[Harriet Jones Residence]
"Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister," she hears over the line.
She scowls and sinks back into her sofa. "Yes, I know who I am. Who are you?"
"Well, mass murderers tend to remember their titles. This is the Alchemist."
Harriet's breath hitches. She says nothing, waiting for the Time Lady to continue.
"I'm sure you saw what happened. The U.S. President is dead—my fault. I should've stopped him sooner. I won't explain what really happened. The news lies, of course.
"I'm here to talk about Canary Wharf, and you will listen until I'm done. That was all Torchwood One. Yvonne Hartman? Surely you remember her. You contacted her directly to request a weapon they stripped from another alien ship they shot down after it entered their airspace—allegedly."
The Alchemist's tone darkens.
"Did you know they kept the Jathaa alive? Experimented on them until they died—painfully, bleeding out—then autopsied their corpses. I've read almost everything Torchwood documented. At first, they planned to dissect them alive. Later, they decided against it. How merciful.
"The Jathaa apologized in the transcripts I found. Repeatedly. Their navigational display malfunctioned. They meant to land on Mars. Scientists—curious about why the Martians left. That's all."
"That's not my..." Harriet starts, but the Alchemist cuts her off.
"Isn't it, though? You could've informed the Queen the moment you found out Torchwood was still operational," she scoffs, "Instead, you leaned on them. You ordered the massacre of a clan of enslaved aliens—who were simply going home to a planet that already knew about Earth."
"They knew about us, and you didn't stop them?" Harriet's voice trembles with disbelief.
The Alchemist scoffs, "Stop them for what reason? You remember the Titanic nearly crashing into Buckingham Palace? The Doctor and I were the ones who stopped it. That ship was an intergalactic cruise liner. They were just visiting.
"Sol Three—Earth—is under the Shadow Proclamation's protection. It's off-limits. No interference allowed. The Sycorax Emperor joined the Proclamation over 170 years ago. They follow the law. Earth is a Level Five planet. Level Five and below must evolve without interference."
"Then why do they come at all!?" Harriet explodes, "If that's the law, Alchemist, they shouldn't be allowed near Earth!"
"Why did you send probes to Mars?" the Alchemist replies, dryly, "Why did America and the USSR race to space and the moon? It wasn't just politics. What was it?"
Harriet sighs, "Curiosity. They're curious."
"Exactly, Jones. NASA named their Mars rover just that. 'Curiosity,'" the Time Lady says quietly, "The Doctor and I have protected this planet in the shadows for centuries. And we still do. I'm officially listed as UNIT's Second Director. The Doctor is my Scientific Advisor and ''accomplice' on some files. They've always had a direct line to us. And until recently, they used it.
"If UNIT or Lilibet—excuse me—the Queen.... had contacted me, I would've answered. Even mid-Regeneration, I would've helped. My husband would've recovered safely while I worked. The call routes directly to my mobile."
Harriet swallows hard, "I should've ordered UNIT to reach you. I didn't think you were real. I didn't think the Queen knew how. I thought Code 10, Code 11... that it was a farce. And then... the Royal Family was on the roof, and we were summoned to the ship."
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Eyes of Time: The Final Line ✓
FanfictionThe Alchemist knows that Time has consequences. Now having Regenerated with her Bondmate, the Doctor, both Time Lords have to confront the repercussions of Rose Tyler's actions. The question is, when will that payment fully come due? They received o...
