Until We Burn | Dr Who

Chapter Twelve: Adjustments

In another flash of blue light, we are back on Earth, in the middle of an unmarked street. "Where are we?"

Frowning, Mickey glances around at the buildings that surround us. "We're just off Bloxham Road. We're just round the corner. We did it!"

"Wait a minute," the Doctor quietly warns us before the celebrations can begin.

The ship rises up, higher and higher until it is just a speck in the morning sky.

I pull him into a tight hug, laughing as I hear Mickey and Rose shouting excitedly. We barely have a chance to move apart before Rose tackles me.

"Are there many more out there?" Harriet Jones stares nervously up at the clear sky.

"Oh, not just Sycorax. Hundreds of species, thousands of them. And the human race is drawing attention to itself. Every day, you're sending out probes, messages and signals. This planet's so noisy. You're getting noticed more and more. You'd better get used to it."

A shout catches our attention and Jackie sprints down the street. Holding Rose tightly, she starts to fuss over us. The Doctor beams at her when she finally sees him. "That's all I needed, cup of tea!"

"I said so!"

"And look at him!"

Her smile falters for a moment. "Is it him though? Is it really the Doctor?" But before anyone can answer her, her jaw drops and she practically shrieks, "Oh my God, it's the bleedin' Prime Minister!"

Chuckling, he outstretches out his arms, ready to embrace her. "Come here you."

Someone grabs onto my arm, dragging me into a group hug. Maybe, just maybe, Earth won't be so bad. Not if I have friends like these to make me feel welcome.

Not far away from the street, a tendril of bright green electricity cuts through the sky. Four more appear from different points, all of them joining in a beam of light that tears through the Sycorax ship. It comes apart in a burst of fire and debris.

"What is that? What's happening?"

The Doctor doesn't reply. Instead, he looks to the Prime Minister with fury burning in his eyes. "That was murder."

"That was defence," she retorts. "It's adapted from alien technology, a ship that fell to Earth ten years ago."

"But they were leaving!"

"You said yourself, Doctor, they'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth. I'm sorry, Doctor, but you're not here all the time, you come and go. It happened today. Mr Llewellyn and the Major, they were murdered, they died, right in front of me while you were sleeping. In which case, we have to defend ourselves."

Bit by bit, the anger drains from his face until only betrayal and disappointment remain. "Britain's Golden Age," he spits.

She nods solemnly. "It comes with a price."

"I gave them the wrong warning. I should have told them to run, as fast as they can. Run and hide because the monsters are coming — the human race."

"Those are the people I represent. I did it on their behalf."

"And I should have stopped you."

The woman raises an eyebrow, still standing her ground despite the cold stares all boring into her. She scoffs, "Another alien threat?"

We stand, silent, nervously watching the Doctor approach. "Don't challenge me, Harriet Jones, 'cause I'm a completely new man. I could bring down your government with a single word."