When I worked with UNIT I always knew that I was destined to meet the Doctor. I'd read about him in the UNIT database ever since I was an intern, and his stories were fascinating. I slowly found myself becoming obsessed with the Doctor, especially since he acquired his new companion, Donna Noble. Over time, I slowly lost hope that I would ever get to meet the amazing man and his fiery friend. Days dragged on, drearily clawing their way into weeks and months. Although I never lost interest, I had lost hope in meeting my mysterious idol.
Of course, as you must already know, this lack of hope was uncalled for. On November first, 2009, I was in for a surprise when my supervisor informed me of the Doctors presence in the UNIT facility. Without even knowing where to go I bolted up from my boring work desk, accidentally causing papers to flutter all over the place. I ran as fast as I could out of my wing of the facility, speeding blindly down the halls into the heart of UNIT. I pushed open doors that were never meant to be open as I searched for something I would never be able to find on my own.
Eventually, I paused to catch my breath. As I stood, winded and hunched over in the hallway, a co-worker passed by mumbling about the blue box in the Testing Center. Just my luck. That was all the way back in my wing of the facility… and I felt as if I had just taken a bullet to the lungs. I always knew exercise would kill me in the end.
Ten minutes later,face red and chest heaving, I had managed to drag myself back to the Testing Center. (Note to Self: Don't pretend to be Usain Bolt when the fastest you've ever run is to get doughnuts in the break room.) By then there was a crowd around one of the experiment chambers… and I was at the very back. Now, I did as any sane and respectable person would do when they were only ten yards away from their idol… I shouted and elbowed my way through. I was actually thankful for my sweat, as it made people move away faster.
I marched up to the front of the crowd, only to be met by two soldiers standing in front of the door.
"Sorry ma'am, no access," One of them mumbled, as if they'd just said the same thing twenty times.
"No access my arse," I snapped, quickly pulling out my identification card. I shoved it in the soldiers face, and after he stared blankly at the plastic for a moment, he came to the conclusion that he better move out of my way. Within seconds I was inside a large concrete room that was lined with an endless supply of alien gadgetry. In the center of the room I saw my bosses huddled around what seemed to be… a cardboard box?
One of the three, a Scottish woman named Addison Maxwell, looked over her shoulder and quickly recognized me. She promptly turned around and approached me with a worried look.
"Welcome Ms. Brice. I see you heard the news," Addison seemed a bit flustered still, but was slowly calming down. I gave a small nod. It was obvious they'd been expecting me, but I had no idea why.
"You're… You're the head of the Alien Technologies and Reconstruction department, correct?" She asked, seeming doubtful. I suddenly became self-conscious of my appearance. I must have looked like I just fell down a flight of stairs. I swallowed hard and nodded again.
"Yes madame, that would be me," I fidgeted, not entirely sure where this was going. I kept glancing over her shoulder, trying to spot the Doctor, or at least his blue box.
"Good, then come with me," Addison sighed, apparently a bit relieved at my presence. She spun around and lead me over to the box in the center of the room. It stood on a raised white platform, and as I got closer I noticed it looked… like an ordinary box. Was this some sick joke?
I finally stood in front of the box, and realized that my other advisers were gazing intently at the contents. I felt a pang in my stomach. Whatever was inside that box couldn't be good. I glanced at Addison, and she gestured to the box, encouraging me to look inside. I pursed my lips and, after a moment of mental prepping, I leaned forward and peered inside.
"Ms. Brice… would you happen to know of any technology that could, erm, fix this?" Addison asked awkwardly.
"Oh my god…" I whispered, starting to feel dizzy. Right in front of my eyes was the Doctor, waving at me with a sheepish grin. Donna was sitting with her back to the Doctor, mumbling something grumpily, while a white-haired old man pat her shoulder, as if comforting her. I had finally met the Doctor and Donna… and they had been shrunken down to the size of my thumb.