Maria Jackson was startled out of her sleep by what sounded like a single resonant drumbeat coming from the backyard of her Washington DC house. She groaned to herself as she climbed out of bed, knowing exactly what that sound meant.

Coming to America had not stopped Maria from attracting alien weirdness like a magnet. Washington, it turned out, was a favorite destination for aliens for a variety of reasons. Some hoped to lobby for extraterrestrial rights or trade agreements. Some hoped to influence politics through less peaceful means. And some were just there for the tourism. Unfortunately, the US government wasn't very good at distinguishing friendly and unfriendly aliens. Someone experienced in dealing with aliens had plenty to do in Washington DC.

Maria put on her slippers and bathrobe and trudged downstairs and out her back door where she was met by a brutal and completely unprovoked hug.

"Maria!" The blonde girl in her backyard greeted her with an unacceptable level of perkiness.

"Jenny," Maria grumbled, too tired to feign any enthusiasm at her friend's sudden arrival. "Let me guess: you lost control of your time machine again."

"Nope," said Jenny, looking fondly at the bronze-colored structure behind her. "I've completely mastered time travel."

If that were true, you would've shown up at a reasonable hour, Maria thought to herself. "Then what brings you here?"

"I need your help. I need to put a team together."

"What kind of team?"

"First of all, they have to be experienced at fighting monsters and saving civilizations. Secondly, they all have to be under eighteen years old."

"What?"

XXXXX

Clyde half-heartedly spooned another helping of soup-kitchen food onto a homeless person's tray. He had convinced his mother to let him volunteer here despite her reluctance to allow her son near the homeless. He'd like to say his motives were completely unselfish, but a part of him hoped that one day, Ellie would come in for a meal. She'd probably yell at him for abandoning her, but he'd be too happy to see her.

The disappearance of Ellie and the death of Sarah Jane had weighed heavily on Clyde. He'd lost two of the most important women in his life. Ever since Sarah Jane died a month ago, her former companions put the whole "fighting aliens" thing on hold, giving everyone time to cope. But Clyde was beginning to wonder if an alien emergency was what he needed, an adrenaline shot to combat the depression that was setting in.

At the end of his shift, Clyde hung up his cap and apron and prepared to leave. Before he could, there was a loud drumbeat that only he seemed to notice. Looking out the window, he saw a copper-colored structure standing on the sidewalk. It was definitely alien, but everyone just passed it by, as if they did not notice.

Standing in front of the object were Maria and a girl with a blonde ponytail. They waved at him. Baffled, Clyde waved back.

XXXXX

Rani sat in her bedroom, trying to concentrate on her homework. It had been a month since Sarah Jane had passed away. Since then, Clyde and Rani had supported the Smith siblings while still giving them space to mourn.

Rani looked out her window to the house across the street, the house that now belonged to Luke and Sky. She wondered how hard it was for the older Smith sibling. Sarah Jane had no living extended family, leaving the Smith children on their own. Luke now had bills to pay, a sister to support, and an education to finish if he wanted to do either. It was times like this that Rani was reminded how young Luke really was.

She was startled from her thoughts by the sound of a loud drumbeat.

XXXXX

Luke and Sky sat on the couch in their attic. Luke put his arm around his sister and held her close. K-9 sat silently at their feet.

There was a hiss of pressurized air as Mr. Smith emerged from the attic wall, forgoing his usual startup music. "Warning," Mr. Smith intoned. "Temporal flux detected."

"I am well aware of the temporal flux, Mr. Smith," said K-9. "Artron energy signature consistent with time travel. Incoming time travel device."

The Doctor immediately popped into Luke's. He listened closely for the TARDIS' distinctive whirring sound. Instead, everyone in the attic was greeted by a loud drumbeat that shook their bones and rattled the walls of 13 Bannerman Road.

Standing in the middle of the attic was a structure roughly the size of the TARDIS. However, it was not disguised as anything that would blend in on Earth. Its walls were the color of bronze and covered with golden domes. A glowing crystal hemisphere, about the size of a fist, was set next to the door.

The door slid open, revealing Maria, Clyde, Rani, and a blonde girl in a tight green T-shirt.

"What's going on?" asked Luke. "And who are you?" he asked the blonde girl.

"I'm Jenny," she said, seeming positively thrilled about the fact. "I'm to Doctor's daughter. You know my Dad, right?"

"You're his daughter?" said Luke.

"Long story," said Jenny.

"A lot of innocent people are in danger, Luke," said Maria. "We need your help."

"You can vouch for her?" Luke asked, pointing at Jenny.

"Yeah," said Maria.

"She's competent?"

"Yes."

"Smart?"

"Tactically, yes."

"Sane?"

Maria hesitated.

"Don't worry." Jenny clapped Maria on the shoulder. "Maria will be my sanity."

"Okay, I'm in," said Luke. He headed for the door of the time machine. "Sky, I'll be back soon."

"I want to come," said Sky. "I have powers! I can help!"

"What kind of powers?" Jenny asked.

"I control electricity," said Sky.

"She could be helpful," said Rani. "And it's not like she hasn't been in dangerous situations before." Slowly, reluctantly, Luke nodded. Sky smiled brightly and skipped into Jenny's time machine.

"Luke," said Mr. Smith. "I'd recommend against this."

"Do not worry, Mr. Smith," said K-9. "I will accompany them. Unlike you, I am not stuck inside a wall."

"Bite me, K-9."

The door of Jenny's time machine slid shut. With one final drumbeat, the machine disappeared, taking its seven passengers with it.