Chapter 6

Rats!

Rose and John were sitting at a table in the restaurant, eating their lunch, along with Julia, Jake. Rose had the Spec Ops phone with her to take any calls which came through the Dispatch Office whilst she was at lunch.

'What did our pathologist say about that murder victim?' Rose asked her husband.

'Exsanguination, same as the St Albans pathologist,' John replied.

'And what do you say about it?'

'Exsanguination,' he replied with a cheeky grin. 'However, a single, neat puncture wound, precisely targeted in the left jugular vein . . . I've seen that before . . . I've even experienced it.'

'On the moon,' Rose remembered from their shared memory. 'With the Judoon.'

'That's the one. It looks like there might be a plasmavore on the loose around St Albans.'

'I'll warn the local constabulary to be on the look out,' Rose said. 'Although, on the look out for what is anybody's guess.'

"Other Craig" and Tom, joined them at the table after collecting their food. 'So you reckon it was a pack of rats which ate that guard dog then, Doc?' Craig asked, having heard what John had told Rose when he came back from the Science and Technology Department.

Julia pulled a face. 'Urgh. Not while I'm eating my lunch.' She didn't want that image in her head whilst she ate.

'Oh, sorry,' Craig said.

John replied anyway. 'As Sherlock Holmes said, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth".'

'Talking of remains, a fully grown German Shepherd would be able to kill a few rats,' Jake said. 'So where are the remains of the rats?'

'That, Jake, is what's bothering me,' John replied.

'Er, Guys . . . Eating lunch,' Julia reminded them.

Rose smiled at her. 'Sorry Julia. So, it warrants further investigation then?' she asked her husband, trying to steer the conversation away from the gory details.

John nodded in agreement. 'I think after lunch we need to do a bit of research, find out more about the area.'

'That sounds like a reasonable place to start,' Tom said.

John and Rose stopped speaking and looked at each other.

'Hmm. I wonder what's going on with EJ?' John asked.

'Is everythin' alright Sweetheart?' Rose asked out loud and in her head.

['Yeah, Mum. Just one of the older students being rude to Becky. I just asked him why he was so rude.'] their son replied.

['Becky, eh? You should invite her around for tea,'] Rose thought teasingly, giving John her tongue between her teeth smile.

['Mummmm,'] EJ groaned back, and John gave a single laugh.

['What?'] she thought back, feigning innocence. ['You could study together.']

['Lunch time's over, Mum. Gotta go.']

['Bye, Son,'] Rose thought to him with a warm smile.

'You, Misses Smith, are incorrigible,' John said with a grin.

'Er, what was that all about?' Tom asked with a frown.

'Ah, that was our son at school,' John explained. 'He's just stood up for the little guy . . . and girl.'

'Like father, like son,' Rose said with a wink at John.

'Wha', your son has ear comms?' Tom asked.

'More like head comms,' John said with a lopsided smile.

Rose smiled at Tom's confused expression. 'John's people were naturally telepathic. He transferred the ability to me when we got married, and the kids were born with it.'

'Really? That's incredible!' Tom exclaimed.

'Yeah, and if you wouldn't mind keepin' it to yourself,' said Rose. 'It's not really a secret, but it is kinda personal and private.'

'Oh, yeah, of course. No problem,' Tom replied.

The Spec Ops phone on the table in front of Rose, started to vibrate and play a pleasant jingle. Rose picked it up and answered the call. 'Hi Craig, whatcha got for me?'

['All quiet on Dispatch, Rose, but some people have arrived who would like to see you,'] Craig told her with a hint of mystery in his voice.

'Oh, okay. We've literally finished lunch, so I'll be right up,' Rose replied and ended the call. She saw the questioning looks around the table. 'Some people are in Spec Ops asking to see me.'

They all left the restaurant and took the lift up to the third floor. When they entered the Standby Room, they could all see who was waiting to meet Rose. There was a tall, familiar figure holding on to the handles of a wheelchair, and a familiar figure sitting in said wheelchair, cradling a bundle.

'Angel! André!' Rose called out as they hurried forward to greet their colleagues.'Oh my god . . . is that your baby?' Rose asked excitedly.

Angel beamed her impish smile. 'Yes. This is our son, Joel.'

'What a beautiful name,' Julia said.

André smiled. 'It was my grandfather's name.'

Rose held out her arms. 'Can I?'

Angel smiled and handed over her baby.

'Who does he take after?' John asked. 'If you know what I mean.'

'John!' Rose exclaimed. Her husband could be so tactless at times.

Angel smiled. 'No it is alright Rose. As you can see, he has my hair, my ears, and six digits.'

Rose could see a tuft of silver hair on the baby's pink head, and he gripped her finger with five fingers and a thumb. As the blanket moved slightly, she could see his cute, pointed ears.

'Oh, Angel. He's gorgeous,' Rose told her.

'So High Post has a hotel, a golf club, a car charging hub, and a small industrial estate,' John recapped as he looked at the online map. 'What else is there?'

'Porton Down is about a mile to the east,' Chrissie offered.

'Oh, not them again,' Rose groaned. She was remembering the "zombie bug" incident, where aliens called Caxtarids, had set up a laboratory under the base.

'Let's hope that's a coincidence,' John said. 'What's this place to the west?'

A few hundred metres along a side road from The Stones Hotel, was a complex of factory units and office buildings covering quite a few acres. 'Gene Tech Research,' John read on the screen marker pin. 'That sounds intriguing. I wonder what kind of gene research they do?'

'Why don't ya go an' ask them?' Rose asked him. 'Y'know y'want to.'

John grinned at her. 'What a good idea.' He typed in the name of the company, and used the Torchwood search algorithm to find out about them. 'Director of Research, Doctor Emily Williams.'

Rose looked around the Standby Room. 'Julia, Jake. Doctor sitting duty.'

John looked offended. 'What? I'm only going to ask a few questions.'

'In a place where a pack of rats stripped a dog clean,' Rose reminded him as Julia and Jake joined them.

'Colony,' John said.

'What?'

'A colony of rats . . . according to Alex in Zoology.'

'And that's supposed to make me feel better is it?'

John did one of his changes of direction. 'Do you know what makes humans unique amongst the animal kingdom?' Rose gave him an exasperated look. 'It's not intelligence, nor language, nor tool use . . . It's burying your dead.'

'Oh, that's interesting,' Jake said.

'Yes, it is,' John agreed. 'And the rats which killed that dog, they took their dead away with them. Not normal behaviour for a rat . . . not normal behaviour for any animal, except us.'

'And you think you'll be able to reason with them if you meet any?' Rose asked.

John smiled at her. 'Armed with my intelligence, sonic screwdriver, and overconfidence . . . what could . . .'

Rose put her hand over his mouth to stop him finishing that sentence. John raised his eyebrows, and Rose took her hand away and kissed him on the lips. 'Just think of Julia and Jake as yer audience. I know how y'like to show off, so y'can show them how clever ya are.'

'C'mon Doc,' Julia said. 'I've got the address. Let's go grab a car from the carpool.'

John's shoulders sagged in resignation. 'What's the journey time?'

Julia checked the route planner on her tablet PC. 'Two hours twenty minutes, but I reckon we can get it down to one hour forty five with blue lights.'

'I think I can do better than that,' John said, taking out his phone. The Standby Room was filled with the trumpeting brouhaha of the TARDIS materialising on the cordoned off landing pad. He kissed his wife on the lips. 'See you later.'

The TARDIS materialised in a lay-by on a country lane. When they stepped out, it was all very rural, with open fields all around, except for right in front of them, where, looking totally out of place in such a rural environment, was a series of industrial units on a science park, protected by metal fencing behind hedges, and a security gate with a gatehouse.

'This looks like it might be the place,' John said jokingly.

'D'ya reckon,' Jake joked back.

They crossed the road, and walked up to the gatehouse, where a security guard watched them approach.

'Good afternoon. Can I help you?' the guard asked.

Jake showed his I.D. 'Jake Simmonds, Torchwood. My supervisor should have phoned ahead. This is Doctor John Smith, Scientific Advisor to the government. He's here to see . . .'

'Doctor Emily Williams,' said John.

The guard pick up a tablet PC and brought up the information. 'Ah, yes. She's in unit seven. I'll get an escort vehicle to take you there.'

After a few minutes, a golf buggy approached and did a "U" turn in front of them. 'Hi there, I'm Rick,' the driver told them. 'Hop in and I'll take you to unit seven.'

John sat next to Rick in the front, with Julia and Jake in the rear seats.' Thanks Rick. I'm John, that's Julia and Jake.'

Rick looked at their uniforms. 'Torchwood, right?'

'Yeah, that's us,' Julia replied.

'Love the show,' Rick told them. 'Are you looking for aliens?' Rick asked as he proceeded to drive through the Science Park. All the buildings had black, mirrored glass, which made it impossible to see in. It was all very sinister.

'We don't know yet,' John answered. 'Early days.'

After several turns, they arrived at unit seven. 'If you follow me, I'll show you inside,' Rick told them.

'Oh, thanks,' Jake replied, and they climbed out of the buggy.

At the door to the single storey unit, Rick used his I.D badge on a card reader, and the door clicked open. Upon entering, the first thing John noticed was the pristine cleanliness and organization of the space, a testament to the rigorous standards maintained to ensure experimental integrity and safety.

Inside, the lab was brightly lit with energy-efficient LED lighting, which provided a clear view of the numerous workstations and specialized equipment spread throughout the room. The walls were lined with cabinets and shelves, stocked with various reagents, pipettes, glassware, and other essential laboratory supplies. Central to the lab were several large, stainless steel workbenches, each equipped with high-resolution microscopes, centrifuges, and PCR machines. These benches were the hub of activity, where researchers could be seen carefully preparing samples, conducting experiments, and recording data on tablet PC's.

To one side of the lab, there were several large, glass-enclosed biosafety cabinets where genetic material was handled under sterile conditions. At the back of the lab, a row of high-tech sequencing machines hummed quietly, capable of decoding entire genomes in a matter of hours. Next to them, advanced computational workstations were set up, equipped with powerful processors and specialized software for analysing vast amounts of genetic data. Some researchers were gathered around these stations, collaborating and interpreting their findings.

In another section, there was a controlled environment room for cell culture, equipped with incubators, laminar flow hoods, and various cell culture supplies. John realised that the room was designed to maintain strict temperature, humidity, and sterility controls, essential for growing and experimenting with living cells.

Adjacent to the main lab area was a small office space with desks and computers, where scientists were writing reports, analysing data, and conducting literature reviews. Bulletin boards were filled with research posters, schedules for shared equipment, and notes on recent findings or upcoming experiments. A woman with a lean, athletic build, left the office and walked towards the Torchwood trio.

She had dark brown hair, streaked with a few strands of silver, tied back in a neat bun. She had a clear complexion, and her face, which was serious and focused, softened with a genuine smile as she greeted them. 'Emily Williams,' she told them, and shook their hands. 'You must be from Torchwood.'

'I'm John, and this is Julia and Jake . . . they're babysitting me.' Emily frowned, and John explained. 'My wife doesn't trust me to stay out of trouble.'

'She's got a point,' Jake said with a cheeky grin.

'Well let's hope we can avoid any trouble this afternoon,' Emily said. 'What brings you here today, Doctor Smith?'

'Well, we were called to an incident nearby, and we're just making some enquiries,' John explained.

'What kind of incident,' Emily asked.

John didn't answer. 'What kind of genetic research do you do here, Emily . . . I can call you Emily?'

'Er, yes. Of course. We have a wide array of ongoing projects here. However, I must inform you that many of our studies are classified due to their sensitive nature.'

'I understand the need for confidentiality, but this is a serious public safety concern. Are you working with animals in your genetic experiments?'

'While I can't disclose specific details, I can confirm that we do work with various animal models to understand genetic influences on behaviour and disease.'

'Do you use rats by any chance?'

'Yes. Rats are one of the species we use in our research.'

'Any chance I could see them?'

'Er, I'm afraid not. That research project is covered by the Official Secrets Act.'

'Oh, I've got clearance,' John told her. 'And I've got the president's number if . . . Ah, no, wait . . . That's Harriet's number. Hey-ho. Anyway, I've got clearance.'

'I'm sorry Doctor Smith. I can't allow anyone into the animal laboratory,' Emily told him.

'Never mind,' John said with his winning smile. 'Can you at least tell me how many rats you have in the laboratory?'

'Off the top of my head, I believe it's around two hundred. Is it important?'

John raised his eyebrows. 'It might be. You see, I believe it might be quite a few less than that now.'

Emily laughed. 'And what makes you think that?'

'I believe your inmates might have staged a great escape, and I'm not talking digging tunnels under a vaulting horse, or Steve McQueen on a motorbike.' He saw her confused frown. 'The film. "The Great Escape"? Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough . . . No? Never mind. Look, would you humour me and count your rats?'

'Doctor Smith . . .'

'Call me John . . . Or the Doctor,' John said with a grin.

Emily looked to the heavens. 'John. Why would I count the rats? They can't escape. The cages are secure and the rats don't have the mental capacity to organise a coordinated escape.'

John's smile disappeared and he gave her an intense stare. 'Even the ones who have had their brains genetically modified?'

This flustered Emily. 'What?'

'Count the rats,' John advised her. He switched his smile back on. 'Right, come on you two. Time to go.'

He turned and headed for the door. Julia and Jake fell in step either side of him. 'I thought we came to see the rats,' Jake said.

'Don't need to now,' John replied. 'Doctor Williams' reaction told me everything I need to know.'

They stepped outside, and saw that Rick and his buggy were still waiting to take them back to the main gate. John waved cheerily at Rick and reached inside his jacket for his sonic screwdriver. He held up a finger in a "just a minute" gesture and started to walk along the front of unit seven.

Rick got out of the buggy. 'Excuse me! Where do you think you are going?'

'Just got to check something,' John told him. 'Back in a tick.'

'Where's he going now?' Julia asked no one in particular.

'C'mon,' Jake said. 'Doctor sitting duties . . . Rose'll kill us if we let him get into trouble.' They followed him around the corner of the unit, and saw him moving at a pace, sonic held out in front of him.

'You are not allowed to go wandering about on your own,' Rick called out as he followed them.

'Then by all means, come with us,' John replied. He turned the corner at the end to the rear of the unit. 'A-ha!' he exclaimed in triumph.

'A-ha, what?' Jake asked.

Rick caught up with them. 'I must insist that you return to the buggy.'

'A-ha, rat droppings,' John said. 'He scanned the section of the wall, left to right, top to bottom. 'Panel construction with fibreglass insulation, and . . .' He seemed to be following an invisible maze on the other side of the wall. He crouched down, and lowered his sonic screwdriver to a small air vent.

'Sir!?' Rick said.

John held up his hand to silence him, and pulled gently at the vent cover. It came away easily. 'I think I've found Tom.'

'Who's Tom?' Julia asked.

'It was a tunnel in the film,' Jake told her. 'They had three tunnels, Tom, Dick, and Harry.'

John straightened up and grinned at him. 'You know the film.'

'Every Christmas when I was growing up. My dad loves that film.'

'Right. That's it!' Rick said. He reached for his radio mike attached to the front of his uniform.

John held his hands up defensively. 'It's alright. We're coming quietly.' He started to retrace his steps back to the front of the unit and the waiting buggy. Rick took them back to the gatehouse and they crossed the lane toward the TARDIS.

They walked up the ramp to the central, hexagonal console. 'So what did Doctor Williams' reaction tell you?' Julia asked.

John powered up the screen above the console. 'She was very cool and assured about everything, until I mentioned rats having their brains genetically modified.'

'Oh yeah, I noticed that,' Jake said. 'Like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.'

John grinned a them. 'And then, I found a tunnel through the fibreglass between the inner and outer wall, leading to an air vent, with rat droppings on the ground.'

'So, if they've escaped, where are they now?' Julia asked.

'A good question,' John replied, as he typed on the keyboard below the screen. 'Normal rats set up a nest and travel a few hundred feet away from it when they are foraging. Now, this lot are far from normal, but based on what they did to that dog, I'm guessing their inherent behaviour is still having an influence on their decision making.'

'So the nest will be nearby,' said Jake.

'That's what I'm counting on,' John replied. 'A colony of rats should generate a fair amount of heat. If I can get the TARDIS to scan the local area, we might get lucky.'

'And what are you going to do when you find them?' Julia asked. She knew him well enough to know that he wasn't going to exterminate them.

'I'm going to talk to them,' he said, as though it was obvious. 'Oh, and by the way, can you let me have your stun guns?'

'Er, yeah,' Jake replied, unholstering his gun. 'But what for?'

'Insurance,' John replied as he took out his sonic screwdriver and started taking the front off the guns. He looked up and saw the questioning looks on their faces. 'I'm modifying the pulse beam emitter focussing unit to give it a wide beam dispersal.'

[John?] Rose thought in his head.

['Hi Love. What can I do for you?]

['I've just had a call from Doctor Williams . . . She wanted me to let ya know that the animal care technicians fed the rats this mornin' and they were all there. Some of them were dead, she said, but that wasn't uncommon. She sounded a bit "I told you so", does that make sense?']

John suddenly straightened up from the console. 'What!?' he said out loud. 'All the rats were accounted for?'

['That's what she said,'] Rose confirmed.

'What do you mean "all the rats were accounted for"?' Julia asked.

['Got to go, Love. See you later.'] He turned to Jake and Julia and handed back their stun guns. 'They're smarter than I thought. They haven't escaped, they've just created a way to get in and out of their nest! They took their dead back to the lab so no one would know they'd been out.'

'Wha? They're still in the lab?' Jake asked.

John nodded. ['Rose, have you got the number she called you on? I need to call her back.']

['Yeah. I'm sendin' it to yer phone now. Is everythin' alright?'] She could detect his raised anxiety.

'I think everyone in unit seven is in mortal danger,' John thought and said. He set the coordinates for unit seven into the console and started the Time Rotor. His phone beeped with a message from Rose, and he touched the highlighted number to start the call.

['Hello?'] Emily asked, not recognising the number.

'Emily, it's John. You need to get out of there, right now!'

['John who?']

'John Smith! Who'd you think? You need to get out of there, right now.'

['Look, Doctor Smith, I phoned Torchwood and told them that Bethany said all the animals were accounted for.']

'Bethany?'

['The animal care technician's team leader, she . . .']

'Where is she and the team at the moment?' John asked, dreading the answer.

['They are cleaning out the . . .'] Emily was interrupted by screeching, barking, and what sounded like human screaming.