Kitty Pryde, Pete Wisdom, Excalibur and the X-Men and all characters therein are trademarks of Marvel Comics. Doctor Who is a registered trademark of BBC Productions (I think). This story is an unauthorised work done purely for my personal enjoyment, and is not intended to infringe on any of their rights in or their profits from these characters. But this story is copy write to me.

Comments, especially (constructive) criticism, always welcomed. Please e-mail me at

mshakespeare@callnetuk.com

Notes

< > indicates thoughts

* * indicates telepathy

Plastic Masks - A Pryde and Wisdom / Doctor Who crossover - Part 2

Kitty and Pete exchanged a look of shared bemusement. Neither of them said anything though, merely watched as the Doctor strode up to the desk. "Well, is the Brigadier here, or over in Geneva again?", the Doctor boomed in a loud voice. The sergeant looked baffled. "Brigadier, sir? What Brigadier? The commander here's Alistaire Stuart - unless you mean the previous commander, Brigadier Alysande Stuart? And can I see your identification, sir?" The Doctor looked baffled for a moment, then a huge grin split his face. "Alistaire? So the boy's come good, has he? And followed in his uncle's footsteps? Wonderful! Where is he?"

"He should be on his way, mister...?" Kitty spoke up. The tall figure turned to look at her. "Just Doctor will do, miss ?"

"Pryde, Kitty Pryde, but everyone calls me Kitty. And this is Pete Wisdom" she added, as she extended her hand. The Doctor took it in his and shook vigorously. They looked at each other curiously. The Doctor appraised the young woman in front of him, an American by her accent. The leather jacket and jeans were certainly NOT the expected attire of either a member of the military, or of a scientist who might be employed by UNIT.

<Hmmm, a bit small, and rather young,> mused the Doctor. <Reminds me rather of Jo Grant, apart from the different hair and eye colours. But there is another difference,> he amended, looking into Kitty's eyes. <There appears to be a brain behind those eyes. Jo might have been loyal, and kind, and generous, but she wasn't the most analytical person I ever met. Indeed, somewhat scatterbrained might be a reasonable assessment. And her coordination left a lot to be desired. This 'Kitty', on the other hand, whoever and whatever she is, moves like a dancer, or like a cat, graceful and elegant. And there definitely appears to be a mind in there, I can feel it. I wonder who she is, and what connection she has to UNIT - WHO, rather?> He gave Pete a quick once-over, and wasn't too impressed. <Why do humans insist on such ridiculous habits as smoking a known carcinogenic substance? And such untidy clothes and appearance - though his eyes do show something of a strength of character, I suppose.>

Pete's impression wasn't much more favourable. He looked over the strangely attired man, and winced inside.

<Oh God, some sort of bloody Bohemian space-cadet - like Romany on a bad-clothes day. Bleedin' wonderful, JUST what we needed right now - 'im and that bloody Stuart tosser!> He snorted with disgust, and lit up another cigarette, ignoring Kitty's disapproving glare. He looked over at the Sergeant. "So how long's 'Is Nibs gonner take, then? We ain't got all bloody day, yer know!"

"Pete! Behave! I'm sorry, Doctor, it's too early for him to be out and about, you know - normally it's mid-afternoon before he awakens from the sleep of the undead ......." Kitty smiled at the tall figure of the Doctor. Unlike Pete, she was prepared to give the Doctor the benefit of the doubt, prepared to be less cynical about him. She had encountered people before who had seemed to be ridiculous, only to prove anything but. There was something about this man, something that indicated he was more than he seemed at first glance. She'd seen a disquieting look of intelligence in his eyes - despite his strange clothes and behaviour, this man wasn't a fool, by any means. His eyes had seemed to reach into her, assessing her, analysing her. Whoever he was, she intended not to underestimate him. And besides, her natural curiosity was aroused, both by who this stranger was, and by the meaning of his somewhat bizarre pronouncement. < A threat to life on this planet? Now THERE'S something you don't hear announced publicly every day, even if I HAVE faced enough of them in my time. > "Pete's not exactly at his best this time of day, you see. Though to be honest, he's not at his best ANY time of the day........", Kitty grinned at Pete's blustered "sod off, Pryde!"

"Oh, that's all right, my dear. After years of dealing with the Brigadier, I'm used to people being brusque - the Brigadier could be short with people. As I can be", he added with a beaming smile. The young woman smiled back. She seemed a much more pleasant and open individual than her companion. Then he was startled to see a small purple head poke out of her shoulder-bag, and glare at him. "Grrrrrrrr!"

"Lockheed! Don't YOU start! It's bad enough with Pete being in a mood, without you joining in. And anyway, what are YOU doing in my bag??"

"Aw, bloody hell, not the friggin' flyin' rat! You didn't say HE was comin' too, Pryde!" groaned Pete. That was ALL he needed to really set his world alight right now, his personal bloody nemesis.

"I didn't say, Pete, because I didn't know till now! LOCKHEED! Just for ONCE, couldn't you please listen to a word I say?! I told you to stay on Muir and keep Rahne company. Honestly, dragon, sometimes you're too much! Oh well, I suppose I'd better do the introductions. Lockheed, this is the Doctor; Doctor, this is Lockheed, my companion. Now be nice to him, dragon, or else!"

The Doctor raised his hat in salute. The dragon seemed totally unimpressed, puffing out a small jet of flame. Pete glared at the small creature, who returned the look. At which point Alistaire finally showed up, giving everyone an out.

"Alistaire, hi! Good to see you again! Hope we didn't pull you away from anything TOO interesting?" Kitty clasped his hand, missing Pete's scowl at that action. Alistaire shook his head. "No, just a committee meeting, which I'm always glad to get out of. Research is my field, not Administration. I just wish there was somebody I trusted enough to hand WHO over to, someone who wouldn't betray that trust as Black Air did." He gave Pete a pointed look, then looked at the Doctor enquiringly. "And you are?"

The Doctor strode over. "Alistaire, my dear boy, it's good to see you again! And you've certainly grown since I saw you! Let's see, it was about, hmmmm, twenty-five years ago your time. I must say, you look well, my boy!"

Alistaire looked confused at this. "I'm sorry, I don't know you, do I?" The Doctor smiled at him. "I'm the Doctor, remember? The Brigadier brought me over to meet you once or twice, when I was last on Earth. And how's your dear sister Alysande?"

Alistaire's eyes clouded over. "My sister's dead. She was murdered over a year ago". The Doctor looked upset. "Oh, I'm so terribly sorry. I knew you were close, I saw that the last time I visited Earth, and the Brigadier showed me his niece and nephew who were staying He hoped that one or both of you would follow him into UNIT."

"Last? Why, where have you been since then?" Kitty asked curiously. Did this man have some sort of access to a spacecraft of some sort, like the Fantastic Four's? Somehow she didn't think he was just telling tall stories. At least, that was the feeling she had. - and she'd learnt to listen to her instincts. "Oh, and it's WHO nowadays, Doctor - the Weird Happenings Organisation."

"Well, Skaro, and Voga, and Gallifrey of course, but - "

"Gallifrey? I picked up an artifact from a Gallifreyan we met in our Cross-Time Caper - he called himself the Doctor as well - but he was a short man with straight hair and carried an umbrella ......." Alistaire's voice faded away in confusion.

Kitty smiled at the three men. "Why don't we go through to Alistaire's office and talk in private?"

"A capital idea, my dear. After you, Alistaire!"

***********************************

John Tyler sat in his office, head held in hands. He hadn't had any time to himself since the death of the security guard. First the police, then the newspapers - he'd heard that a reporter from the Sun had tried to bribe a worker to 'spill the beans' about the company. That was all he needed now, media interest. Ever since he'd gone into business, it had been one thing after another.

Tyler was a tall man, thin and dark-haired. In his mid-forties, he was turning quite grey, and he had a haggard look to him. He had never been the strongest person, dominated by an overprotective mother and bullied at school as a swot. His big idea had been to go into business using his knowledge from his years at ICI, but he had proved to be a failure at business. Only the appearance of his new partner had turned things around - at least until the recent death. Now it was all falling apart.

There was a knock on the door. "Mr. Tyler? Mr. Halder is here to see you." Tyler looked up - his partner was here. Maybe HE would be able to see a way out of this mess. "Send him in, at once!" A few seconds later, the door opened, and Halder stepped into the office. He walked over to Tyler's desk, his face expressionless, as usual. He was of average height, with brown hair and grey eyes, immaculately dressed - Tyler had never seen him otherwise - and immaculately groomed. He stood in front of Tyler, fixing him with a fierce, penetrating gaze. "The guard should not have been where he was. He would not have been killed, and there would be no investigation." His voice was calm, controlled, emotionless. Tyler flinched. "It wasn't my fault, I never told him to go there, he must have done it on his own initiative!"

"There can be no more failures. We must have our products being exported worldwide, to all military forces globally. We cannot afford any interruptions to our schedule. When the Lifepulse arrives, this planet's defenses must be already crushed. Make sure there are no more such incidents." Halder's voice had never risen above a calm monologue during his speech. Tyler looked down at his desk. "There won't be." He looked up. "We've got our meeting with the representative of the US Defense Department later today. They want our products for their new Strategic Satellite Surveillance System, S4. Apparently, their order's going to be a big one, if we're successful."

"Excellent. The most powerful nation on this planet will soon be using our products. And SHIELD is placing an order soon. Everything is going according to plan. The first Pulsewave will hit shortly, crippling their telecommunications network. The second wave will carry the Lifepulse, aimed at their radio telescopes. Their surviving military hardware will not work for them, and their defenses will quickly fall. This time we will be victorious!"

"What of the investigation?" Tyler worried. Halder replied, "That will be dealt with shortly....."

***************************************************

Alistaire showed his visitors into his office. It was a large room, with a big window allowing in plenty of light - one of the perks of rank. A huge steel filing cabinet dominated one of the long walls. Against the opposite wall was a large, powerful computer, connected to a huge monitor, fax/modem, laser printer - all state of the art, Kitty noted somewhat enviously. The centre was dominated by a large, gleaming, polished mahogany desk, with a few files scattered around, a photo of his deceased sister, and his name on a heavy metal plaque. On a stand was a large map of Britain, with a large number of multicoloured pins ready to hand for marking anything of interest. Kitty snorted at that - <it could just as easily be done on a PC connected to a projector, and it'd be easier to archive the information after use.> But she said nothing to Alistaire as he motioned them to the seats scattered around the room, and shut the door, giving firm orders that they were not to be disturbed.

The Doctor looked round curiously at the office. The Brigadier had never been one for electronic equipment, he remembered. But he would have approved of how neatly organised everything was. Alistaire seated himself behind the desk. "So, now , Kitty and Pete, I know why you're here, but what about you, Doctor?"

The Doctor smiled brightly. "Simple, my dear Alistaire. I was travelling in the TARDIS, when - "

"TARDIS? What the bloody hell's that, then?" Pete interjected. The Doctor frowned. "My ship, if you must know. It stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. Anyway, as I was saying, I -"

"It's a spaceship, then? Or some sort of time machine, like Doctor Doom possesses? Or a combination of both?" Kitty asked, fascinated. It sounded like this strange man had access to real, cutting-edge technology, the sort of thing Reed Richards was famous for possessing. She was itching for a look, if she could get one.

The Doctor wasn't happy at being repeatedly interrupted. "MAY I finish, please? The TARDIS is, I suppose, both. Anyway, I was in the vicinity of the Twin Darks, a pair of large Black Holes in close proximity, when the TARDIS was caught up in an energy flux. Upon investigation, this proved to be a tachyon beam, of great power, emanating from the Marrallinax Cluster, an area which I KNOW has no intelligent life forms indigenous to it yet, nor for several million years. Therefore this energy must be being beamed by a species possessing great technological sophistication. Furthermore, this energy beam is heading towards Earth. A tachyon beam of such magnitude, guided towards this planet by an alien being or race, does not bode well for the people of Earth. It suggests that hostile forces are at work."

Kitty looked at him. "You mean an invasion of some sort? Oh wonderful, another one. I don't suppose you have any idea what we should be looking for, do you? Or any idea which race is responsible?" Her mind was already racing ahead. <Maybe I should alert the X-Men? Or the Fantastic Four, or maybe the Avengers?> The Doctor shrugged. "Not as yet, my dear. It would merely seem prudent to be alert to any - "

The phone on Alistaire's desk rang. He picked it up, and snapped "I thought I said I didn't want us to be disturbed? Well, what is it? And it'd better be important!" He listened to the voice on the other end, and his eyes widened. He put the phone down, a grim look on his face. "So what's the bleedin' problem then, sunshine?" Pete growled. He wanted another cigarette, and a drink of the scotch he'd put in his case. His mood, not good when he'd first got up, had been going from bad to worse steadily over the past few hours. He REALLY didn't want anything more.

Alistaire scowled. "I'll tell you what's wrong, Wisdom. That was Jodrell Bank. There's been a murder, and some of their equipment has been stolen. The thing is, the first reports say that the murder weapon looks similar to the sort of energy weapon we're looking for in regards to the murder of the guard at that factory in Liverpool ......."

"S'pose we'd better bloody well look inter it, then. Great, TWO bloody murders with high-tech weapons. 'Ang on, Jodrell Bank's in Cheshire, ain't it? That's not that far from Liverpool. They got ter be connected. Can't be that many organisations use that sort o' gear. Whoopee friggin' do, this really IS turnin' out to be a wonderful day!"

Kitty looked daggers at him, then just sighed in resignation. "Alistaire, if we're going to be investigating these incidents, I don't suppose you could get us security clearance, could you? After all, this factory's a classified site, and while Jodrell Bank's not military, it IS somewhere that's not going to let anyone just wander about where they like. Also, I'd like to look at your files on the company, and the autopsy - could you get them for me, please?"

Alistaire smiled at her, ignoring Pete's glare. "Of course, Kitty, but the files are a bit bulky....."

"E-mail them. I can pick them up on my laptop as we drive up, I've got a mobile modem - Brian built it for me. Doctor, you coming with us?"

The Doctor beamed at her. "Of course, my dear. How could I resist?"

**************************************