Child of Earth

By Lumendea

Chapter Forty-Two: Daughter of the World: The Hit

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.

…

Rose was grateful that Clem was asleep as she stared at the alien. "Spock, take an image and try to identify," she whispered lowly as if they could hear her through the stream. Spock said nothing in response, but Rose knew he had followed the order.

Rose looked over at Clem and lightly bit her bottom lip. She forced herself to take a slow breath and did her best to push the fear and growing panic away. No matter what the Doctor said her rule one was and would always be: don't panic. Then a man Rose didn't know moved forward towards the tank. He was tall and dressed in a suit with black hair peppered with grey. She felt a note of dread in her stomach and glanced towards Clem. What if he woke up to this?

"Thank you," the man said as he turned towards the camera allowing Rose to see that he was partially of Indian heritage though he wasn't familiar from her knowledge of world leaders or Torchwood. "If I might bring into session the first diplomatic congress between the representatives of Planet Earth and the representatives of the 456. I bring you formal greetings from the United States of America, from the People's Republic of China. From the Holy See of Vatican City, from the Russian Federation and associated territories. Of Australia, from the provinces and territories (gap as we switch to and from the warehouse) and Japan, and the Hellenic Republic, from the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Iraq, from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. And it must be stated on the record that any country not named herein does not indicate their withdrawal from this event."

Rose nearly rolled her eyes. Sure the leaders of the world were watching, but there was an alien with potentially hostile intentions. Was this really the time? Still the video and audio were very clear and Rose was pleased Harriet had managed to force the issue on the system.

"We have a formal request to make," the speaker said. "We ask you not to use our children for communication. In case certain parties or territories might consider that a violation. Is that acceptable?"

There was a long pause and then through what sounded like speaker came, "Yes."

"We've prepared a document summarising our culture and history. This document can be made available to you immediately, though its format remains undetermined. Said format remains of your choosing, though this does not constitute a request for information on or transfer of specific 456 technology." A woman stepped forward to hand a piece of paper to the man. "I have been given a request for specific information. It has been asked why the 456 chose Great Britain as its chosen point of embarkation."

"We came here," came the response before a long pause. "You have no significance. You are middlemen."

"That's a lie!" Rose hissed, glaring at the screen. "You came here before… oh, Torchwood you got them to lie," Rose grumbled, glaring at the man leading the talk. He was Torchwood, she had no doubt of that now. "Bloody Hartman."

"We have a request," the 456 intoned.

"By all means," the mysterious Torchwood man agreed.

"We want a gift."

"Of course. But what nature of gift exactly?"

"We want your children," the 456 announced as tentacles struck the side of the tank. "We will take your children."

"I'm sorry, I think that there might be a problem with the translation."

"They'll take them," Clem whispered from the corner. Rose looked up in alarm. He was awake and staring at the back of the screen with tears in his eyes. "They'll take them like before."

"Clem-"

"By children, you mean-" the Torchwood man started to say.

"Your descendants. The offspring of the Human race," the 456 said.

"How many?" the man asked carefully.

"Ten percent. We want ten percent. We want ten percent of the children of this world."

There was total silence in the room. The Torchwood man inhaled sharply, but his features were otherwise blank and Rose narrowed her eyes. The demand wasn't unexpected even if the number was. Ten percent, her mind threatened to shut down at the mere idea of the number. And what for?

"Spock?" Rose called softly, almost afraid that they'd be able to hear her. "Identification?"

"No certain match, but the most likely a member of the Qreiz'elt species," Spock answered gently. "I've matched the record of the contents of the tank to the atmosphere of Qreiz and the physical description is also a match."

"What do you know about them? Weaknesses?"

"I'm afraid my records of the Qreiz'elt are very limited. There was a revolution on the planet thirty years ago that cut them off from communication with other species. Many members of the old government were banished. I have no information on the current government."

"So the government that potentially negotiated with humans before isn't in power anymore," Rose muttered thoughtfully. She watched the Torchwood man walk to the side of the room and accept another note. "That means something. So is this from the current government or someone from the old government? Spock do you know what they would use the children for?" Rose questioned.

"No data currently."

"Why did the revolution occur?"

"Corruption is the primary motivation on record. Apparently, there was a series of assassinations due to some asset," Spock answered. "I have nothing beyond that."

"We need to upgrade your records," Rose sighed, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm afraid I can only collect information from ship computers I can contact," Spock reminded her. "And the Qreiz'elt ship is well hidden."

There was movement on camera again and Rose turned her attention back to the conference room. Another note was brought in and handed to the Torchwood man. He read it with a too calm expression on his face.

"Before we consider your request, I've been asked for a point of clarification. Before we even discuss your, your request, we need to know exactly what it is you intend to do with the children."

Rose was thankful that someone somewhere actually cared about that. Then she shivered. This was making her far too cynical.

"Somebody is watching," the Qreiz'elt ambassador suddenly said. "Some remnant."

"It knows I'm here," Clem cried out beside her, sliding back from the camera. "It knows!"

"It couldn't," Rose assured him gently. "We're watching through the same connection Harriet's using. There's just the one camera in the room."

"You do not wish to know," the Qreiz'elt said sharply.

"We must know why you want the children," the Torchwood man insisted, finally looking uneasy.

"Come in," the Qreiz'elt answered.

"Pardon?"

"Your camera, come in."

Rose frowned at the screen and watched as the Torchwood man shifted over to the side of the room. Another note was handed to him and he nodded. Then he turned directly to the screens and stepped a bit closer, finally letting Rose see him up close. He was attractive in a way, carried himself like a solicitor in the courtroom and Rose didn't like him at all.

"Ladies and gentleman a cameraman is preparing to enter the 456 tank. I request that you are all patient."

There was real worry on his face and Rose wondered just what the plan here was to Torchwood. They were still trying to cover up what had happened before, but thanks to Harriet finally getting her way and using the pressure of foreign leaders to put a camera in place there was a limit to what they could hide.

…

Rose was watching the camera man get into his hazmat suit when Clem shifted and groaned. Her eyes jumped to him as he opened his. There was a moment of confusion on his face and then he began to sit up. Rose gave him a smile that probably didn't reach her eyes.

"Hello, Clem." She gestured towards the screen. "We have a visual of the alien talks. Spock identified them as the Qreiz'elt."

"Qreiz'elt isn't it." Clem shuddered and looked horrified, but he shifted over next to her. "What's happening?"

"The Qreiz'elt are letting someone go into the tank," Rose explained and the camera suddenly zoomed in on the tank.

Clem inhaled sharply at the sight of the three heads. Rose reached over and grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Then the screen changed again as the cameraman's equipment took over and they began to move into the tank through a special airlock system.

"He's safe isn't it?"

"Uh yeah, he's in a hazmat suit. The aliens don't breathe oxygen like us."

"Air content stabilised," someone off screen announced.

The airlock opens and the cameraman enters the containment chamber. All around them the thick green smoke made visibility poor.

"Like a bad fog day in London," Rose joked weakly.

"We're getting three heartbeats," she heard someone say over the microphone.

"One for each head?" the Torchwood man questioned.

"No, there's, there are three distinct forms of life in there."

"Get a better look," the Torchwood man ordered and Rose felt a jolt of sympathy for the poor man carrying the camera. He started to follow a plastic tube away from the Qreiz'elt only to stop short.

It was a child, a preteen base on his size. A heavy mask covered his face. His head was shaved and his eyes stared into the camera, completely unseeing.

"No!" Clem screamed, frantically shaking his head. "No! No! No!"

Turning quickly, Rose hugged Clem to keep him from causing any damage to the interface. He trembled in his arms and began to sob into her shoulder. Rose made a soft soothing sound as she listened to the cameraman retreat as the Torchwood man tried to calm every down.

"We do not harm the children. They feel no pain. They live long beyond their years." The Qreiz'elt's voice washed over Rose and she shivered. That was one of the original children then, someone Clem's age and yet.

"No no no," Clem chanted around his shudders.

"We have answered your question," the Qreiz'elt announced. "You have one day to select and deliver your ten percent."

"It's happening again," Clem cried out, half collapsing against Rose.

She ran her fingers through his short white hair in an attempt to calm him. Clem's trembling was worse than ever and she waited for something more to be said or happen. If there'd been communication with the world leaders directly to the room she had no doubt that it would all be a violent screaming match, instead, it was stone cold silence.

A note was handed to the Torchwood man who coughed lightly and approached the tank. "I have been requested to ask what will prevent us from destroying you."

"We are superior. You yielded in the past. You will do so again."

"There is a staggering number of children you are demanding. The response of parents across the globe will be violence."

"The human infant mortality rate is twenty-nine thousand one hundred and fifty-eight deaths per day. Every three seconds, a child dies. The human response is to accept and adapt."

There was another terrifying pause and Rose felt a pressure at the sides of her head again. Shaking her head, she focused on the screen. Inside the tank, the Qreiz'elt thrashed and vomit splashed across the inside of the tank.

"The remnant still watches."

"Isn't it? It knows I'm watching," Clem all but screamed, scooting fearfully back.

The Qreiz'elt began emitting a high pitched sound and the pressure in Rose's head spiked. Gritting her teeth she looked at Clem as he suddenly screamed. "The remnant will be disconnected."

Clem started to convulse, his eyes going blank and distant even as Rose cradled his head between her hands. She grabbed the blanket and padded it up under his head as he screamed in agony. Brushing some of his hair from his eyes, Rose whispered soft random things to him before reaching down to grab his hand. Blood began to flow of his ears, staining the yellow blanket with vicious lines of blood.

"Spock! Can you do anything?" Rose begged as the pressure in her head grew and her fear for Clem took over. "Spock!"

"I'm sorry Rose," Spock said softly. "I can't block the signal. They're using the connection to destroy him."

Rose trembled as Clem's body kept shaking. Blood trickled out of his nose and ears, running down his face. His grip on her hand tightened and a soft sob escaped Rose.

"I'm sorry," Rose whispered to him. "I'm so sorry Clem. I'll save them. I promise. I won't let them suffer like you did."

Then the shaking stopped and Clem was still. Another sob escaped Rose and she became aware of the tears running down her cheek. With his head on her lap, it was awkward, but Rose gingerly leaned down to kiss the old man's forehead. It was so unfair and cruel. Her fingers moved to check his pulse, but there was nothing. She checked for any sign of air coming in or out of his nose and mouth, but all was still. He was gone.

"They can do that to anyone they're connected to?" Rose asked softly as she shifted back. Carefully she set Clem's head on the floor. She reached for a blanket and began to drape it over his body. "So they could kill every child on Earth if they wanted to."

"I suspect so," Spock agreed darkly. "I recorded the signal they used to…"

"Execute him, Spock," Rose said. "Let's call it what it was."

"Yes, I recorded the signal. It may be of use."

"Or we could find a way of scrambling it."

"I'm afraid that even in my usual interface I would need several satellites to scramble the signal around the world," Spock informed her.

"I see," Rose brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head against her knees. "Why are they doing this Spock? That many children they must have a huge ship hidden somewhere close. They came here specifically to leave with a huge number of kids so what do they do with them?" Rose frowned. "These Qreiz'elt don't need them to live right?"

The door crashed open and Harriet Jones strode angrily into the room with Ganesh at her heels making Rose look back at the screen. The Torchwood man moved to intercept her with a stern expression as a pair of guards trailed after Harriet, clearly at a loss of what they were supposed to do. Rose almost smiled at the sight.

"Prime Minster," the Torchwood man protested. "It was agreed that no world leader would set foot in the room and that the Civil Service would handle it."

"That agreement has rather gone out the window as our 'guests' are demanding that we hand over ten percent of the children of the world to them or be destroyed," Harriet replied sharply. She took a step forward and the Torchwood man stepped in front of her only to get an icy look. "Get out of my way Henderson. Your office has done more than enough and you can go and tell your boss that I will have everything on my desk within two hours."

Harriet didn't wait for a response. She stepped around him and approached the tank, taking out her identification card and holding it up. "Harriet Jones, Prime Minster of the United Kingdom. As your my 'guests' then I will ask the question that everyone seems too afraid to. Why do you want our children?"

"The hit." The Qreiz'elt answered evenly.

"I beg your pardon, the hit?"

"The hit," the Qreiz'elt repeated. "They create chemicals. The chemicals are good."

Rose gasped, her stomach twisting with a horrible realisation. Unbidden her eyes jumped over to Clem's covered body and it was all she could do to keep from becoming physically ill.

"Good in what way?" Harriet asked carefully and Rose could tell that she feared the worst.

"We feel good. The chemicals are good."

"You're using our children, our future as drugs?" Harriet gasped in horror.

"Yes."

"Then that boy in there… that's all he is to you. That's all any of them are."

"They make us feel good. Give us the children or we will destroy you and take them all."

There was a moment of stillness and Harriet stood completely straight. "Then I request an additional three days. Ten percent of children is a staggering number. We need more time to move them all. Earth has many governments and we will all have to communicate and organise on never before seen scale."

Rose frowned at the screen and waited for the reply. "No."

"Two days then," Harriet countered. "One additional day."

"Thirty-six hours."

Rose bit her lip, slightly more time, but would it be enough? Her eyes moved to Clem and she shuddered as she whole body tensed. Tears pricked at her eyes, but then the screen went dark. The negotiations were over.

"What am I supposed to do Spock?"

He didn't answer. Rose didn't expect him to. Harriet may have stood up and bought them another twelve hours, but Clem was lying dead only a few feet away from her. Torchwood in a desperate attempt to protect themselves and their probable early trade with the 456 had limited the British government. Eclipse was probably behind the attempt to kill her and was trying to take advantage of the fear and chaos. If the 456 got what they wanted and ten percent of the children of Earth were taken it would near anger and certainly revolts. No matter what the governments tried to say or do to cover it up. Perfect for Eclipse and devastating for Earth. She needed to stop this now, but she didn't have any idea of what to do.