clem, wondering if she should let him keep listening. The screen in front of her flickered and Rose straightened up sharply.

The feed was crystal clear, bringing Rose the full sight of the conference room. Some sort of large tank had been built into the far side of the room beyond a short table. It was filled with greenish gas that Rose could barely make anything out through thanks to the distance between the camera and the tank.

Then something shifted in the smoke and something, unlike anything Rose, had ever seen before appeared at the edge of the tank. It was a large creature with three heads. Rose sucked in a sharp breath. Finally, they were looking at the mysterious 456.

….Coming Soon: Daughter of Earth….