Brother of Kasterborous Chapter 15, a Doctor Who + Harry Potter Crossover fanfic

Chapter 15

Harry Potter leaned back in the chair having just accessed the contents of the hypercube.

He had been somewhat unprepared for the telepathic emotions that had been encoded into the hypercube's matrix. The anxiety and frustration present in Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's account of what he had experienced had been exceptionally present.

From his recounting of the situation, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart had correctly identified that there was evidence of mental manipulation. He was also accurate that this is not something that 'the Master' could do. Mass mental manipulation was something even few Time Lords could perform. Even great Time Lord criminals like Salyavin could not perform such feats.

From his recount this certainly suggested interference by something above Earth's current status as a level 5 civilisation.

It was curious, where his brother had travelled to, with Jo Grant as well. His TARDIS immobilised and his knowledge of time travel theory removed would mean he would have very few avenues of travel with it. He might be able to force a passage through space or through dimensions as he had previously done. There was, Harry realised another possibility that Narvin had alluded to. That the CIA or another clandestine part of Capitol was using his brother's skills to remotely manipulate events outside of their direct purview. If it was this...Harry mused ruefully, he doubted his brother would be happy if, or more likely when he eventually found out.

None of this mattered for the immediate moment, he had given Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart the hypercube for an event such as this, and he would return to Earth and assist him and his organisation.

Walking over to the console he began inputting the coordinates for Earth.

"The investigation of Ortan will have to wait," he said to himself and Marie. "But, remind me Marie, after this, I wish to investigate his death."

"Understood Harry," she said, she did not manifest herself in the control room, but her voice came around him.

As he set the coordinates his hand hovered over the final temporal a finer spacial coordinates. "Marie, how long to perform a detailed transdimensional analysis of a location?"

Marie appeared within the control room. "Depending on the location approximately 8 standard Earth hours."

Harry looked over at her, as she'd already realised where he wanted her to go.

There was still significant Artron energy leakage; evidence of a TARDIS being controlled remotely without using the correct equipment Harry assumed as Marie attempted to materialise in Earth's orbit.

Adjusting the temporal and spacial coordinates to the location Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart had for the 'Inferno project' Marie successfully materialised.

Walking within Marie's dimensions Harry dressed as he had more of less when they had been in the Third Zone, it seemed appropriate clothing when Marie and him had been clandestinely observing there. He also located a small satchel, filling it with a variety of devices that he hoped would allow him to investigate Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's problem. At least until Marie could attend as well.

"I could travel back and then forward to accompany you in your investigations," Marie offered as he entered the control room.

Harry shook his head. "I want a thorough analysis of this site without your vortex spores skewing the data Marie."

"I am capable of isolating any of that data," Marie sounded almost affronted by his suggestion.

"Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was disturbed, and used to a single Time Lord," Harry paused within the control room as he strapped the staser under his shoulder, there it would be more hidden while he was out in a level 3 civilisation and stepped outside Marie. "He also seemed somewhat awed by you."

Marie didn't say anything, but there was a hint of amusement in her expression.

"No weapons Marie, if there's any soldiers, deal with them diplomatically. We know of UNIT and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart," Harry said as Marie's clothes shifted to a uniform similar to that of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

"Of course."

Harry lingered for a moment and looked at Marie, "Investigating how my brother managed to cross universes and why this location might be significant isn't...problematic?" Harry began. He had worried transversing the dimensional divide might have been for Marie, but he was within her dimensions then.

"No," she said in a calm tone. "You needlessly concern yourself Harry."

"Better I do than for you to plummet into..." Harry trailed off, lacking the lexicon with which he wished to describe his concern, for a sentient TARDIS' psychology.

"Investigating here will provide clarity for the recent venture into that other universe, further data is always useful," Marie said after a brief moment's pause.

Harry looked at her for a moment and then nodded. Breathing in the cool morning's air as he pictured UNIT HQ in his mind and disappeared with the briefest implosion of air.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart nodded to Corporal Bell as she handed him the previous day's reports. "Nothing interesting Corporal?"

"Captain Yates has been successful with the recruits, he's finishing off delivering the paper work and will be back tomorrow. Sergeant Benton is continuing drills today."

"No sign of the Doctor?" He asked.

Corporal Bell shook her head. "His lab was checked last night after you left and this morning when I opened up, nothing's been disturbed sir."

"Very good Corporal," he weighted the reports. "More paperwork," he shook his head.

Alistair had just made himself a mug of tea, the tea lady was on her rostered day off, and sat down at his desk when there was a knock on the door. It wasn't of the rhythm that anyone under his command used. He got to know these things in a command like UNIT. Nor was it how Miss Grant or the Doctor would knock. The latter just walked in.

"Come," he said in a loud voice.

The door opened to reveal the Doctor's brother, dressed surprisingly appropriately, very much unlike his brother. A satchel over his back as though he had just ridden in on motorcycle.

"Please, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, we should sit," Harry Potter gestured to the side of his office where his guest chairs sat. "I received your hypercube."

Alistair walked around his desk to sit opposite him. "Do you want me to tell you about it all...?"

Harry Potter shook his head, "Sit, please, and relax."

"You're not going to use some technological stuff, the Doctor's got plenty in his lab," he started to say.

Harry Potter shook his head. "Technological means are one way of determining mental manipulation, and perhaps, were my brother here, that is the path he would wish to pursue."

"But you are not your brother, your TARDIS, Marie wasn't it? Not with you?" That TARDIS, that woman had been intriguing, that the Doctor's box could be that and then Harry Potter travelled in that, she, it...was intriguing.

Harry Potter shook his head. "I have left her investigating something now, relax."

Alistair felt a gentle force pushing him back into the chair, it didn't feel like it was pushing any one part of him, just that he was being gently pushed back into the soft furnishing of the chair, attempting to ignore this he tried to relax as he felt a pressure within his head and looked over at Harry Potter, who had his eyes closed.

"There is a...a barrier, within your mind, nothing I've encountered before..." he was saying to himself. "Complex and organic, it...it's selective, certain events within your mind have been occluded from your waking mind."

Alistair furrowed his brow in frustration. "Come again?"

"Your memories are still intact, but they have been..." Harry Potter was stopped as the phone rang.

"Sorry," Alistair began but Harry Potter was shaking his head.

"You have your organisation still to run Brigadier, I understand," his tone was understandingly mature. Completely unlike the Doctor were a situation like this to have presented itself in his presence, he would have demanded the utmost attention.

Answering the phone he looked over at the young man. "Yes, get two squads of men Benton, of course we'll be investigating, we just have to be on our toes this time." He looked over at Harry Potter who was sitting ever so calmly, but there was a slight tension to his body that he didn't quite recognise, but he felt he understood, ever so slightly. "There's been another attack, we're heading out there now, I was wonder if-"

"Yes, Brigadier, I will accompany you, I think it would be enlightening to witness these energies for myself."

Harry Potter followed the Brigadier out of his office. He had seen other things within his mind; that he did not require his full title and name as a form of address; 'Brigadier' or 'Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart' were acceptable. Just like Quences Harry supposed. And that the Brigadier seemed conflicted over his own name, a conflict as to whether to call him 'Mr Potter'. The mister, some form of salutation Harry supposed.

"Sergeant Benton this is Harry Potter," he paused addressing the younger soldier who snapped into an attentive pause. "The Doctor's brother, he will be providing us with assistance as the Doctor's no where to be found."

Harry nodded to the soldier and looked to the Brigadier.

"You'll come with me Mr P-"

"Just call me Harry Brigadier," he said to the Brigadier.

Said man looked relieved for a moment and then worried.

"I know my brother likes alternative names," Harry paused looking to him. "but you seem conflicted over mine. Harry is fine," Harry said as he got up into the dull green vehicle with 'UNIT' emblazoned on the side of the vehicle.

The Brigadier looked to him and nodded briefly. "Very good" he paused "Harry."

Harry observed as the Brigadier conveyed the vehicle through the lands near by to UNIT headquarters. It was interesting, to be on a planet with such a blue sky and fields of green.

He almost felt an odd connection with it that he couldn't quite pin down in his mind. It wasn't like the connection with his home on Gallifrey, here, it was an almost alien connection. Something foreign; clawing at his psyche; pursuing. He disliked it and doubled his efforts to shield his mind from any intrusions.

Shortly, or at least, judging by the position of the sun in the sky it had not been long a journey, they arrived at their destination.

It was a small village, set into a valley between two raised mounds, not exactly hills but certainly raised up a short distance away from where they had arrived. But that wasn't what gathered his intrigue.

"Now, that is interesting," Harry said as he craned to look out of the forward windows of the vehicle he was in with the Brigadier.

"That's just the start of it Harry," he paused and looked to him and nodded.

Harry opened the door to the vehicle and walked cautiously around the vehicle as the Brigadier's men followed suit, although only the Brigadier joined him by his side.

It felt...interesting and foreign. Foreign to almost anything he'd felt in this time period on Earth.

Up in the bright blue sun drenched sky was a dark void with what appeared to be a snake slithering its way out of a skull. It was an indeterminate amount of distance in the sky.

"Not a hologram," Harry murmured to himself as he tilted his head, to look at it from a different angle.

"Benton, where are the locals?" The Brigadier was demanding of his sergeant.

"Sir, I...I'm not sure, the local police were going to meet us here," Benton reported.

"Well, take some men and find them," the Brigadier ordered. "Any thoughts Harry? About that especially?" His voice was filled with dread.

Harry looked from him up to the sky and slowly let some of his mental defences down, it was then that he felt the dread that was present in the Brigadier's voice, a creeping cold fear.

"Concentrate on your training Brigadier, whatever that is, can't harm you," Harry calmly said to the human soldier.

"You're sure of that are you?" His voice full of edge and very little else.

"Relatively sure, I-" Harry began.

"Brigadier sir, we found the villagers, and the local police," Sergeant Benton said as he came running back to them.

"Well, where are they Sergeant-?" The Brigadier began.

Harry turned around from watching the skull in the sky to where Sergeant Benton was running back to them from.

Behind him were a group of people, holding farming implements; dazed expressions on their faces.

And then he felt it; before anything actually hit them he was grabbing the Brigadier and gesturing with his hand and mind to Sergeant Benton, throwing him and the men with him behind the UNIT vehicles.

"What the devil?" The Brigadier said as he crashed down beside Harry as an energy blast flew past them.

"Felt it Brigadier," Harry thought quickly, that level of energy transference was too high for a level 5 planet, but as the Brigadier and his brother had explained UNIT dealt with the 'unexplained', to humans at least.

There was something familiar though as he crept around the vehicle to extract his satchel from within.

Another beam of energy was flung from a short distance away, it struck one of the soldiers, making him freeze solid, fall and shatter. Harry stared with shock and curiosity.

"Covering fire!" Harry heard the Brigadier call as he removed his satchel.

Crouching and keeping himself covered he wondered how much protection UNIT's vehicles might offer to him, given the power of their-

A thud distracted him in his thoughts as another of the energy beams the...

"Psychic wavelengths discharges..." Harry whispered to himself, like the last time he'd been on Earth, aside from when he'd visited his brother previously.

Harry shook his head, trying to keep his mind clear from stray thoughts and looked up at the skull in the sky. That was the first thing he would need to deal with, it was definitely affecting the Brigadier's soldiers and their ability to perform their defensive tasks.

One problem at a time, working through each problem with method and clear understanding of goals. Don't flit around trying to do everything at once, you'll end up like a headless pigbear, as his mother used to say.

"Brigadier," Harry rummaged through his satchel until his hand found purchase on what he desired. Whatever it was in the sky had to have something sustaining it, he would need to disrupt the energy, without rising up into the sky.

"Harry, anything you can do to-" The Brigadier began.

Harry cut him off. "I need one of your soldiers to shoot this" Harry held up the gravity globe as an energy blast when past them and hit one of the villagers; a green glow enveloped one of them and they collapsed.

"What is it?"

"A gravity globe," Harry said as he reached into it, adjusting its intensity, enough that when overloaded it should pull everything in as the gravity generators overloaded. He recalled Savar telling him of something similar that he'd done during his searches for Ohm during one of his more honest tellings of his explorations away from Gallifrey.

"Jenkins," the Brigadier waved to a soldier who was behind them sheltering by another of the vehicles.

"When it happens Brigadier, you will need to signal to your men to hold on to something solid," Harry said carefully, just in case they were being observed.

The Brigadier looked at him and nodded.

"Sir?" Jenkins queried.

"Harry, tell Jenkins here when he needs to do."

Harry looked to the soldier who was readying his weapon. "When I throw his into the sky you will need to shoot this area," Harry gestured in the centre of the gravity globe.

"Yes sir, I understand," Jenkins said.

Harry smiled, "and you will need to brace yourself,"

Alistair watched as Harry seemed to inflate what looked like a jelly fish and threw it into the air.

Just as he stood up and threw it Alistair saw, or rather felt the fizzing in the air of the energy weapon coming right at Harry's back, he was just about to leap forward when something remarkable happened, and then he heard a shot from Jenkins' gun and everything seemed to go strange for a moment.

As Harry stood up from his crouched position and threw the gravity globe up he felt it; a beam of energy coming towards his back.

To try and construct a psychic shield in the short time that it would take to strike him would likely be unsuccessful, instead he pulled up with his telekinetic senses, pulling up the loose gravel of the road surface in front of the energy beam to form a physical barrier from it.

Then as Jenkins' shot found purchase on the gravity globe Harry felt his body and the barrier being pulled upwards.

Harry let the barrier of loose gravel and dust be pulled up; and then as it came falling back to the ground directed in, with some effort as towards where he'd last felt the energy beam come from.

And then he pulled the Brigadier back down behind cover, he appeared to have been pulled into a standing position as the gravity globe had exploded.

"How the devil," Alistair began. "I felt-" then something exploded behind them, it was in the direction of the fire they'd been taking but...

"That's something new, someone else has joined the fight Brigadier," Harry said as he looked around them, seemingly realising something as the vehicle took another hit, this time smashing the windows as another shot flew over them.

"Feels like we're in a crossfire sir," Jenkins commented he took the opportunity of the now shattered windows to use as cover to shoot through both sides of the vehicle to whoever was damn well shooting at them.

Chancing a look into the sky Alistair saw it was thankfully clear.

"Hopefully you and your men should be-" Harry was cut off as something exploded in front of the, blasting himself, Harry and Jenkins into and away from the jeep.

For a moment Alistair felt himself out in the open, only to be dragged back into cover by an unknown force along the ground. He saw Harry, seemingly pulling with fists; beads of sweat on his forehead.

"We need to protect ourselves," Harry was saying. "It feels like there's two groups."

"Engaging with one another, yeah, I feel that," Jenkins commented, he'd taken his position back by the window.

"Indeed, any more ideas Harry?" Alistair asked, but Harry seemed to already be doing something with the glass that had fallen from the jeep. Alistair felt himself wanting the warn, what appeared to be younger man of the glass, but knew he wasn't what he appeared. But also; he wasn't touching the glass, he was just raising his hand as the small pieces and shards raised from the ground, hovering.

The glass wasn't crystalline, but it did have some refractive abilities, with the dust around them...Harry thought quickly as he tried to consider a solution. This was beyond what he had studied on Hyspero. But not outside it, forming energy with his mind was one thing in a mediative environment, it was entirely another when he was being shot at.

Lifting up the shards of glass he carefully held them with his mind and crushed the shards into smaller pieces.

They would need to regroup and assess the situation, there were clearly two groups firing blasts of energy at one another. He had reappraised the situation, wondering if these could be psychic energy blasts; they were very tight beams, which suggested a focusing device.

"Bring your mean in closer Brigadier, I think I can-" Harry had to drop the glass pieces and push the Brigadier out of the way as he saw a beam of energy flaring towards them.

Holding up his hand he felt the energies travelling towards them and concentrated, inverting the local space and sent it in a long arc away from them, it looked like it hit something in cover.

The energy felt the same, now that he, instead of hiding from it felt it directly, felt and manipulated it directly. As he had when he had encountered the vortisaur-sized creature.

Tight focuses energy beams.

But given Earth's development into a level 4 or 5 planet...these beams and energy should not have developed or if they had, to become this focused, they should be far more common. But the Brigadier didn't know anything of this...which suggested...Harry stopped himself, he needed to remain focused for the moment and pulled the crushed glass pieces up into a ball.

"I will protect a small area around us Brigadier, I hope that the two parties will battle one another, without our interference," he finally said as he drew a small arc around them to the other side of the vehicle, forming the glass and dust up and linking it, anchoring it back to the vehicle they were crouched around. Slowing the connections of energy and determinism connected and then, a physical-psychic shield of dust and glass encompassed them.

Harry fell against the wheel of the vehicle, feeling unconsciousness coming as he realised a little too late he had over taxed his abilities.

"The shield will last for several hours Brigadier," Harry began as the Brigadier's face swam into view.

"What if we need to escape Harry-"

Harry shook his head as he could feel a dull pain within his mind forming and blossoming and he let his unconscious mind control the psychic field. "Anchored to this vehicle, move it and will, collapse." Then unconsciousness claimed him.

Alistair looked to the young man, whose forehead and hair was matted with sweat, but his chest was rising and falling with some regularity. Whatever, this shield seemed to be working, whatever, whoever was shooting as around around them seemed to be shooting at them a lot less.

Meanwhile...across the valley from the UNIT group, Caradoc Dearborn stared with open mouth wonder as he and Alice continued to throw spells towards the Death Eaters who'd cast the Dark Mark over the town.

The muggles they'd thought had been defenceless to the Death Eaters' Dark Mark, Alice had needed to sort out these army people before, at Dumbledore's advice. They couldn't have the muggles sticking their noses into a wizarding conflict, it was dangerous enough as it was.

"Caradoc" His mirror whispered, pulling it out he saw Fabian Prewett on the small mirror. "Dumbledore says to set antiapparition wards," his tone changed slightly, "he says the muggles will have their memories modified later." His tone was one of distaste, Caradoc knew that, the modifying of memories was a necessary evil, doing so occasionally to a muggle was all part of being a wizard. But these 'UNIT' soldiers some of whom had attended several instances of Death Eaters' activities had needed to have their memories modified on numerous occasions. Moody had insisted they had to remove all the bodies they'd collected as well. The statute of secrecy.

"Fine," Caradoc said, he wasn't willing to try and explain to Fabian, who'd have to pass on the information to Dumbledore that the muggles seemed fine on their own. They definitely had a wizard helping them, who else could create such a protective shield around the muggles?

A sensation fell to the ground beside him, but didn't remove the cloak that was obscuring her form. "Finished setting the wards, should we fire something dangerous over their heads to tempt them?" The voice of Alice Longbottom asked as she pulled off the heavy invisibility cloak.

"Better, otherwise we'll-" Caradoc paused as a spell hit the muggle's shield, seemingly splitting off into parts of light and magic, partially flying over their heads.

"Be here for a long time, watching whoever's spell that is," she said looking across at the muggles' protective spell.

"Couple of big spells," Caradoc said as he began casting in tight movements, aiming at where he thought the Death Eaters were.

"Countdown to zero?" Alice asked as she went through her own casting motions.

"Gotcha, sure," he nodded.

There was suddenly a burst a noise and colour over their heads and a noise of something wet exploding. Alistair motioned his men around in the direction of the noise, but they couldn't see much, just brief glimpses through the dust and glass pieces that Harry had set up around them.

Although the younger man was still unconscious against the wheel of the jeep; his face though was one of concentration.

Caradoc looked across past the muggles, his omnioculars unable to penetrate whatever protecting spell or charm it was. His and Alice's spells had found rather explosive purchase on the Death Eaters, the others panicking and seemingly splinching themselves as well, hopefully catastrophically. He could just about see the swirl of a portkey.

"Come on, let's go make our report Alice."

-/ - \\-

Harry woke up, in his bed, within his room in Marie. He didn't recall Marie materialising, in fact the last thing he recalled was falling unconscious from...it all seemed a little hazy.

Rising from the bed, he paused, something felt...off, different, he wasn't sure if it was his psychic abilities, but something was...he wasn't sure. Sitting up he wrinkled his nose at the smell, one he was familiar with, from his hikes up Mount Cadon, and from his voyages out with his brother into the Drylands, back when his brother still wanted someone to accompany him, before he'd found the Outsiders to regale his tales to.

While cleansing was certainly the first thing that he considered, for now he required information; as to how long he had been unconscious; there were still questions and concerns, especially regarding the Brigadier and those under his command.

Walking into the control room he looked around; trying to direct his senses around, it felt like...it felt like...Harry almost cursed Rassilon out loud, there was something on the edge of his perception that he couldn't quite associate with that was beyond his comprehension. Approaching the console he activated the scanner. It showed one of the rooms of UNIT HQ, a woman was sat working at one of the desks; occasionally she would look in the scanner, and therefore Marie's direction before returning to her tasks.

"Marie," Harry said, his voice harsh, despite knowing he had rested for a lengthy amount of time he still felt tired.

Marie's visage appeared in the control room, her body language one of concern. "You have awoken Harry."

Harry nodded. "How long?"

"I altered the passage of time within my dimensions against that of the exterior to ensure you could be rested," she replied.

Harry nodded and realised it was this disconnection of temporal perception that was confusing his sensors. "That was...perceptive that you considered I would need rest and to assist the Brigadier," Harry began. "How much time in Earth standard has passed?"

"You have rested for 6 standard hours, since I arrived at UNIT HQ 2 hours have passed." Marie reported.

Harry nodded. "Return the relative dimensions to their standard Marie, I will cleanse and then assist the Brigadier, there are still questions here on Earth."

Harry walked past Marie who was still projected within the control room.

"I merely altered the relative dimensions to assist for the mission," Marie began, and for the first time there was an emotive tone to her voice, of concern.

Harry nodded. "I know, I felt something was amiss when I awoke, I couldn't associate what." Harry looked to her and smiled. "It is good you did so Marie, just..." he trailed off.

Marie studied him for a the briefest fraction of a microspan. "Understandable Harry, your psychic and temporal perceptions lay above that of a standard Time Lord." Then she disappeared.

Corporal Bell looked across the room again, there was a woman stood there. She was wearing a UNIT uniform, but she wasn't a member of UNIT. Carol Bell knew everyone who came in and out of this UNIT HQ. That woman over there was none of them.

Yet...something about her made her think that she wasn't there. Not that she couldn't be seen, she knew that woman was there, she could see her. No, it was something else, something...just out of the corner of her eye. When she looked over at the woman she was definitely there.

Supposedly she'd retrieved Harry Potter, the young man who'd worked with the Brigadier.

The Brigadier hadn't said more, from what she'd understood Harry Potter had been lying on the couch that the woman was now stood to the side of, waiting for medical assessment after the Brigadier had returned.

The phone rang in front of her. "Bell, yes sir, I just heard from the morgue, they're just locking away the bodies now, yes sir, Captain Yates is organising a 24 hour watch on the morgue as you ordered," she paused and looked over at the woman. "No change sir no, should I-" she was cut off. "Yes sir, I understand," she put down the phone.

'He'll come out when he's ready.'

Come out of where? Carol wondered looking over at the woman, she had, she was relatively sure red hair and a serious expression, a seriously neutral expression. She didn't seem to be looking at anything, like she was aggressively not looking at anything. She seemed to be focused on the wall on the other side of the room.

No, now that she forced herself to study the woman, she wasn't looking at the wall, it was like she was studying the middle of the room, like she could focus on the middle distance and hold her attention on that.

Carol wanted to think of this woman as a statue, that she was something static like that, but she wasn't. Carol knew this, her sense, the analytical part of her mind said that, this woman was something else, something...something she couldn't quite decide what it was.

Carol didn't feel danger per se being present in the room with this individual, it wasn't like what some of the UNIT training manuals said, that with some aliens you knew they were dangerous. All of your senses, that primal part of your mind screamed at you that they were dangerous.

That was part of her job, recognising those signs, that was in part why UNIT soldiers had such a high fail rate. Some people, in fact a lot of people, even career soldiers just couldn't handle UNIT's activities, they laid so far outside when normal humans, or even regular soldiers dealt with they only had a few books on the subject. Geneva was constantly trying to work out how to prepare the various UNIT HQs for this and failing most of the time, and it was what the regular army didn't understand, it wasn't just about firing a gun at something. It was not running screaming and shouting away into the forest after seeing an orange spaghetti monster or green slime that turns people into primordial were-people.

So when the woman, who wasn't a woman split in half an hour or so later Corporal Carol Bell didn't shout, and she definitely would never scream, she just picked up a phone for the Brigadier and informed him that Harry Potter had 'emerged'.

Alistair strode into the staff offices outside his own office where not two hours ago he'd laid down Harry Potter on the sofa there and gone to see about a doctor when he'd encountered Marie walking purposefully into his HQ, seemingly unchallenged.

She had said almost nothing to him as he'd walked with her and then in a blink of an eye she'd picked up Harry and he'd disappeared.

"Go about your duties Brigadier, Harry will recover."

That was all she'd said, it hadn't contained any malice, or concern it was simply an instruction. It had taken him a moment to remember that he'd stood within the woman.

Now said woman was still stood off to one side, while Harry was talking with Corporal Bell, a mug of tea and a plate of biscuits between them.

"Brigadier, I hope you are alright after our encounter," Harry Potter greeted him.

"Harry, you're the one I am concerned about, you did black out," Alistair gestured towards his office door and watched with some amusement as Harry looked between the door and his mug of tea.

"Take it with you Harry," Corporal Bell said with a smile, which would be a first, it had taken the Doctor almost three months and Corporal Bell had only just started to warm to his requests.

Carol Bell watched the younger man follow the Brigadier into his office. He was such a nice man, especially compared to the brusk Doctor. Carol looked over at what Harry had come out of. Marie. Harry had explained her ambivalence concerning her.

'Certain individuals, those with higher than normal perception can see around or through a perception field, it's like...something that makes you not want to look at Marie, it's a good thing Carol.' He'd been so calm, almost delighted in explaining it to her. She'd brought out her good biscuits for him while he enjoyed the UNIT tea.

There was a passion and delight in the younger man's body language and voice as he spoke to her, and even as he drank his tea. It was nothing that she'd really seen in the Doctor, not that she spent a lot of time around the pompous man. Jo Grant spent most of her time as his assistant to him, and she was welcome to that man.

Alistair sat down at his desk as Harry took the opposite chair. "You've enamoured yourself with Corporal Bell very quickly Harry. She doesn't break out the good biscuits for anyone."

Harry sipped his tea, seemingly pausing in thought. "The 'hobnob' reminded me something of a treat my mother would give myself and my brother," he paused and smiled. "Something my father had retrieved for her and us."

Alistair tried to contain his surprised interest. The Doctor never spoke of his father or mother. But it seemed in the silence that he had taken for his surprise that was enough to break Harry's reminisces.

"I hope all of your men returned from the village Brigadier," Harry was now asking.

Alistair shook his head. "Not entirely Harry, some minor injuries, but some...just blown away, dead with no external signs of injury."

"Any signs of internal displacement?" Harry asked immediately, his tone one of...not exactly curiosity, but a grim inquiry, very much like the Doctor. It was an alien response to discovery of death so close, not the way most people would react; that would be to apologise or some such.

"Signs of what?" Alistair looked to him.

Harry took a sip of his tea in between his question. "Has UNIT encountered projected energy weapons before?"

Alistair frowned, he had heard of the phrasing before. "Energy weapons, ray weapons?" He nodded. "As far back as the Counter-Measures," he pondered. "Early probably, you think that's what killed my men?"

Harry shook his head. "Even the most advanced energy weapons leave a trace beyond what can be seen Brigadier, but..."

The younger man trailed off in thought, just like the Doctor, Alistair knew what to do in this situation. "But Harry?" He prompted.

"But something about what we encountered doesn't feel like energy weapons, regardless energy weapons should be beyond this planet's current level of technology," he pondered.

"Unless it's salvaged alien technology," Alistair prompted. The likes of Torchwood had been dabbling with alien technology long before UNIT became an international force.

"Perhaps, but adapting technology to work with native technology is not perfect, you're just as likely to blow yourselves up attempting something like that, history has many examples of outcomes like that."

Alistair decided to change topic, Harry seemed as liable as the Doctor to get caught running off on a tangent. "What about our memories Harry, that was what you were going to try and deal with before all of this."

He drained his mug of tea, placing the empty mug onto an empty part of his desk. "Yes, I thought we might wait and see if they return and confront them."

"Confront them? The people who hid our memories?" Alistair sat up a little straighter looking at the younger man. "How do you know they won't try to kill us like they did my men?"

Harry fixed him with a look. "After I projected the shield I had some time to consider the events around us."

"You were unconscious weren't you?" Alistair asked, watching him.

Harry smiled at him. "I allowed my unconscious mind to maintain the shield along familiar psychic wavelengths and shut down most of my sensory perceptions, so I could take in events on a psychic level."

Alistair nodded even though most of it sounded like bafflegab.

"I sensed two distinct groups," Harry began.

"We recognised this too Harry, after you fell unconscious," Alistair paused and gave Harry a look. "Or whatever it was you did. One group was firing on us and over the other side of the valley, the other didn't seem to be firing on us. You think it's that group that altered our memories?"

Harry nodded. "I think so."

"And the altering of memories?" Alistair asked.

Harry leaned back into his chair. "Protection perhaps? Hiding memories can be effective at protecting oneself, but not the most effective method. Our people tend to employ a variety of methods, but none so..."

"Crude?" Alistair tried.

"Invasive Brigadier. Memory can be a powerful thing when harnessed" he looked at him calmly. "You have managed with careful recording of events to signal the obfuscation of your memory. The power of the mind should not be overlooked."

"So what do we do, just wait for them to alter our memories?" Alistair tried.

Harry looked to him and to the door, a moment later Marie walked in. "Marie. Scenario; beings with memory modification abilities seek to return, we wish to confront them."

Alistair watched as Marie, Harry's TARDIS a concept he still could only barely wrap his head around seemed to pause briefly. "With or without interference."

"As little interference from us Marie, I already know how many laws I'm bending to be here," Harry muttered and then looked to him. "You called for my help Brigadier, I gave you the method to do so, especially as my brother is not here. I am within the law to be present," Harry explained. "Mostly."

"Mostly Harry?" Alistair quirked a smile.

Harry tilted his head in thought. "I can't give you advanced weapons for example, but I can assist you as myself."

"And that other universe? You gave me an advanced weapon then." Alistair tried, curious about this Time Lord law that the Doctor rarely spoke of.

"Extenuating circumstances, we were in another universe," Harry answered almost immediately as though he was anticipating the question.

"Isolate your troops away from this facility based approximately on when the last attack occurred. Harry can accompany you Brigadier to protect you from the assailants." Marie suddenly spoke.

"And the evidence, we can't just move everyone in the morgue," Alistair began.

"And I can only realistically be on one location at one time," Harry began. "And I do not wish for Marie to operate with your men for now Brigadier," Harry said in a final tone as he looked at Marie and then back to him. "Does UNIT have any stun weapons?"

"Some electroshock weaponry that Geneva thinks might be better than our current weapons."

"Your tone does not suggest effectiveness," Marie spoke to him, Alistair had almost forgotten she was in the room with them.

"UNIT faces many incidences and enemies, plenty have been impervious to bullets, why would stun weapons fix that?" He wondered, he had said the same in Geneva. They needed more effective weaponry, not stun weapons. But Geneva had insisted that they try a diplomatic solution. They were an intelligence taskforce not a band of troops. That was something the Doctor liked to remind him of, in much more florid terms.

"My expertise does not lie in weapons technology Brigadier, but," Harry paused and looked to Marie. "I think we can assist with your electroshock weapon, to make it effective to incapacitate an intruder, in line with technological development and perhaps my brother's assistance."

"And this wouldn't violate your Time Lord laws?" Alistair asked.

Harry was silent for a moment. "Not exactly."

Special interpretations of the Laws of Time, Non-Interference and associated laws of travel and interaction by Time Lords in the process of research and investigation.

Was a particularly lengthy portion of study that all students take in the process of their study at the academy. The subsequent, and much more older, though not ancient laws concerning responding the distress calls and other subclauses most did not consider to take. Harry however had, for their history component, far less for their relation to the law.

That he had given the Brigadier the means to contact him wasn't really covered in the law exactly. The Brigadier had the means to contact a Time Lord to request help, therefore he was in a position to accept assistance.

The particulars of why and how he came to be able to ask for assistance from a Time Lord was more complicated and not something that would be asked. In most cases that he knew of, unless he caused a major temporal event, or got directly involved, affecting events as his brother had done, Harry was relatively sure nothing would come of his assistance.

It was not interference.

Harry watched Marie alter the Brigadier's electroshock weapons, he had insisted that she manipulate them in the real world, not within her systems. He needed to make sure the assistance rendered could be affected by an individual native to this era, or perhaps his brother, even with the knowledge of time travel hidden by the Time Lords he would still affect assistance.

Harry knew enough concerning devices such as this, but not enough to create an effective weapon.

Looking beyond Marie to the window, he could see the sun approaching the horizon.

The Brigadier had allowed him to delve into his mind, enough to attempt to determine when his memory was modified, and it seemed he had enough time to record details of what occurred but not enough to depart from UNIT HQ. This pointed to a evening incursion.

Removing the memory blocks would take time and quiet, which at the moment they did not have the luxury to afford. Harry considered he could have taken the Brigadier, Sergeant Benton and Captain Yates into Marie and placed her in a temporal orbit before returning. But aside from the legal implications, that would needlessly complicate matters.

He hoped a diplomatic solution existed for these events.

"You will accompany Sergeant Benton and Captain Yates to the morgue to stun whoever arrives?" Harry asked Marie.

She paused briefly in her work, though Harry knew it was a gesture, rather than a need. "And your weapon Harry?"

Harry's hand went to the staser he had hidden, set to stun. "If I can't control the situation. I hope the outcome is diplomacy," he said. "My analysis of the attack suggested they would kill if they could. Thus, it must be the others who occluded the Brigadier and his mens' memories."

Marie nodded, returning to her work. Harry knew she favoured a military solution. It was her instinct, but one that had at least been tempered.

Alistair thought it damned strange, sitting here in his office, with a chess board, he tried not to look at the radio, also sat nearby it, tried not to will a report to come in.

It was interesting that Harry Potter knew of chess, although he had remarked that he preferred '3 dimensional chess'. But what was the more strange thing was that if anyone looked he was just sat on his own in front of a chess board.

After he made a move, the opposite side would move, without anyone moving the pieces.

Harry Potter, who was sat behind where the door would open to was moving the pieces with his mind.

"Movement in south east section of HQ." Corporal Bell's voice came across the radio. "Two persons, holding something, possibly weapons."

"Received Trap Six, stay undercover and observe, Greyhound One radio silence till contact. Out." Alistair slipped the radio the desk drawer. "And now we wait," he looked over at Harry Potter.

"I will keep you safe Brigadier," Harry Potter said calmly.

Alistair believed him, the calm young man who had come when he had called him, and had protected his men. He had seen what Harry could do, in that other universe and again with his men. He lacked the flair, the extravagance of his brother, this was a calm, measured individual who seemed to genuinely want to find a 'diplomatic solution'. But had assured him, if they could not, he would find a way to protect him and UNIT. It was left unsaid that Harry hoped it would not come to that.

Harry Potter sat up straighter as he felt a being approach the Brigadier's office. They had made it as suggestive as they could, with lights on in the Brigadier's office and no where else.

Captain Yates had suggested that a 'song and dance' be made about the Brigadier staying late to work on things be made in case there were observers, spying on their activities.

Marie had been unable to see anyone around UNIT HQ that wasn't meant to be present. She was nearby to the morgue with Captain Yates and Sergeant Benton, hopefully her assistance would not be required.

He looked over to the Brigadier, signalling him of an approaching being when Harry felt an in-rush of energy and the door swung open.

The being said something, but whatever he said was muffled by way of the door opening and Harry's position behind it. Then the being spoke again. "Brigadier, I'm from the Ministry, I want you to tell me everything that occurred today."

"I will tell you everything that occurred today," the Brigadier said in a monotone.

"I don't think you will Brigadier," Harry said with some mental force as he shut the door with a sharp kick with his foot as he telekinetically pushed the individual into a waiting chair and pulling the weapon from the male individual's hand.

The Brigadier jerked, "What?"

"This is your intruder Brigadier, and I think some answers would be beneficial."

Gideon felt sweat begin to bead down his spine as several things slotted into realisation for him.

Alice and Frank had told them where they needed to go, his brother would deal with the muggle's morgue and any bodies they had collected from the Death Eaters' incident.

Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, part of the muggle military was where he'd expected him to be; in his office, writing reports.

He should have realised something was amiss when he entered the office, the muggle was sat with a chess set in front of him. There were no reports, on his desk, and he didn't seem surprised when he'd spelled the door open.

Then someone had kicked the door closed and wrenched his wand out of his hand.

"This is your intruder Brigadier, and I think some answers would be beneficial."

Gideon felt himself being pushed into a waiting chair by an unknown force. The man, well, he was more like a teenager than anything walked over to the muggle's desk, he was holding his wand from the middle, as though unfamiliar with a wand. He leaned over and made a move on the chess board.

"Check, Brigadier."

The man gave him a look, "Really Harry."

"Who are you?" Gideon demanded.

"I rather think that's what I should by asking you, you have walked into my facility," he paused as the desk made a noise. The man paused and opened a drawer pulling out a muggle device. "Yes?'

"Sir, we've got him, Harry's device worked, knocked him out," said the device, it was like a muggle telephone, without cables.

"Very good Yates, secure and wait for further instructions, out."

Gideon tried not to panic, he also resisted the urge to apparate, especially based on the intense look the young man holding his wand was giving him. Far enough away that even if he could lunge for it, he wouldn't be able to cover the distance.

These muggles had knocked Fabian out, how? He wasn't sure, no muggles use magic.

"Your associate is merely rendered unable to continue his mission, now, why are you here...?" Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart asked, leaning back into his chair.

Gideon shifted, he realised he wasn't being pinned to the chair, he'd just been gripping the arms of it. "You...you knew we were coming? How?"

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart looked at him intently. "UNIT has experience with mental manipulation. You might have removed our memories, but you can't remove everything."

"Hidden," Gideon interjected, the Order would never sanction destroying an individual's memories. That could do untold damage to the mind. Just hidden, it was much more subtle. He knew the Ministry did destroy as best they could some memories on affected muggles. Especially from the Death Eaters' work, but they were trained witches and wizards.

"So you can restore them?" The younger man spoke. He had an unfathomable accent.

"Who are you?" Gideon asked.

"I'm asking the questions, Mr...? You broke into my facility." Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was calm, much calmer than any muggles Gideon knew of, when confronted by someone magical.

"You, or someone else affected the Brigadier and his men's memories. It was conceivable, that after our encounter that you would do so again."

Gideon felt more of the sweat trickle down his back as he realised something. That this teen, this young wizard was probably the one that Caradoc had seen. The one that had thrown up, not just a shield to protect these muggles but a tangible shield.

"Gideon Prewett, my brother Fabian, he's in your morgue," he said looking between the two.

"You already know who the Brigadier is," the young wizard said calmly.

"Who are you? You must be considerably capable if you did that..." Gideon felt himself start to babble.

"Harry," the teen said.

"Harry?" Gideon repeated, without a last name he couldn't work out who this wizard was. He had neatly kept hair, quite powerful darkly coloured eyes, and...not much else. He was dressed in muggle attire, although so were he and his brother. 'No need to attract attention to yer selves in the muggle world' Moody would say.

"Harry Gate," the teen said, and Gideon wondered if he'd been watching the brief deliberation he had in his disjointed thoughts. He'd never heard of a wizard family name of Gate.

"Now that we're all introduced, tell me, what are you, what is going on, and why did you come to wipe mine and my men's memories Gideon Prewett." Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart said in a calm tone.

"The truth," Harry Gate said, and something in his tone made it really sound like he meant it.

"If Fabian's brought up, so I know you've not harmed him," Gideon said.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart looked to Harry Gate who nodded.

Harry looked over as the door open and Captain Yates and Sergeant Benton brought in a slumped individual.

"Any complications?" Harry asked.

"No complications, she thought she'd wait outside, just in case," Yates handed Harry another device. "Found this on him sir," the salutation was directed at the Brigadier.

"Thank you Yates, Benton, you can wait outside."

Both soldiers saluted and left the office.

"A brief shock to the central nervous system, enough to render unconsciousness for hour or two," Harry explained, the other man Fabian's chest was rising and falling as he returned to stand beside the Brigadier so he could study Gideon Prewett while he committed everything concerning these two devices to memory. He could feel a sense of something in these devices.

It was also just on the tip of Gideon's mind, but every time he thought about these...whatever they were it seemed the word slipped away to something else. He was intensely curious about him.

"Well, Gideon, explain, UNIT is not unfamiliar with the unknown, so the truth," the Brigadier said calmly. "The proper truth. Harry here convinced me that a diplomatic path was better than the one I had in mind."

"Which was?" Gideon asked.

"Interrogation, UNIT is an intelligence taskforce. You entered a secret facility and removed memories, and we got into the middle of a crossfire between yourself and one other group. We couldn't be sure who that other group was," Harry paused and realised something as he was talking. This man Gideon Prewett thought he knew who that other group was. "You could have been shot on sight, as some of the Brigadier's men were."

"I...I...didn't know, we...it's common...to...well..." Gideon Prewett began in a stutter. "It's the Statute of Secrecy, see, that's what,"

Harry listened as Gideon Prewett spoke, secret societies were not unusual, especially ones that commanded a higher level of technology over the local population. But these devices, focusing devices he suspected based on the last time he had witnessed technology such as this, in the Victorian Era on Earth, when he'd encountered that reptilian creature.

He wished he could take one of these devices and study it further, but he knew he was limited by the sensations he could feel from it psychically and physically. They were both wooden in construction, with one end having been drilled out by an advanced and highly technical method and there was something he wasn't sure what within, it resonated in a way he had yet to properly qualify, even his tutors never properly defined the psychic resonance. Technology could detect the spectrums of psychic resonance and interference, but the feeling of it was so rare in Time Lords that even the knowledge of it was rare and unrecorded.

"W-, I mean, we've been around, living in society of as long as...I don't know."

Every time Gideon got to a collective noun for the group he belonged to he changed it to we but there were two distinct instances when he changed this, there was societal we, and then collective we.

"This group you belong to, you're an intelligence group? Resistance? Something outside the government?" The Brigadier asked curiously.

Gideon nodded. "Beyond the Aurors; the Ministry's...police I suppose."

"You are more capable against the enemy you're facing?" The Brigadier arched an eyebrow.

Harry remained silent on the matter, he was already skirting around the law. He was present to advise the Brigadier, advise and observe. Gideon looked at him again cautiously.

"...Yes," another look towards Harry. "What are you going to do with us?"

"We might be able to help you, and your brother, you can stop pretending to be unconscious now Fabian Prewett," the Brigadier said calmly looking over at the chair.

Harry was surprised, and hoped that he didn't show it, he had suspected that Fabian might not be as unconscious as he appeared but wasn't sure, he had been focusing on the two devices that each of them had held that he hadn't probed either of the men's minds too much.

Fabian Prewett looked up. "Friend, how'd you know I wasn't unconscious?"

"UNIT prepares you for a lot Fabian, and I've been and seen plenty of people knocked out, and I know when someone is pretending," the Brigadier smiled.

Fabian looked to Harry and then the Brigadier who nodded to the other chair opposite the desk. "What can you do for us? You're a mu-"

He was cut off by Gideon. "Not part of this conflict."

"That's where you two are wrong, if we've had to intercede in at least two occasions, your little conflict is already spilling out into the world," the Brigadier paused, looking between them both. "whatever it is."

"And? You want to help?" Fabian asked.

The Brigadier leant back, briefly looking to Harry.

Harry remained quiet in thought.

"UNIT can help, keep the peace, clear up, and keep the ordinary people safe, whatever the cost," the Brigadier finished.

The two brothers exchanged a look. "We can't make this decision," they said in unison.

"Can you remove the memory blocks on the Brigadier and his men?" Harry asked.

Gideon nodded. "But it was Caradoc..."

"Caradoc?" The Brigadier repeated.

"Our...he's the one in charge above us, he modified your memories, if they're to be undone, he would need to do it." Fabian explained.

"We'd have to explain it to him," Gideon finished.

"And I suppose you don't use anything as simple as a telephone?" The Brigadier asked.

Both men laughed. "No Brigadier," they said as they laughed.

"Then go, check with your commander and return this evening gentlemen," the Brigadier said as he rose from his chair.

Harry held out the two wooden devices. "This facility will be defended, should you use this show of faith against the Brigadier and his men–" Harry ended his sentence with calm finality.

The two brothers looked at him, some doubt, some fear in their eyes.

The Brigadier pushed a button on his desk summoning Yates and Benton, ordering them to escort the two brothers out of the facility.

Once they were out of sight Harry rushed for a window, passing Marie as he did so. "Marie, observational optical enhancement device," he held out his hand. He knew what he was looking for within Marie but had far too many ideas running through his head to consider what exactly he was looking for.

Standing at the windows that faced the rear of UNIT HQ he pressed the binoculars to his eyes looking around, letting the software find the targets in the gloom. Earth's natural satellite was offering some illumination. Yates and Benton had left them, locking the exterior doors.

The pair held up their wooden devices, then glowing orbs formed on the tip; illuminating their path.

The optical software wasn't observational enough to identify the energy; it showing only as visible electromagnetic radiation.

"What the devil?" The Brigadier was also stood beside him, and Harry assumed had his own method of viewing the pair that had departed.

It was how they were to depart that Harry was most interested in. Zooming in he saw them as though he could be stood in front of them.

Fabian stood on the edge of UNIT's grounds and gestured with the stick, its light extinguishing.

Then both brothers seemed to glow and swirl, and then they disappeared upwards.

Harry took a breath of air in, and manipulated the controls backwards to the point they disappeared and advanced the display as slow as it would allow.

Telepsychic transference, or something very similar.

"Here Brigadier, watch," he handed the Brigadier his device, indicating the controls.

A few moments later he handed them back to Harry. "Are they aliens? Harry?"

Harry shook his head and turned around to Marie. "They aren't are they?"

"They register as human," she said in a short tone.

As Harry considered this information Benton and Yates re-entered, he allowed the Brigadier to give them orders while he considered what he had learnt so far; entering Marie's dimensions and placing his hands on her telepathic circuits, he wanted to download everything he had felt, thought and considered about the wooden devices Gideon and Fabian had held.

"Did you notice anything else about those two Marie?" Harry asked as he removed his palms.

"The two individuals seemed acutely perceptive of me," Marie said appearing in front of the console.

Harry looked at her carefully. "Perception through your perception field?"

She inclined her head. "Further data would be required to be gathered to consider how."

The scanner beside her took form and showed the Brigadier looking around calling his name.

"I am here Brigadier, just considering some things," Harry said as Marie folded her arms behind him.

"Remain and observe Marie for anyone to return," Harry ordered as the Brigadier gestured for him to follow into his office.

"I feel like I need to drink, best to keep a clear head I suppose," the Brigadier sighed, sitting down at his desk and looking at Harry curiously. "Why didn't you tell them your name?"

Harry sat down opposite him. "Names seem important to them."

"And Gate?"

Harry smiled fondly. "My mother's, it seemed...appropriately truthful, something about these individuals Brigadier," Harry said looking to the man before him. "Allies will be beneficial."

"For them or us Harry?" He asked.

Harry was about to answer when a buzzer went off on the Brigadier's desk. "Sir, they're back and there's an older guy with them, says we should come up."

The older man introduced himself as Caradoc Dearborn. He had careful eyes and seemed to judge the whole room in a simple glance. His eyes lingered on Harry.

"These two seem to suggest an alliance with your organisation, you don't know anything about us Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart."

The Brigadier looked at Harry. "You could have returned shooting at us and wiping our minds. As you did last time."

Caradoc laughed. "My...commander informed me I should, to deal with you, keep you safe, out of the way of things. But I think you wouldn't do that."

The Brigadier shook his head. "If you've manipulated our minds once and we've discovered it-"

"Then if it happened again, we'd be more thorough," Caradoc paused. "But I'm not proposing that, you'd like your memories back, to help us, even if you don't understand our fight."

The Brigadier looked at Caradoc calmly. "We're fast learners. We want to keep people safe, from things that the general population doesn't want to or can't understand or even consider."

Caradoc stood up. "Good. These two will be our liaisons."

"We will?" The two brothers said together in surprise. "But what about Moody and Dumble-"

"I'll square it with them, two of you, at least one should be ready for the Brigadier, now, as an act of faith, let's get these memories restored." Caradoc said without too much preamble.

Harry watched from the side of the room as Caradoc Dearborn gestured with his wooden device at Yates, then Benton and finally the Brigadier's heads.

Mutterings of a language he couldn't quite hear escaped as whispers from his mouth. A faint wisp of energy seemed to eminente from the device as he 'undid' the 'memory modification' on the three soldiers.

"There, you should remember everything Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart." Caradoc's eye drifted over to Harry. "And you, Harry Gate, I've not heard of you before."

Harry met his gaze, he felt...something perhaps some form of attempted telepathic contact, but it was so slight, so indistinct it almost was nothing but the breeze, except they were in the Brigadier's office. "Do you know everyone on Earth?" Harry asked, ensuring he did not use the planet's 'Sol 3' designation.

This question seemed to surprise him, he covered the surprise with a laugh.

It was approaching morning sunrise when the minutiae of the arrangement with the Brigadier had been formalised with Gideon and Fabian, along with Caradoc.

As they left, UNIT personnel seemed to be filing in for the day, oblivious to the night's activities.

Harry was inside the Brigadier's office when Marie entered. "I have detected a vortex spore, your brother's TARDIS is approaching Earth's temporal sphere."

Harry nodded, standing up, "I should leave Brigadier, I think..." Harry trailed off. "I do not think my brother would appreciate me-"

The Brigadier cut him off. "Treading on his patch?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically as he extracted another hypercube from his pocket and handed it to the Brigadier. "If you encounter a situation beyond that of this new alliance,"

"And I need to compensate you Harry, even if you just wish for tea," the Brigadier chuckled. "Your service has been valuable."

Harry nodded. "Indeed Brigadier, goodbye, for now."

Alistair watched as Harry Potter walked inside the woman that was stood off to the side of his desk.

"Goodbye Marie," he said. She looked at him with a curious expression and then his office was filled with the soft tones of her dematerialising.

Picking up a clipboard he shook his head at how normal this situation had become and walked through to the Doctor's office.

Mere minutes later the Doctor's TARDIS materialised with a 'pop' of air.

"Ah, there you are Doctor," Alistair said as the Doctor and Jo poked their heads out of the contraption.

A/N:

Apologies, I didn't realise it had been so long since I uploaded a chapter. Life and other things have got in the way of me sitting down and writing properly.

I've been trying to finish chapter 17 before editing and uploading this chapter, but thought that I'd better just post this chapter and that'll give me a little bit more time.

As stated last chapter this takes place in a gap I'm creating at the start of Colony in Space. There isn't any gap in the story between the Doctor's TARDIS dematerialising and re-materialising, but I'm inserting a gap of a couple of days.

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the long wait.