The Other Tyler - rewrite

Let's Save The World

For a while, Mickey and Jackie went silent, Rose sat on one of the chairs beside Harriet though neither spoke and Indra started leafing through the emergency protocols in case Harriet missed anything.

"Hyphenated surnames?" Mei wondered, sitting on the table next to where the Doctor was bracing his hands, "Really, THAT narrowed it down?"

"Never underestimate a hyphen," he beamed.

"You're crazy," she laughed, lacing her fingers through his, "Thank you, for saving my mother."

He just smiled in reply and tightened his grip on her hand. Their moment was interrupted by Mickey on the phone.

"Listen to this," he insisted, and through the phone came Joseph Green's voice.

"Our inspectors have searched the sky above our heads and they have found massive weapons of destruction, capable of being deployed within 45 seconds."

"What?" The Doctor asked, his brow furrowed.

"Our technicians can baffle the alien probes. But not for long. We are facing extinction. Unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mother ship. I beg the United Nations - pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes! A nuclear strike at the heart of the ship is our only chance of survival. Because, from this moment on, it is my solemn duty to inform you, planet Earth is at war."

"But there's no weapons up there," Mei frowned, "They said it wasn't an invasion, so what the hell does he want the nuclear codes for?"

"Do you think they'll believe him?" Harriet asked.

With a frown, Rose reminded them, "They did last time."

"Mei said it all along," The Doctor realised, letting go of the auburn haired girl's hand to pace around the room, "That's why the Slitheen went for spectacle. They want the whole world panicking, because you lot, you get scared, you lash out."

In realisation, Indra said, "They release the defence codes-"

"And the Slitheen go nuclear," The Doctor murmured, moving to the metal shutter switches.

"But why?" Harriet asked, as the shutters opened to reveal the Slitheen still standing outside.

"You get the codes, release the missiles. But not into space because there's nothing there. You attack every other country on Earth, they retaliate, fight back. World War Three, whole planet gets nuked," the Doctor announced as Margaret – back in her skin suit – pushed her way to the front.

"And we can sit through it in our spaceship waiting in the Thames. Not crashed. Just parked. Barely be two minutes away."

Mei narrowed her eyes at the woman's sing-song voice, but before she could say anything, Harriet spoke up.

"But you'll destroy the planet, this beautiful place. What for?"

"Profit," Mei and the Doctor said in sync, then Mei conceded, letting the Doctor continue, "That's what the signal is beaming into space, an advert. Just like Mei said."

"Sale of the century," Margaret announced with a greedy smile, "We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it. Piece by piece. Radioactive chucks capable of powering every cut-price star liner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there, Doctor. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel."

"At the cost of five billion lives," Mei huffed. "You'd happily murder every living being on this planet just to get a bit of money?"

Margaret just gave her a smug look, "Bargain."