Introduction
This story is a direct sequel (think--part two of a two part episode) to The Regeneration Experiment, which is also posted on this site. The best way to catch up on who Galindor & Rohstan are and why they're doing London with the Tenth Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith, Martha Jones and Harry Sullivan would be to read that story first. Here's the reader's digest version for those who opt out of that.
The Doctor took his new companion, Martha Jones, to meet Sarah Jane in the last story. They ended up on an alien world where the dominant life forms, while mostly humanoid, clearly descended from avian species as opposed to mammalian species. Adventures ensued, and by the end, our time travellers had made two special friends from the indigenous population, a scientist named Rohstan, and his sister-son, a news presenter named Galindor Flumenplock. Sarah Jane, with the Doctor's indulgent permission, invited them to visit Earth, and they eagerly accepted.
They are all now on Earth, about eight months after the events of School Reunion, although the Doctor and Martha are between the events of 42 and Human Nature in their timelines.
At the end of the last story, Sarah, in an ornery moment, had sent Galindor, a six-foot-tall, big-eyed, beaked alien with leathery, taloned hands and feet, resplendent tail feathers and a remarkable crest on his head, out of the TARDIS first to greet Harry in the classic sci-fi movie way. "Greetings, earthling! Take me to your leader!"
Curious about Sarah & Harry's relationship at this point? Read my first two stories, Silver & Gold and Saving Horse Feathers. Quick & dirty summary: Harry was widowed a few years ago (in my Whoniverse) and is seeing Sarah Jane in a new light. SJ's not entirely sure about a thirty-year friendship becoming something else.
Any questions? Please ask! And enjoy! Oh, and the main characters of course belong to the BBC (except for G&R) and I deeply appreciate them not suing me for having fun with them.
The story begins...
Sarah Jane Smith stood on her tiptoes and stretched as high as her five foot four inch frame would allow, trying to put the special-occasions teapot back on the top shelf.
"Let me do that," a deep voice behind her said. Harry Sullivan took the teapot from her outstretched hand and easily placed it where it belonged. Then he leaned against the counter, one hand on each side of her, and smiled down at her when she turned to face him. "Short women should always keep a tall man around the house for just such occasions."
"Or a step stool," she said with a mischievous grin.
"Can a step stool do this?" Harry asked, leaning in and giving her a kiss. When their lips parted, he searched her eyes. "I missed you, Sarah Jane," he said softly.
"Should have come along, then, shouldn't you," she said briskly, ducking under his arm and continuing to put away the dishes. "You were invited."
Harry made a "mmm" noise that could have been interpreted as "maybe I should have" or "fat chance" or any number of variations between those two possibilities. "Well, at least I didn't miss out on meeting the aliens, since you brought them home with you."
Sarah covered her mouth with her hand, but her green eyes were laughing, remembering when Galindor Flumenplock, her flamboyant feathered and taloned alien friend, had emerged from the TARDIS to greet Harry. "Your face...."
"I'm sure it was a study," Harry said, good-naturedly, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms. "How you think you're going to play tourist with the two of them without causing riots is more than I can fathom."
Sarah took a deep breath and compressed her lips, then laughed. "Well. I'll admit it seemed like a better idea on their world than it does now. But it's a bit too late to back out. And the Doctor's perception filters should help. They worked a treat at Luigi's."
"Didn't work on Luigi."
Sarah grinned, remembering. "No, but bless his heart, he took them in his stride. Gave us the usual fantastic food and perfect hospitality. Something to be said for being a long-time customer."
"And having the reputation of being a bit eccentric," Harry said.
"That never hurts," Sarah agreed with a cheeky smile. "Especially when it's true."
"You're not eccentric, Sarah Jane," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "You just have eccentric friends." She raised her eyebrows and gave him a surprised look. "Oh, not me," he hastened to add. "I'm your normal friend. I'm the one who keeps your feet on the ground. Or tries to," he muttered under his breath.
"Is that what you do?" she asked, amused.
"Mmm-hmm," he said, smiling.
She searched his face and returned the smile. "Well. As long as you let me keep my head in the clouds."
His smile faded a bit. "Don't have much choice in that, do I?" he asked ruefully.
"Not a bit," she agreed emphatically.
"Oh. Sorry. Am I interrupting?" Martha Jones, barefoot and wearing a purple night shirt, came to an abrupt halt in the doorway to the kitchen, looking at Sarah and Harry with big eyes.
"Not at all," Sarah said, as Harry dropped his arms from around her. "Do you need something? Everyone alright on the TARDIS?"
Martha nodded in answer to her second question. "Galindor and Rohstan found places to perch in the arboretum, and the Doctor just said good night and disappeared as per usual."
Harry pulled out a chair and, with a lift of his eyebrows, invited Martha to sit. She smiled gratefully at him and sat. Sarah looked at her with worried eyes. "I hope he's in the zero room."
Martha nodded. "Me too."
"He did seem a bit less exuberant than usual tonight," Harry said, taking the chair next to Martha's. "Manage to get himself injured again this trip, did he?"
"Harry," Sarah admonished him. Harry just stared at her, eyebrows up, blinking innocently.
"Did he ever," Martha agreed unhappily, missing the byplay. Harry gave Sarah a grin and got a raised eyebrow in response.
"So, why aren't you perching as well?" Harry asked Martha with a smile.
She chuckled, then sobered. "Couldn't sleep. After the Doctor quizzing me over dinner about where I was now." She frowned. "I mean, where I am now." The frown deepened. "I mean, the other me. The first time through me." She sighed. "Oh, I don't know what I mean."
Sarah smiled and sat down across the table from her. "We do. Don't worry about it." She started halfway out of her chair again. "Would a cup of tea help?"
"Cup of warm milk would be better for sleep," Harry said.
"I expect the milk's gone off, unless you bought some today." Harry shook his head.
"Tea would be wonderful, but you don't need to make it. Just tell me where everything is," Martha said.
"Don't be silly," Sarah said, getting up and filling the kettle. "It's no trouble. Wouldn't mind a cup myself. Harry?"
Harry nodded, and Sarah got three mugs out of the cupboard.
"So. Where are you tonight?" Harry asked Martha, his eyes twinkling. "The other you. The then you. Or is it the now you?"
Martha shook her head. "That's just it. I'm sure I'm either studying or sleeping or going to class, because that's all I did back then." Her eyebrows drew down again. "Back now." She gave Harry a frustrated look. "Oh, that doesn't sound at all right, does it?"
He ducked his head to hide a laugh, then looked back up at her. "It sounds fine. Go on."
Sarah put their tea in front of them, and then brought her own mug to the table and sat.
"The more I thought about it, the more I started wondering if there was anything I'd forgotten. A holiday or a field trip or a day when classes were cancelled or something," Martha continued.
"And the more you thought about what might have happened, the more it seemed as if it must have happened," Sarah said.
"Exactly!" Martha nodded.
Sarah shook her head. "I wouldn't lose sleep over it, Martha. Just keep an eye peeled for yourself and go the other way if you see you coming."
Martha's eyes nearly spun in her head. "You're worse about this than I am."
Sarah grinned. "You mean better, don't you?"
They all sipped their tea in silence for a few moments. Then Martha laughed. "Galindor wasn't best pleased by the perception filter, was he?"
Sarah laughed too, and shook her head. "No. Here I'd told him everyone would stare at him on Earth, and hardly anyone did. What a disappointment!"
"He likes being stared at?" Harry asked.
"Oh. Nothing better!" Sarah confirmed. "It's a compliment on their world." She grinned at him. "Didn't you notice how he spread his tailfeathers and preened when you first saw him?"
"Mmm, no," Harry said emphatically. "Must have missed that in the general complete shock of seeing him come out of the TARDIS instead of you."
"That was mean, Sarah," Martha said, still laughing.
"Ah! Someone on my side at last. I knew I liked you, Doctor Jones," Harry said.
"Not doctor yet, I'm afraid, Doctor Sullivan," she said modestly.
"I thought we got rid of that Doctor Sullivan chap over dinner," he said, giving her a mock-angry glare.
"Sorry." Martha smiled. "Harry."
"That's better."
"Are you going to come along with us tomorrow?"
Harry grinned. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." He turned to Sarah. "What's on the itinerary, Miss Tour Guide?"
Sarah wrapped her hands around her tea mug and took a thoughtful sip. "Dunno," she finally said. Her eyes lost focus and she was silent again for a long moment before coming back to the question. "S'pose we should do some of the obvious things. The Eye. The British Museum. The zoo." She sipped her tea and thought some more. "I'd like them to see some of the countryside as well, not just the city. Don't want them thinking the whole planet is concrete and glass."
"They saw the park tonight," Harry said.
"Not the same," Sarah laughed. "In fact, I wish we could show them some of the wild places of the Earth. The Canadian Rockies or the Australian outback or the Sahara."
"Maybe the Doctor can do a flyover of those places for them on the way home," Martha suggested.
Sarah gave her a warm smile. "Maybe. But the TARDIS isn't much of a cruise ship, is she?"
Martha chuckled. "Well. No. But I'm sure she could grow an observation room if the Doctor wanted her to."
"Brilliant," Sarah said admiringly. "I bet she could. We'll have to ask the Doctor."
They all sat quietly, enjoying the tea and the company, until Martha started to giggle.
"What?" Harry said, his eyes twinkling appreciatively at the young woman's amusement.
Martha waved her hand in front of her face dismissively. "Oh. Just thinking." Then she giggled again.
"Out with it," Sarah said sternly, but her eyes were laughing as well.
"Just wondering," Martha said. "If the Queen's Guards could handle keeping a straight face with Galindor and Rohstan standing in front of them."
Sarah laughed. "Now who's mean?" She shook her head reprovingly at Martha, but her grin spoiled the effect. "We'd have to have the boys take their perception filters off for a minute, wouldn't we?"
"You two," Harry said, shaking his head. He pulled off the reproving look a bit better than Sarah had, but the corners of his mouth curled up and gave him away. "Try to behave. Taking two alien visitors on a tour of London is dodgy enough without two giddy females thinking up practical jokes to play with them."
"Giddy?" Sarah repeated, eyebrows raised. "I haven't been giddy in decades. And Martha is a very serious young woman." Her look asked Martha for confirmation, and Martha obligingly gave her a very serious nod.
Harry looked from one of them to the other and made that non-committal "mmmm" noise again.
"Harry." Sarah said in response to his dubious look. "Seriously. With you and the Doctor along to keep us giddy females in check. What could possibly go wrong?"
****
The next morning, three Londoners and three aliens were almost the first to queue at the London Eye. A group of Japanese tourists, draped with enough photographic equipment to stock a camera shop, were the only ones ahead of them.
"Is the effectiveness of the perception filter at all dependent on the intent of the wearer not to be noticed?" Sarah asked the Doctor quietly, as she watched Galindor stand tall, raise his crest, and spread his tail feathers every time a camera was pointed his way.
"Absolutely," he said with a wry grin.
"I will have a word with him," Rohstan said.
"Will it do any good?" Sarah asked. She couldn't help but smile as Galindor turned his tail feathers to the camera-wielding tourists and then looked over his shoulder at them with a cocky tilt to his head, his crest flared.
"It is doubtful," Rohstan said, sounding sorrowful. "He is what he is."
"In spades," Harry said, shaking his head.
"Wouldn't have him any other way," Martha said reassuringly to Rohstan.
"Excuse me, but may we take your picture?" One of the Japanese tourists had worked up the courage to approach Galindor and speak to him politely.
"Of course!" he agreed enthusiastically, striking a new pose. Within moments, all of the tourists were taking turns having their pictures taken with him. Then they posed for a group shot with Galindor in the middle, head and shoulders taller than any of them, feathered arms encircling those nearest to him, one member of the group burdened with everyone's equipment and snapping madly away with each camera in turn. "Oh, Sarah Jane!" he called from the middle of the group. "Will you operate my camera?"
"Of course," Sarah said, stepping up to him and looking for a camera to take. He fished a small oblong device out of the pocket of his kilt and handed it to her. She peered at it, then looked up at him questioningly. "Oh. Allow me to instruct you," he said, and showed her how to aim and shoot.
"Is that a camera?" one of the tourists asked, and instantly Sarah was surrounded by the group, all wanting to see the object she was holding.
"Erm, yes. Latest technology from the United States. A prototype, isn't it, Galindor?"
"Ah. Yes. Very much so," Galindor agreed.
Sarah backed off and Galindor posed with his new friends so she could capture a few images for him. Then she handed his camera to him, and stepped back to join the others while the tourists quizzed Galindor about his prototype camera.
"When did you learn Japanese?" Harry asked her with a surprised look as she returned to stand between him and the Doctor. She shook her head and shrugged. "For that matter, when did he learn Japanese?" Harry continued, watching Galindor chat with the tourists and frowning.
"They weren't speaking Japanese," Martha said.
"Yes they were," the Doctor corrected her with a grin. "And Galindor was speaking his native language." He looked at Harry. "Should have come along on this last trip, Harry. The TARDIS would be translating for you, too, if you had."
Just then, the Eye operators appeared and opened the attraction for business. Since there were so few queuing this early, each party was allowed to occupy a separate capsule, much to Galindor's disappointment and everyone else's relief. As the Eye slowly circled up and around, they all took in the spectacular views of London.
"This is a remarkable device," Rohstan said appreciatively.
"It is, isn't it?" the Doctor agreed, pulling his glasses out of his breast pocket, slipping them on, and staring intently at the machinery visible to the rear of the capsule.
"You're supposed to be admiring the view, Doctor," Martha said with a smile.
"I am," he said, continuing to watch the machinery.
By the time they reached the top of the wheel, even the Doctor was looking out across London--possibly because the machinery that drove the Eye was now under foot and no longer visible.
"I always meant to do this some day," Harry commented as he looked out across London.
"You never have?" Sarah asked, surprised.
He shook his head. "Have you?"
"Well, no," Sarah admitted. She looked at Martha. "You?" Martha shook her head too, and Sarah laughed. "Typical. Your average Parisian's probably never been to the top of the Eiffel Tower, either. Only the out-of-towners do the touristy things."
"Can't get much more out of town than the Doctor," Harry said, looking at the Time Lord questioningly. "Have you been here before?"
The Doctor didn't answer right away, just gazed out at the horizon, hands in his pockets. "I've never ridden it before, if that's what you mean," he finally answered softly. "But I've been here. Underneath it."
Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "Underneath it?"
The Doctor nodded. "Remember when the shop window dummies came to life awhile back?" Sarah, Martha and Harry exchanged glances, then nodded, while Galindor and Rohstan looked intensely curious. "The...creature that caused that was under the Eye. Used the Eye to broadcast the signals that brought the dummies to life."
"And you stopped it. Should have known," Sarah said.
He looked out the glass walls of the capsule again, his eyes dark. "Rose stopped it." He was silent for a long moment, then turned to them with a crooked smile. "That was when I first met her."
Martha's face fell at the mention of Rose, and Sarah put a gentle hand on the Time Lord's arm. "You should have said something. You didn't have to come."
He looked down at her, then shook his head. "It's okay." By this time, they had started down again, and the machinery of the Eye was visible again out what was now the back side of the capsule. The Doctor put his glasses back on and peered at the works. "It's fascinating. Really. I'm glad I came."
"What are shop window dummies?" Galindor asked.
"Plastic mannequins used to model clothing for sale," Sarah explained.
"And they are alive on your world?"
"Not ordinarily, no."
The rest of their trip around the Eye was spent explaining Autons to their visitors. They were still discussing the details of the most recent Auton invasion attempt as they exited the capsule and nearly ran into a man holding a microphone.
"Sarah Jane Smith!" he said, sounding astonished.
Sarah looked up at the sound of her name and saw that the man with the microphone was accompanied by a man with a TV camera balanced on his shoulder and aimed directly at her. The Doctor ducked his head, put an arm around Martha's shoulders and nonchalantly but quickly guided her around the cameraman and down the pavement. Harry and Rohstan took their cue from the Doctor and walked behind him and Martha to a point far enough away to distance themselves from Sarah, but close enough to keep a surreptitious eye on her. Only Galindor stayed with Sarah, transfixed by the TV camera.
"Toby!" Sarah exclaimed, pasting a bright smile of welcome on her face and hoping it would distract him from the deer-in-the-headlights glaze in her eyes. "Been a long time. You still with Planet 3?"
He nodded. "Doing a man-on-the-street human interest interview sort of thing. Tourist hot spots." He lifted his eyebrows toward the structure behind her. "And how did you enjoy your visit to the Eye today?" he asked in a plummy newsreader tone. "You know," he added in his normal voice.
Sarah smiled. "I know."
"So, what have you been up to? Since..." He abruptly closed his mouth and stared at her. She returned his gaze evenly, waiting. "Sorry. Didn't mean to..."
"It's alright," Sarah said.
"Psst. Toby." It was the cameraman, who was no longer training his sights on Sarah but on a spot above and behind her. "Aren't you going to ask about the...him?"
Toby frowned at the camera man, then at Sarah. His eyes suddenly changed focus and went wide. "Ah. Him." He turned to the cameraman. "Where did he come from?"
"Been there all along," came the answer.
"Well, I didn't see him. And he's not someone I'd easily overlook." He stared at Galindor for another long, amazed moment, then turned to Sarah Jane. "Friend of yours?"
"Yes," Sarah said without hesitation. "Galindor Flumenplock. I'd like you to meet Toby Whitman." Toby hesitantly started to offer his hand, but when Galindor just bowed, he returned the bow instead of shaking hands, all without ever taking his eyes off the alien.
"And he is...?" Toby asked Sarah, still staring at Galindor, who was basking in the attention.
"A friend of mine."
Toby looked directly at her. "That wasn't what I meant."
"Oh, you mean why the costume?" Sarah asked, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "He's an actor. In town filming. You know how long it takes to put on makeup and prosthetics like those." Toby nodded dubious agreement. "Well, they needed him for a scene first thing in the morning, but cut him loose until late afternoon when his next scenes will be shot. So, he wanted to do some sightseeing since it's his first time in London."
"Ah," Toby said, taking it all in. "So. Why is he touring London like...that?"
"Would take too long to get out of it and back into it. By the time he did all that, he'd be needed on set again. So, I told him Londoners were a very accepting lot and he could just see the sights in costume. Right?" She turned to Galindor for confirmation.
"That is correct," he said, nodding.
"He's a bit of a method actor," Sarah said to Toby in a confiding tone. "Likes to stay in character."
Toby shook his head admiringly. "Well, I'll say this for you, Sarah Jane. You do have interesting friends."
Sarah gave a quick glance down the pavement toward the rest of her friends, then looked back at Toby. "I revel in them," she agreed.
"So, what movie is he in?"
Her eyes widened at the unexpected question. "Yes. Ah. Erm. B..b..birdman of Alcatraz," she stammered.
Toby gave her an eyebrows-up look. "Birdman of Alcatraz? Hasn't that been done?"
"Ah. Yes. It's a remake. You know how they're remaking all the classics."
Toby looked Galindor up and down. "That was about real birds, though."
Sarah took a deep breath. "Yes, well, this is a science fiction version. The birdman of Alcatraz creates these...creatures from birds and...." She stopped and gave a short laugh. "Ah, but I don't dare give away too much of the plot. Steven would be upset with me."
Toby's eyes widened. "Steven? Spielberg?"
"I didn't say that," Sarah said quickly, her eyes wide.
Toby rubbed his chin. "So, Spielberg's making a sci fi version of Birdman of Alcatraz? I haven't seen any news of that. And why would they film it in London when Alcatraz is in the US?"
"They finished the Alcatraz scenes last week before they brought the production over here for the taking-over-the-world scenes." She clapped a hand over her mouth and widened her eyes again. "Oh. I shouldn't have said that. Please don't show that bit on air. You'll get me in such trouble." She turned pleading eyes on the cameraman.
Toby laughed. "OK, Tom, cut," he said, and the cameraman stopped filming.
"Thanks, Toby."
"Don't mention it," he said. He gave Galindor another appraising look. "He still going to be around Sunday? Playing tourist in full... birdman costume?"
"Probably," Sarah said. "Depending how filming goes."
"Should take him to the Notting Hill Festival. He'll blend right in there."
Sarah grinned. "Is that this weekend?" Toby nodded. "Brilliant idea! Thanks, Toby!"
He gave her a warm smile. "Good to see you again, Sarah Jane." Tom, the cameraman, wandered off, sighting on other groups of tourists coming off the Eye or queuing for their turn, and Toby's voice grew confidential. "For what it's worth, I never believed it. You're too good a journalist."
Sarah looked him in the eye, and all pretense faded from her voice. "Thanks, Toby."
"Gotta go!" he said, changing gears abruptly and heading off after his cameraman with a wave. "Look for yourselves on the six o'clock news!"