War Chest (audio story)

War Chest was the sixty-first story in the Torchwood - Monthly Range by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Rossa McPhillips.

Publisher's summary
It's the largest depository of alien artefacts ever assembled, ready to wage war against the heavens. Of course, they called it the Antebellum. Of course, they forgot about it.

But the Dow Cohort have rediscovered it. And tonight, they're breaking in. They have one hour and Toshiko Sato as a reluctant hostage. Can they steal Torchwood’s greatest secret?

Plot
Abducted by Vernon and Nisha of the Dow Cohort, Tosh is made to injure contractor Edward with an inactive corrosive substance to precipitate the trio's entry to the Antebellum, the fallen Torchwood One's automated storehouse, in an ambulance. Vernon and Nisha intend to rob the Antebellum and use the alien technology within to improve life on Earth, but Tosh apparently persuades the hostile systems that they are not thieves and sends a Sirodan amplifier, which she used to cure Edward, down an intake hatch with a tracker to find the central processing room. There, they will be able to access the catalogue.

Vernon prepares to execute Tosh in a room full of clocks due to her no longer being essential, but she pulls a lever to release stolen time and freeze Vernon and Nisha so that she and Edward can get away and seal the other two inside. Because of Edward's pain, they go to recover the amplifier from Hospital 12 where it has been sent by central processing whilst Vernon and Nisha are treated with hostility by the building as Tosh only provided credentials for herself and Edward. By the time that Vernon and Nisha reach Tosh and Edward, they too are considered unwanted guests by the Antebellum due to the amount of time that has elapsed.

Tosh ensures that Vernon does not kill her by pointing out that only she can keep Edward, the key to leaving the Antebellum, alive with the amplifier and shoots her way into a transport tube so that the four of them can escape a gas which has been released. She is made to lead the way to what she refers to as the "heart of Torchwood" in crates on a conveyor belt, but Nisha's crate disappears and Vernon is angry to find that the heart of Torchwood is full of centuries of receipts. When he tries to kill Tosh, Edward shoots him in the shoulder with his own revolver and they leave him behind at risk of being killed by clockwork bookshelves if he makes a noise.

Tosh and Edward climb through the exit hatch, after which Tosh reveals that she knows that Edward used the controls to kill Nisha to tip Vernon over the edge and that he is part of UNIT Black Ops, displaying military training and information that he should not have had. He admits that he used the Dow Cohort's raid to get into and claim the Antebellum for UNIT, but she informs him that she manipulated both organisations so that Torchwood Three could get entry. She uses a cancellation wave to stop the amplifier and kill him.

Cast

 * Toshiko Sato - Naoko Mori
 * Ed - Homer Todiwala
 * Nisha - Bahvini Sheth
 * Vernon - Tom Butcher
 * Guard - Samuel Clemens

Locations

 * Vernon mentions Torchwood having a skyscraper.
 * The Dow Cohort have a large office in the Mayfair building.

Science and technology

 * Tosh uses a Serodin amplifier to save Edward's life.
 * Torchwood previously gave the Dow Cohort occasional samples of alien technology, like spaceship batteries and alien antibiotics, "just to keep them quiet".

Individuals

 * Nisha's niece once licked all of the cakes at Nisha's birthday party and gave everyone noravirus.
 * Nisha was once offered a role at Torchwood by a "American in a big coat".
 * Edward is an agent for UNIT Black Ops.

Continuity

 * Vernon claims that Torchwood is dead, (TV: Doomsday) aside from a team in a "branch office". (TV: Everything Changes)