PREDATOR AND PREY
Chapter Twenty Seven "For the last time, no!" The next morning, the Doctor and the others prepared to leave to go to London. Rose went to wake up her parents and brother and convince them to come with them. But soon she returned, telling the Doctor that her mother would only go if she could take her new things with her. The Doctor hadn't been inside Jackie's room yet but he finally saw the pot that John described to him. It was about two feet high and two feet wide and was decorated with geometric designs and black lizards. For the last twenty minutes, he'd been arguing with Jackie over the pot. She wanted to take it with them and he'd been trying to tell her that there were more important things than a pot. "This cost 250 dollars," Jackie said, pointing to the pot. "Then perhaps you'll think twice before spending 250 dollars when you're on the run from a madman. I'm not a delivery service. The TARDIS is by the bus station and I'm not carrying that thing on the bus. Leave it!" the Doctor said, pointing to it. "Mum, just leave it! You can get another one in future. The Doctor's right. We in hiding, not on a shopping spree." Jackie sighed but to the Doctor's relief, she relented. Grumbling about how unhelpful the Doctor was being, she gathered up what she could carry and everyone checked out of their rooms. They got back on the bus and went back to the bus station. Then they went across the street to the alley and the Doctor used a small remote control to sync the TARDIS up with the correct time and make it appear again. Once they were inside, the Doctor took the TARDIS into the vortex. He gave the perception filters to Rory, Amy and River and told them to wait while he left the room. He came back a few minutes later with a thick pair of glasses. "These glasses have special lenses in them that act like a video camera," he said, pointing to them. "If you wear them, we'll be able to see what you see and there's a microphone built into the side so we can hear what's going on." Amy took the glasses and made a face at the thick black frames that were reminiscent of glasses from the 1960's. She put them on and Rory chuckled when he saw how nerdy she looked in them. The Doctor handed River his psychic paper and an older version of his sonic screwdriver that resembled the one he used in his last life. Rory looked at Amy when she handed him the glasses. "Here, you can be in charge of these. I don't like they way they feel on my face," she said to him. Rory put them on and Amy burst out laughing when she saw how nerdy he looked. "Sorry. But those glasses don't suit you," Amy said to her husband. "Well, you didn't look like a supermodel either," Rory said. "So all I have to do is wear these and you can see what I'm doing?" The Doctor flipped a switch on the console and pointed to a large roundel behind them. They turned and saw the Doctor's face in the roundel. Rory turned to the console and they saw the image of that in the roundel. "See? We'll stand here and watch and if there's any trouble, we can act quickly and save you," the Doctor said, pointing to the roundel. Ideally, we won't need to do that but just in case, we'll be here." River felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned to see Jack holding out a blaster to her. "This will make a hole in the wall, just in case you need a quick escape," he said to her. River took it from him and thanked him. The Doctor looked at the gun and remembered it was the squareness gun Jack used when he first met him. Then he suddenly remembered that she had the same gun in the Library. He wondered if this was the same gun then. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he piloted the TARDIS towards London so the three of them could begin their mission. After he landed near Canary Wharf, everyone wished Amy, Rory and River good luck and they put the perception filters on and slipped outside the door. The day was warm and cloudy with evidence that it had rained earlier. Overhead several zeppelins flew slowly across the sky. They stopped and looked across the street to the Torchwood building. They looked around but no one seemed to be taking notice of them. They hurried across the street and walked up to the front door. They looked inside the glass doors and saw a lone receptionist working at her desk. Her head was down and there was no one else in the lobby so River stepped up to the door and triggered the automatic opener. The door slid open and all three of them slipped inside. The receptionist looked up when she heard the door opening and Amy, Rory and River stood still, watching her confusion while she looked around to see if anyone had come inside. "Bloody kids," she muttered as she went back to her work, "always running up and triggering the damn door for shits and giggles." River breathed a sigh of relief and the three of them moved slowly across the room. They half expected the receptionist to look up and see them as they moved past her but she kept her head down and kept working and they relaxed as they went past her and headed towards the lift. "Okay, we're in," Rory said aloud when they reached the lift. "So far, so good," Jack said while he watched the roundel with the others. "Yes, hopefully they can get in and out undetected," the Doctor said while he watched Rory go inside the lift. "This is daft, what if they get caught?" Jackie said as she and Pete stood at the back. "Then we go in and rescue them," the Doctor said, looking over his shoulder. "I don't understand you lot. All of you are barking mad. You risk your lives unnecessarily for him every day," Jackie said, pointing to the Doctor. "Um…if I remember correctly, you were in the TARDIS with us during the whole Crucible thing," Jack said, looking at her. "In fact, you were with us when Davros caught us and made us kneel in front of him. So what were you doing that day? Go shopping and take a wrong turn into outer space?" John put his hand over his mouth, holding in his laughter, when Jackie glared at Jack. "I went after her!" Jackie said, pointing at Rose. "And I believe I told you not to," Rose said, looking at her. "I can handle myself, mum. I'm not a child anymore." "You're my daughter and you always will be," Jackie said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I can't help it if I worry about you being around these people. Especially since he deliberately goes out and looks for trouble," she added, pointing to the Doctor. "We're leaving her behind when we go back to the other universe, right?" Jack said to the Doctor. "Yes," the Doctor said while John tried not to laugh. John risked a look back. Jackie was glowering at the Doctor but he was too busy watching Rory walk down a hall to notice her anger. Wanting to stop the argument, Rose walked up beside him and watched the roundel. "Not many people," Rose said while they watched. "No, I expect the Valeyard has done something to most of the staff," the Doctor said. "There!" Rose said, pointing to the screen when a young woman rounded the corner. "She's one of the hypnotized spies." "Then I'm sure he has done something with everyone that wasn't his lackey to begin with," the Doctor said. "Which could prove to be an advantage if there aren't that many people manning the building now." Rory stopped and they watched while the woman passed by without noticing him. "Good job you had those perception filter things," Rose said. "Yes. I just hope they work on the Valeyard if they run into him," the Doctor said. Rory moved on until he reached an open office. They saw him turn and look at River and Amy. "Check in here?" he said softly. River and Amy nodded and he turned his head back around and went inside. "Recognize the office?" the Doctor said to Rose. "Um…not yet. It's not mine though," Rose said. "Oh wait…" she said when Rory turned his head to look at a poster hanging on the wall. "That hang in there kitten poster, I know who it belongs to. Her name is Rachel Meadows and she's a complete bitch." "Is that significant? The bitch thing?" Jack said with amusement while John snickered. "No. She's a bitch and I hate her, that's all," Rose said with a shrug. "You can tell them to ransack her office for all I care." The Doctor and Jack shared a look and the Doctor walked over to the console. "Rory?" he said, pushing a button and speaking into a microphone. Rory froze. "Yeah?" he said softly. "Rose wants you to ransack the office. It belongs to Rachel Meadows, she's a bitch and Rose hates her." Jack and John chortled when Rory didn't say anything and they could hear River and Amy giggling in the background. River then came into view. "If Rose hates her that much, we'll make this place look like a tornado's gone through it," River said. Amy came up beside her. She held up a pink stuffed kitten so the people in the TARDIS could see it and then dropped it. "Consider the bitch's office ransacked, Rose," she said. "See what I mean. They're not taking this seriously and they're gonna get killed," Jackie said to Pete while Jack, John and Rose laughed. "We're just having a bit of fun, mum. No one knows they're in there," Rose said. River looked at Rory. "Would the bitch have anything to do with the Valeyard or is she just a common or garden bitch?" she said to Rose. "Rose?" the Doctor said to her. "Um...as much as I'd like to say she's the Valeyard's right hand woman, I think Rachel is just a run of the mill bitch and I doubt there's anything in there worth looking at." "Gotcha," River said. "Well…the thought of staying here and ransacking the bitch's office is tempting but we must continue with our mission." Jack, John and Rose laughed while they watched Rory turn and leave the office. "Barking mad, the lot of ya," Jackie said, shaking her head while Rory walked out into the hallway.
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