FIC: Tin Men - Chapter 4

[nentari]

Title: Tin Men - Chapter 4
Author: Me
Beta-Reader: alouzon
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2676
Disclaimer: Doctor Who and all its characters belong to the BBC. I own nothing - not even the Fourteenth Doctor.
Summary: Someone is kidnapping the Doctor's former companions. Who is behind all this... and why?

Chapter 4
"'Tobias Vaughn'?" The name meant nothing to Victoria, but it was clear that it struck a chord with Polly. The blonde was frowning, as if trying to remember where she had heard it before.

"That's right, Mrs. Jackson," Mr. Vaughn said encouragingly, a self-satisfied smile still firmly planted on his lips. "You were already working for the Ministry of Defence when Major-General Rutlidge disappeared, weren't you? My company was the world's largest supplier of electronic equipment at the time, so it's only natural you would have heard of me. Of course, you were not in the position you occupy now, so you couldn't know the whole story behind Rutlidge's disappearance, otherwise you would have been told of the involvement of our silvery friends in the whole affair."

"Silvery friends?" Victoria asked, sounding as if she dreaded the answer. "Do you mean the Cybermen were here before?"

"But of course, Mrs. Strachan." The smile grew even wider. "Needless to say, your friend the Doctor took care of them."

"And now you've brought them to Earth again," Polly said with what Victoria felt must be the same level of disgust she herself was feeling.

"Of course not, my dear lady. I'm not foolish enough to commit the same mistake twice."

The two women exchanged confused looks. "Then how...?" Victoria began before being interrupted by Mr. Vaughn.

"Let me keep that as my little secret for now."

"What are you going to do with us?" Victoria asked, trying to sound as bold and self-assured as she could. The two men made her nervous, especially the vicious-looking leather-clad brute, but she wasn't going to let them know it.

"Why, nothing, my dear Mrs. Strachan. Nothing at all." His cheery expression now gave Victoria the impression that he was mocking her, which gave her an almost uncontrollable urge to smack him. Luckily, her sense of self-preservation and her upbringing helped her restrain such urges, and she remained where she stood. "You shall be my guests for as long as necessary; you'll be treated with the utmost courtesy and respect. Of course," he added, "you won't be allowed to leave this room, which I'm sure you understand."

"Until the Doctor comes for us," Polly said confidently.

"But of course."

Victoria gave a dry laugh. "What if he doesn't come?" she asked. "He's been spending a long time..." She paused, trying to find the right word. "...abroad, recently. Who knows if he'll come back in time to suit you?"

"Oh, but he will," Mr. Vaughn said. "I have managed to gain access to reports of his movements, and I know of at least one occasion when he was... abroad," the mocking smile returned in full force, "and UNIT managed to contact him. I have made sure that they will do so again… hopefully we shall hear from him soon." He paused. "If not, then you shall have to stay here for a very long time. But do not worry, Mrs. Jackson," he added, looking at Polly. "I have obtained the services of one of the best obstetricians in the whole of Britain, in case his services are required. Let's hope it won't be necessary, though."

He turned and was about to leave, when he changed his mind. Looking at the two women again, he said, "Now, I am sure you are both very intelligent and resourceful young women. That seems to be a common trait among the Doctor's known associates. In fact, I seem to recall a remarkable young lady who once destroyed one of my most expensive computers just by talking to it." From his tone, he seemed more impressed than annoyed at the incident. "However, I recommend you don't try anything foolish while you are my guests. Not only do you run the risk of encountering a Cyberman if you ever leave this room, but you might also end up running into Packer here. Personally, I would rather take my chances with the Cybermen."

The man he called Packer briefly looked pleased with the compliment, and fixed them with a cold stare. Victoria shuddered, as if she could guess from his expression just what he would do to them if they attempted an escape - and that he was looking forward to it.

"Well, I'm afraid I shall have to leave you for now," Mr. Vaughn continued. "Hopefully this matter shall be over very soon, and you shall be returned to your homes. Come along, Packer." The two men left the cell, the sound of the door being locked quickly following.

***
"I am sorry, Doctor, but I refuse to believe such a preposterous notion." Everybody involved in the case was now inside the TARDIS, where the Doctor had replayed the "cleaned-up" version of the tape.

Ben looked at the others. Most of them seemed as confused and intrigued as Dr. Shaw and Hye. Dodo appeared pale, looking around her with the expression Ben imagined had been on his own face earlier, when he found himself once again inside the TARDIS after all those years. The Brigadier, on the other hand, was reacting to the voice on the tape with disbelief and bafflement.

"Tobias Vaughn is dead," the Brigadier continued. "I saw his 'body' being autopsied."

"I saw it too, Brigadier," the Doctor said. "And I was there when the Cybermen shot him, remember? I know it's impossible for him to still be alive. However, it appears to be the same man in this recording."

"Could it be someone pretending to be him?" Benton asked.

"That's the only logical explanation, Mr. Benton," the Doctor said. "A flawless impersonation, but an impersonation nevertheless."

"For what possible reason?" the Brigadier insisted, struggling to find a reason disproving the evidence.

"So that the Doctor knows where to go?" Dr. Shaw suggested. "The message is quite clear on that matter: 'You know where to find me'. This means your friends are being kept somewhere you're likely to associate with this Vaughn fellow."

The Doctor smiled. "Thank you, Liz. I knew I could count on your to come up with a sensible explanation."

"Yes, that makes sense to me as well," the Brigadier said grudgingly.

"Then where are they keeping Polly?" Ben asked.

"There are two possible places," the Doctor said. "The International Electromatics headquarters here in London, and their compound."

"Actually, it's just the compound now," the Brigadier corrected her. "If you recall, the HQ was auctioned off after Vaughn's death and is now a block of flats."

"That would certainly rule it out, then," Sullivan said. "What about the compound, sir?"

"That, Lieutenant Sullivan, still belongs to IE."

"I thought IE had closed after Vaughn's death," the Doctor commented, intrigued.

"They did, yes. The company was bought by a West German conglomerate, which kept the IE name but shut down all production and sold both the HQ building and the contents of the factory to rival companies, making a fortune in the process. But for some reason the conglomerate's director kept the compound for himself."

"Aye? Now we can see why," Jamie said in that accusatory tone Ben remembered so well.

"Now, Jamie, let's not jump to conclusions," the Doctor said. "Though I have to agree, it all seems to indicate that this individual is the one responsible for our friends being kidnapped." She turned to the Brigadier. "Now, what is the name of the new owner of IE?"

The Brigadier thought about it for a short moment before being forced to admit defeat. "I'm sorry, Doctor, but I have no idea. I know it's German, but apart from that it's slipped my mind. It's been a few years since it all happened, you know."

"That's all right, Brigadier, no need to apologize. You do have it on record, of course."

"Naturally." He turned to Benton. "Sergeant Benton, fetch me the International Electromatics file."

"Right away, sir," Benton said before departing.

"Now then, Doctor," the Brigadier continued, "what are you planning to do now that we have a lead?"

"I thought that would be obvious, Brigadier," she replied. "I shall go to the compound and meet with 'Vaughn'."

"Yes, I thought you might," he gave a resigned sigh. Ben couldn't blame him - whoever had taken Polly and Strachan's wife was clearly playing a dangerous game; even if his Cybermen were fakes, just walking in, ringing the doorbell asking to see him was suicidal, to say the least. However, Ben couldn't think of any other option - and, if this was the only way to get Polly back, then he'd follow the Doctor all the way. "But aren't you overlooking something?" the Brigadier added.

"Like what?" But before he could answer, the Doctor continued, "Apart from the fact that I currently don't look at all like I did in any of my previous visits, I really cannot think of anything."

"Oh." The Brigadier seemed a little taken aback.

"I'm not a fool, Brigadier, as you very well know. And I'm well aware that it will be hard to make the kidnappers realize I am the very person they're looking for. However, I shall have to risk it, for Polly and Victoria's sake."

"Right. Sullivan, get a few men and a chopper."

"Right, sir."

But before Sullivan could leave to follow his instructions, the Doctor stopped him. "Wait, Harry. Brigadier, I think we'd better leave UNIT out of this for now."

"But, Doctor, surely..."

"I know you're planning to provide us with a helicopter as a backup, just as you did last time. But if the kidnapper is familiar with Vaughn's history, as I suspect he might be, then he'll be aware of the way we released Zoe and Isobel and will be prepared for it, at the expense of your pilot - or perhaps Polly and Victoria."

"And we should keep in mind that, so far, we working with nothing but conjecture," Liz added.

"All right, we'll keep the chopper on standby for now. But I want a cordon round that place."

"Provided they'll keep out of sight, I can't see why not," the Doctor said with a nod.

"I still don't like your plan, Doctor," the Brigadier insisted, his voice as clipped as his moustache. "I cannot just let you barge into that place alone."

"She's not going to be alone," Jamie exclaimed in an indignant tone. "I'm going with her."

"If he's going, I'm going," Strachan growled, giving Jamie a dirty look.

This made Ben jump up. "Well, if Polly's there, I ain't gonna be sitting here waiting. Count me in, Doctor."

"I'm coming too," Hye added resolutely.

Everybody was now talking at once. Ben couldn't help but notice that Jamie and Strachan still hadn't taken their eyes off each other and were yelling as if trying to see which of them could shout the loudest. He wondered what on earth was the matter with them.

Suddenly, a booming voice rose above the hub-bub of the others. "All right, that's enough!" the Brigadier bellowed in his best parade ground voice.

There was silence. The Doctor looked at the many eager faces around her. "Thank you, Alistair. That did the trick nicely. Now, I'm sure you all realize I cannot possibly take a large group with me. For one thing, it would look highly suspicious." Jamie looked like he was about to object, but the Doctor continued. "I am counting on 'Vaughn' recognizing Jamie, even if he doesn't recognize me, but it would not be wise to take along anyone else."

Dodo drew in a deep breath and started talking before anyone else could object. "As far as I can see, there is only one way to approach this that will make everybody happy."

"Which is?" the Brigadier asked suspiciously.

"Isn't it obvious? Divide and conquer. We split into small groups, and each group inspects a different facility in the compound while the Doctor tries to talk to the kidnapper."

"Dodo..." the Doctor began.

"No, Miss Chaplet. I cannot possibly agree to that," the Brigadier said.

"I am aware that it's risky, Brigadier, but..."

"It's not just risky, it's suicidal. None of you are in the least qualified for such..."

"Qualified?" Dodo gave a mirthless laugh. "We all have been involved in tighter situations than this - even Polly and Mrs. Strachan themselves, if you think about it. I think we are more qualified for this sort of situation than any of your men."

"But this is absurd. I cannot allow..."

"May I remind you, Brigadier," Dodo interrupted with a hard edge to her voice that Ben had never heard before, "that apart from Sullivan and Strachan, none of us has any connection to UNIT: you have no authority over us, and you cannot order us not to go."

"But I do have the authority to prevent civilians from participating in what might ultimately become a UNIT matter, as I'm sure you're aware of," the Brigadier insisted, but Dodo pretended she didn't hear him.

"And furthermore, I would remind you that I have been given carte blanche by Sir Charles and the Minister of Defence to pursue my own line of investigation, and that if you refuse to cooperate I shall be forced to write a negative report about you - or perhaps even notify Geneva of the situation. Am I making myself clear?"

"Perfectly clear," the Brigadier replied with an icy tone. It seemed that Dodo had struck a nerve.

Ben stared at his friend open-mouthed. He had never seen Dodo like this. Granted, she had become much more assertive since her divorce, but it seemed like she was taking things a bit far at that moment. He could hardly recognize the Dodo he had known for the past nine years.

"Wait, Dodo dear," the Doctor said, the concern in her voice matching just what Ben was feeling. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Do you have anything better in mind, Doctor?" she replied. "I agree with the Brigadier that it's insane for you to go out there on your own, and I agree with you that sending UNIT might be too dangerous until we have a better idea of what the situation is like in there."

"But sending this lot instead isn't dangerous itself?" The Doctor quirked an eyebrow in a doubtful expression.

"The kidnapper seems to know a great deal about your past visits to Earth, including who your friends are. If we are caught, they might just throw us with Polly and Mrs. Strachan, which might work to our advantage."

"You cannot possibly know that," the Doctor insisted. "Vaughn was a ruthless man. If it actually is him, he may very well decide to eliminate anyone else if he can't make immediate use of them."

"Well, it's a risk I'm willing to take," Dodo said resolutely, before turning to the others. "What about you?"

A chorus of affirmatives filled the console room. The Doctor sighed, and braced herself against the control panel, her eyes hidden by her unruly hair.

"Sir," Benton said, entering the TARDIS with a folder in hand. "The file on International Electromatics."

"Yes, thank you, Benton," the Brigadier said, as he took the folder and browsed through it. "Now, let's see. The man who owns the compound is called... Ah, here it is. Heinrich Blockflöte."

Ben laughed. "Sounds like a James Bond villain, mate," he said, elbowing Jamie, who gave him one of his I-have-no-idea-what-you're-talking-about looks.

"Blockflöte?" the Doctor said thoughtfully. Then suddenly, and to everybody's surprise, she burst out laughing.

"Doctor?" Jamie asked.

"Doctor, what's the matter?" Hye approached the Doctor, bafflement all over her face.

The Doctor was trying to regain her composure. "Oh, goodness," she said, still giggling. With a cough, she straightened up. "This is definitely someone who has studied me well," she finally said with a serious tone.

"Why?" the Brigadier prompted.

"Alistair, Alistair..." The Doctor shook her head, smiling widely. "Your men should all study some foreign languages. It might be helpful to them."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Brigadier, that 'blockflöte' is the German word for 'recorder'."