Right. This is my first Doctor Who fic, so tell me as honestly as possible what you think so I can improve in the future. Have fun, and read on! Oh, and it'sa Torchwood crossover. I just couldn't resist. grin

The Doctor blinked his eyes and scrubbed at them roughly, trying to alleviate the dry, itchy feel. It happened to even him if he stared at the same spot for too long. He was sure his eyes were bloodshot by now. The aqua blue light of the TARDIS' main console mesmerized him as he tried to work on her delicate insides. Not needing to sleep didn't excuse him from eye strain or exhaustion. He needed to lie down and drift for a while.

He didn't really like doing that, though.

It gave him too much time with his own distressing thoughts. With Martha gone, he really needed someone, anyone to travel with. It helped keep his mind from thinking about the unpleasant things of traveling. Like all of the time spent running for your life or someone else's. He sighed and sat back on his heels, hands dangling from his knees. It was no use. He was too tired to fiddle with the TARDIS right now. He'd probably end up breaking something with his luck, anyway.

"Well," he said to the air as he stood, "time to move, then. Always something interesting goin' on somewhere."

With that, he rapidly pulled levers, switched switches and pressed buttons, all the while grinning like a loon. He loved to travel.

DWT

Cale jumped, blue eyes going wide with surprise for a brief moment when he heard a strange grinding sound in the middle of an usually quiet hallway. Frowning in confusion, he peered cautiously around the corner to catch sight of a blue box appearing out of thin air. It wasn't that unusual in his time, but Cale still watched with wide-eyed fascination, hand gripping the butt of his sonic-blaster tightly. Never hurt to be prepared.

The blue box was fully solid and all was quiet for a few, long, tense moments before the doors were suddenly flung open. Cale drew his blaster and stepped into the hallway, a guarded expression on his teenage face. Most people that appeared out of thin air in the 51st century were Time Agents, even though the Agency had collapsed eight years ago. He didn't fancy running into an ex-Agent unarmed, no matter the circumstances.

He watched with cautious interest as a man stepped out if the machine with a wide grin on his face that barely made it to his eyes. Cale wondered briefly why he was lying. He leveled his blaster dead center on the man's forehead.

"Well, hello." the man greeted cordially, unperturbed by the sight of Cale and his gun. What danger was a ragged looking kid holding a gun with shaking hands anyway?

"Hi." Cale responded blandly, keeping a firm hold on his fear. He wanted nothing more than to sprint back down the hallway, but that wasn't an option now. He took in a deep breath and steadied his gun. "Who are you?"

"You aren't the guard." The man observed. His head swiveled about, taking in his environment. Sleek, shining metal with no lines or gaps, and light that seemed to come from nowhere. He finished his perusal quickly, then focused his eyes back to Cale.

"51st century, yeah?"

"Yup." Cale answered swiftly. He groaned silently to himself, defenses relaxing just a little. "Lemme guess, I just found myself a Time Traveler? Is the Agency, or rather, what's left of it, lookin' for ya? Because, I really don't wanna be here when they show up. Have enough trouble as it is, anyway."

"Well, we could have a proper discussion if you would just lower your gun." The man responded mildly, finally addressing the issue of Cale's choice of arms.

Cale sighed, rolled his eyes skyward, then lowered his weapon. Something about this man told him not to be afraid, that he wasn't going to harm Cale. It seemed odd, but Cale had always trusted his instincts. They hadn't been wrong yet. He snapped the gun into its holster, then crossed his arms, eyeing the man expectantly.

"Right. Well. No, the Time Agency isn't looking for me. I'm just a traveler. My name is the Doctor, what's yours?" He asked with a smile, walking closer to Cale.

"Cale." He answered shortly, distrust shining from his eyes. "Why here? If you can go anywhere, that is."

"Picked at random." the Doctor replied with a shrug, hands lodged in his pockets. "When you can go anywhere, you run out of ideas eventually."

"True." Cale acknowledged, smiling briefly. He looked around nervously, suddenly remembering why he was there in the first place. "We should go. It's not safe here. I'd move that box of yours, if I were you. There's ex-Time Agents crawling all over this place and if they find it…"

"Hmm." The Doctor frowned in though before smiling brightly. "Need a lift?"

"To where?" Cale asked, interest peaked. This may be his chance, a real chance to actually look for his answers.

"Anywhere but here." The Doctor responded, still grinning.

"Could you help me find someone?" Cale inquired tentatively, trying hard not to get his hopes up. He wasn't sure how much he could trust this "Doctor" anyway. No use spilling his life story just yet.

"Sure. Why not?" The Doctor began to bounce on the balls of his feet, impatience making itself known.

"Great. Let's go!" Cale exclaimed, genuine smile on his face. He'd done it, he'd found his chance. Now all he had to do was find the answers. Unfortunately, those were always harder to come by, especially these days.

"You bet." The Doctor grinned brightly again, and this time, Cale noticed, it made it all the way to his eyes. The Doctor waved at Cale over his shoulder as he bounded back into the TARDIS.

Cale shook his head wryly and followed after, carefully shutting the doors behind himself. A strange, warm sort of hum filled his mind, buzzing in his ears and against the inside of his skull. He smiled and walked towards the center of the machine, which was seemingly impossibly bigger on the inside. He'd never seen one thing so radically defy the laws of physics before. It made his head spin.

"Spinning, spinning, spinning. Time and space, ours for the winning…"

"What was that?" Cale asked, doing a swift three-sixty in an attempt to locate the source of the voice. His heart was suddenly pounding in his ears. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea…

"What was what?" The Doctor asked, a frown marring his features as he regarded Cale from the other side of the middle, glowing aqua console.

"That voice." Cale responded, walking slowly closer to the main console and up the metal ramp. His footsteps clanged loudly in his over-sensitive ears.

"What voice?" The Doctor walked around the console to look at Cale closer, eyes darkening with suspicion.

"It said something about spinnin' and winnin'. Didn't really make a whole lotta sense." Cale told him, blue eyes rapidly scanning the inside of the ship. He ran his hands through his shaggy brown hair, grabbing briefly before letting go. He spun around again, before facing the Doctor once more.

"Did you hear it too? I mean it's your ship, you should've…"

"I heard it." The Doctor seemed stunned, wary, and pleased all at once. "But the question is, how did you?"

"Wait a minute!" Cale exclaimed suddenly, eyes going wide. He began to gesture wildly with his hands. "This ship talks? It's alive? Holy hell!"

"The TARDIS is sentient, yes." The Doctor answered, the beginnings of another grin on his face. He began to talk a mile a minute. "This is amazing; I've never met a human who could hear her. Well, Jack could sometimes, and Rose could feel her, but only after they had been here awhile. It's astounding; you must be a fairly accomplished psychic. Who are your parents? Where were you born?"

"Whoa, be kind, rewind, and slow down!" Cale abruptly derailed the Doctor's hail of questions, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender. He shook his head and took in a deep breath, trying to get a handle on his own racing thoughts. "I don't know where I was born, and my parents are the people I'm lookin' for. And, what the hell is a psychic?"

"You don't know where you were born?" The Doctor asked, frowning in thought. His brown eyes shone his curiosity.

"And, further more, who says I'm human?" Cale demanded suddenly, blue eyes flashing in anger. "I don't even know, dammit!"

"Ah, that would explain it, then." The Doctor replied, a knowing look on his face. He rubbed his chin briefly before walking over to the controls. "I'll get us out of here, and then we can run some tests. The TARDIS has a fully equipped medical bay on board. You tend to need it the places I go."

"That's so comforting." Cale muttered sarcastically. He walked over to the main console and found something to hold onto. The helpful little voice in his head told him this was going to be a bumpy ride. The voice was never wrong.

"I know, isn't it?" The Doctor threw him a manic grin, and rapidly began to pres, pull, push and kick what seemed like random parts of the console.

Cale just watched him with wide-eyed, mildly frightened, interest. He wasn't sure if he could trust a ship this eccentric man had to kick to get working. It all seemed so surreal to him. He was sure it would sink in eventually, then he would be grinning wider than that loony Doctor who seemed to have taken a liking to Cale. Cale couldn't explain why, but he didn't really want to, either. Who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth anyway?

He'd been handed is greatest dream on a gold, shining platter, why turn it away? No matter how daft the pilot seemed. To Cale, it added to the adventure really. It gave him hope that this strange slip of a man could help him find the answers he had been craving since he broke out of the Time Agency lab eight years ago. The fall of that place had been his salvation. At six years old, he couldn't understand why they hurt, him, tested him.

Maybe this "Doctor" could tell him why his parents left him in that hell?

"Whoa!" Cale exclaimed, as a loud whine filled the spacious cabin, and the ship began to lurch alarmingly. Cale would swear before a judge he heard metal clanging, glass breaking, and sparks flying as they got moving.

Through time and space, no less.

Cale felt his face split into a grin. He was traveling through time and space. He was traveling through time and space!

"Yes!" Cale and the Doctor exclaimed at the same time, sharing similar grins.

Cale smirked over at the Doctor as the shaking and whining stopped. He let go of his white knuckled grip on a handle that had appeared out of nowhere and nearly sprinted over to the main console.

"That was insane!" Cale told him, eyes bright with happiness. "Completely, wonderfully insane! I can't believe…do you always feel that rush in your mind?"

The Doctor grinned, then suddenly, he seemed absolutely floored. His brown eyes were wide and he regarded Cale as if he was seeing him for the first time. "You felt that too? Right, that's it. Medbay, answers, now! No more dilly-dallying. I want to know just exactly what you are, Cale."

"You and me both." Despite the feeling of dread growing in his stomach, Cale followed the Doctor, grin still firmly lodged on his face. It felt like nothing in the world could wipe it off his face at the moment.

"We travel, and dabble. Here, the universe will unravel. Listen now, the stars have begun to call…Smile boy, this is the best day of all…"

"Wow." Cale breathed, absently rubbing his right ear. "Did she just…?"

"Yes, I believe she did." The Doctor answered, the same sort of wonder in his voice. He seemed faraway as they stood outside of a closed door. He suddenly snapped back into himself. "Sorry. We're here."

The door slid open automatically and the Doctor led Cale into the room and over to an examination table. It looked to be made out of the same rock the TARDIS controls were, but the bed on top was just a regular hospital mattress, minus the annoying, crinkly white paper that seemed to cover every bed.

The aqua blue veins running up and down the walls in no particular pattern seemed to pulse brightly for a moment, before returning to their normal glow. Cale took all this in with wide, curious eyes, his previous distrust of the Doctor and his ship completely forgotten. He actually felt safe here, like this should have been his home forever, like it had been once. He knew different, though. The little voice in his head said so.

"Right. Now, sit down there and lie back. This should only take a moment." The Doctor told him briskly, mind focused on booting up the software he needed.

Cale nodded, even though the Doctor couldn't see him, and climbed onto the bed, lying slowly back. He hated hospitals, hated this sort of situation, but he was willing to do this for answers. It didn't matter if this scared him witless, he was going to be brave and do this. He had too, needed too. He needed to banish the Time Agency from his mind, and overcoming his fear seemed to be the best way to go about it. After all, if he wasn't afraid of them, they couldn't continue to ruin his life from the grave anymore.

"This, uh, this isn't gonna hurt, is it?" Cale asked slowly, fighting to keep his voice level. He wasn't at all sure he could go through with this if it hurt. That would be too much, too soon. Or, maybe too late.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" The Doctor spun quickly on his heels, briefly making Cale's head spin. "Medical analysis is painless in the 51st century." he paused, brow furrowing for a second. "Isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, painless." Cale lied quickly, heart going quicker. He gave a strained laugh. "Whatever gave me that absurd idea? Sorry, Doc, continue on."

"Yeah, sure." The Doctor answered slowly, not at all believing Cale or his answer. He began to press a series of buttons and a blue light started to emanate from the ceiling. "Here we go. We'll have our answers in a New York, minute Cale. What do you think of that, eh?"

"Peachy." Cale responded tersely, tensing his muscles in an attempt to keep himself from leaping off of the bed. The last scanning laser that had run over him had given him first degree burns on all of his exposed skin.

He could feel the sweat begin to gather in between his shoulder blades as the light focused into a wide beam and began to sweep over him, starting at his boot-covered feet. He swallowed thickly past the lump in his throat, well aware his breathing had increased and his blood pressure skyrocketed. The scan would show that, he realized. Cale forced his eyes to stay open against the images flashing behind his eyes. White covered faces, metallic voices and painful yellow lights that burned you from a sterile sky.

The aqua colored light began to inch it's way up his legs and Cale bit harshly at his bottom lip to keep himself quiet. The urge to squirm was making his arms and legs burn with the tension. The light was at his waist. He couldn't do this. He couldn't do this. It was going to burn him, take his face off. He couldn't do this. The white faces leaned in, sneers in their eyes as they regarded him. He begged them to let him go through the haze of pain.

This wasn't going to--

"Cale!" Cale gasped, and flung himself upright, wide, terror filled eyes finding the Doctor immediately.

His chest heaved as he watched his unlikely savior, adrenaline pounding through his veins. He could hear the double echo of his heart in his ears as he scanned the room, looking for the white clad men and women. They would be here in a moment to take him away, he was sure. He wasn't going to be able to leave, it was impossible. They owned him from the grave.

"Cale, you're alright. You're on the TARDIS, in the Medbay. This isn't wherever it is you are. Listen to me, Cale. Calm down and breath, you're alright, you're safe. No one is going to hurt you here. You have my word on that, by the way." The Doctor smiled carefully at him, not wanting to scare the teen. He looked like he would either bolt or pass out without warning any second.

"Ye-yeah." Cale stuttered out, swallowing past the lump in his dry throat. He tried to control his breathing and slow it down. It didn't really work. His wide blue eyes focused on the Doctor again. "S-so, uh, what's the, um, verdict, Doc?"

"Verdict? Oh! Right, of course!" The Doctor rushed over to the only screen in the entire room and stared at it intently.

The only symbols Cale could see on the screen were foreign, alien, but beautiful nonetheless. He couldn't understand a word, but the letters seemed to draw him in, enticing his mind to try and figure out their meaning. He had a feeling that would be the feat of a lifetime.

"Poor, scared little boy. No more pain now, it's all joy. We will hold you; keep you, safe in this wonderful place…"

"Thanks." Cale whispered, giving the ceiling a brief smile. He honestly had no idea where the TARDIS' "brain" was anyway…He shook himself out of his distraction and focused again on the Doctor's back. He frowned. The man was pacing and muttering to himself.

It seemed like he was in his own little world and had completely forgotten Cale even existed. Cale gave a rueful look to the air and shrugged, sighing softly. He crossed his arms sat there, staring down the bed at his scuffed buckle-boots. His pants were torn at the hems and his boots were so worn he was sure they'd fall apart tomorrow. His red shirt was faded and threadbare, going with his beige space pants. The clothes he had pilfered had been designer once upon a time, but now they were just old.

He sighed again and looked up from staring at his boots only to jump in fright when his eyes met the Doctor's face, inches from his own.

"Dammit! Don't do that!" Cale shouted, heart once again pounding the tango against his rib cage. This had seemed to become a habit. "What, uh, why are you--"

"Sh!" The Doctor hissed at him, brown eyes boring into Cale's blue ones. He seemed to squint, tilt his head, then squint again. Suddenly, he pulled back, brown eyes wide and an expression of complete and utter shock on his face. "I don't believe it! You're impossible! This is impossible! How could they--? What did the Time Agency think they were doing? Did they even think at all? How could this happen? How could you happen, Cale? I don't understand!"

He started to pace rapidly back and forth at an impossible clip, both hands fisted in his longish hair. "I just don't believe it! This isn't happening, it isn't. I'm dreaming. That's it! I'm dreaming and you aren't here! The loneliness has finally driven me starkers, that's it!"

"You drove yourself starkers!" Cale angrily interrupted, shocking the Doctor into stillness and silence. "What do you mean I'm impossible? I'm sittin' right here, ain't I? Not impossible, then, obviously! And what did the Time Agency do to me? Stop ramblin' and explain, dammit!"

"Did they create you in a laboratory?" The Doctor inquired, seemingly calm for the moment. "It's vital that you answer this, Cale. Did they create you?"

"I-I think so." Cale admitted softly. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I like to think different, that my parents are out there somewhere, but deep in I know that I never had any."

"Oh my God." The Doctor breathed, both hands on his face for a moment, before he slowly dragged them down. "I don't believe it. They grew you. They actually grew you!"

"And that's a shock, why?" Cale demanded tightly. "It's the 51st century, people clone their dead pets, why not a human?"

"You aren't human, not completely anyway. They used human DNA, and if I had to guess, I would say about forty percent of you is human. The rest of you, though, the rest of you is…I just can't believe it!"

"I'm not butter!" Cale growled, completely loosing his patience. "Stop repeatin' yourself like a broken A-B loop and tell me what the hell is goin' on! Now!"

"They were trying to create a Time Lord." The Doctor answered after a long, uncomfortable pause. He shook his head in wonder, an astonished smile playing at his lips. "And they succeeded, mostly. You're still human, but parts of you, parts of you aren't. They did it. They actually did it!"

"Whoa, wait, slow down for the special ED kids." Cale interrupted, confusion marring his features. "I'm a what? A Time Lord? Those don't exist." he swallowed. "Right?"

"Wrong!" The Doctor exclaimed, making Cale jump. He grinned manically, eye shining. "I'm a Time Lord, last of, or so I thought. And I wasn't, for a while, but then I was again, just a few weeks ago and…this is amazing! I thought the Master was it, but you, oh you, you're here and they made you and I can't believe it!"

"Great." Cale deadpanned. He sighed again, not completely understanding what was going on. "I know the stories, the legends, and with that knowledge, the question becomes, why create me? What help could I possibly be to the Time Agency?"

"You, my friend, were made for traveling through time." The Doctor informed him excitedly. His earlier misgivings seemed to have fluttered away with the breeze. "It will kill humans, eventually. Well, if you use the Vortex Manipulator, which is standard Time Agency issue. Some of their older Agents have lost their heads, literally. I think they made you in an attempt to get around that, and, I'd say it worked. Perfectly! Just enough human to do as you're told and enough Time Lord to keep all your insides in their pre-designed order. Brilliant!

"Cold, calculating, and somewhat horrid, but still brilliant!" The Doctor finished, his grin threatening to split his face in half.

"Oh, yeah, absolute genius." Cale said darkly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing, arms crossed protectively across his chest. "They decided to 'test' me, you realize. To make sure I was 'up to snuff' as the old saying goes. Do you know how much that hurts? Oh, yeah, they were brilliant, alright. Brilliant sadists!"

"I'm sorry." The Doctor answered, mood going somber all of the sudden. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize, Cale. I should have known, what with the scan and all. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Cale gave him a weak smile. He shrugged. "Can't really be mad at you, anyway. You rescued me from their headquarters. That's where I was, ya know, lookin' for answers. Figured if they were anywhere, that's where they'd be."

"You're very brave." The Doctor told him with a comforting smile. "Not many would go back to that place after…"

"Yeah, well, I was never known for my self-preservation skills." Cale told him, embarrassment coloring his face. He cleared his throat. "Right, so, what next?"

"How would you like to see Earth?" The Doctor asked, eyes sparkling with genuine delight.

"Could we go to the 21st century?" Cale asked, the pain of the last bit of conversation buried under his excitement. It would sink in later anyway, when he had a chance to sit down and think.

"Yes, in fact," The Doctor said as he led Cale out of the Medbay and towards the main control room, "I need to make a pit stop and refuel. The old girl is almost out of juice."

"Where do you have to stop?" Cale inquired as they entered the main room. He walked over and grabbed his handle, knowing the ride was about to get crazy.

"Cardiff, Wales." The Doctor answered him with a smirk.

"Going home to see Jack. One step now and he'll be back. You'll like him, little boy."

"I hope so." Cale answered the air. "I really do."

Okay, that was chapter one. Not to worry, those of you that know me, this story is finished. I'll be posting a chapter a day, and it's five chapters. So, you have something to read for a week. Hoorah! Now, review! And be honest.