Rhys Grey woke with a start. She was lying on her back in the middle of a grassy field. Sitting up quickly, she glanced around, her heart pounding. Where am I? she thought to herself. Pushing her long red hair out of her face and adjusting her glasses, she slowly got to her feet. She turned slowly on the spot. That was when she caught sight of another figure in the distance. Rhys squinted but when she did the figure had disappeared. This place is really starting to creep me out she thought nervously. C'mon Rhys! Brave heart! she added in her mind. Steeling her nerves, she slowly started to walk across the field. "Maybe someone else is here!" she whispered to herself but her words did nothing to reassure herself. "Yeah, someone else has to be here! I mean, I can't be in no man's land right?" she continued to speak to herself. Brushing a lock of red hair off her face, she forced herself to continue her trek across the seemingly endless meadow.
The Doctor fiddled with three very bright and probably very dangerous wires, attempting to fix a problem he really hadn't yet worked out. The TARDIS buzzed in his head, telling him very clearly that he was doing that wrong. "No, no, I know exactly what I am doing, thank you." The TARDIS protested, and he grinned. "Well, alright. Almost exactly what I am doing." He frowned. "Oh, fine then. I have absolutely no idea what I am doing, and hoping this works. Happy now?" he complained grumpily, standing up and dusting himself off before walking back up to the top of the control platform, grabbing at the controls. "Alright, how about we-" A sudden jolt from the TARDIS cut him off, as he was forced to cling to the console to avoid falling over. He waited until the TARDIS landed, leaping to his feet that second and rushing to the doors. "Now, what could have possibly dragged us this far off course?" he mused, opening the doors and stepping outside. "Hmm...Looks like Earth, smells like earth...And yet..." He began muttering to himself, rubbing his chin as he looked around him. He was in the middle of a grassy field, the TARDIS humming unhappily behind him. "Shh, I know," he muttered absently, turning around to get a better look at his location.
The Doctor frowned and walked away from the TARDIS despite the machine's rather demanding complaints. His hands in his pockets, he trekked up a little hill to see if he could find out where he was on his own. Standing at the top of the grassy hill, he looked around, a glimpse of a brilliant red catching the corner of his eye. Turning, he caught sight of a girl walking across the field. They seemed to be the only two here, so he called out to her. "Oi! Hello down there!" he called cheerfully, waving at her.
Rhys turned on the spot at the sound of the voice. It was a man, calling to her. Near him she could make out a blue box. She hesitated a minute. Did he bring me here? she thought for a moment. Then, she started to run towards him. He's the only other person I can see so I guess I'll have to talk to him… When she drew closer to him, she slowed before stopping a few feet away from him. "Umm...hello" she said cautiously, not ready to trust him yet.
The Doctor smiled and slipped his hand back inside his pocket. "Hello! And who might you be?" he asked smiling, all the while taking in his surroundings and categorizing everything in his head.
"Rhys. Rhys Grey." she replied. "And you?" she asked, looking him over. He was much taller than her and quite thin, with dark brown hair that looked a little out of control. He was wearing a blue pinstripe suit and tie and a pair of bright red converse. She looked down at her own clothes, which consisted of a dark blue t-shirt, dark blue skinny jeans, and a pair of dark blue ballet flats.
"Hello, Rhys Grey! I'm the Doctor. Pleasure to meet you!" The Doctor glanced over her head to look out over the expanse of field. "Nothing but a field...It looks like Earth, but it doesn't quite feel like Earth..." he mumbled to himself. "Do you happen to know where we are, by any chance?" he asked, turning his attention back to the girl in front of him.
"Only the Doctor? Doctor who?" Rhys asked, scrunching her face up.
The Doctor shook his head. "Just the Doctor," he said .
"Shouldn't you know where we are? Didn't you bring me here?" she added hastily. "I mean you're the only other person I've seen…" Her voice trailed off uncertainly.
"No, I didn't bring you here. In fact, something pulled my TARDIS way off course, and I ended up here, same as you. I was on my way to Glist, lovely planet, beautiful really…." He turned and looked around behind him, peeking behind the TARDIS. "I have no idea where we are," he said cheerfully, a bright smile on his face as he turned back to Rhys.
"What in the name of sanity is a TARDIS" Rhys blurted out. This mysterious Doctor spoke so strangely it made her head spin.
"That's my TARDIS," he said, gesturing to the police box behind. "Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. T-A-R-D-I-S. TARDIS.
"And why do you think we're here? How did I get here! I was just walking...and I woke up here..." She shook her head, trying to comprehend everything that had happened so far.
The Doctor shrugged. "No, I don't know why I'm here. Something jerked the TARDIS off course, which shouldn't have been possible, really, actually quite impossible, not very possible at all, so how..." he muttered, running his hand over the TARDIS. "Did they do it?"
Rhys sighed, feeling a bit testy with the Doctor. "So...d'ya suppose we should look around a bit? Find out who brought us here? Or are we going to stand around stroking a box?" With that, she started to walk away from him. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to have a look around this place," she called over her shoulder.
"Hey! She isn't just 'a box'." He sighed, hurrying after her. "All right then. Here, which is...well, 'where' would be the first thing to find out..." He reached into his suit and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. Holding it out, he clicked it until it emitted a high pitched frequency, and lit up a pretty blue colour. Pulling it back, he frowned at it. "Hmm...Well, that explains nothing." He pocketed the screwdriver and glanced down at her. "Where to first?"
Rhys grinned when he jumped to the TARDIS's defence. She thought for a moment before pointing to their right hand side. "Let's try that way." She suggested.
The Doctor shrugged, turning in that direction. "Sure." He walked slowly through the field, collecting every bit of data he could pick up from the field and storing it. It was incredibly peaceful, but it was quiet. A little to quiet, if you asked him. No animals, no noise, no other people...Or, wait a tick...Was that... "Oh, but it is!" He picked up the pace, hurrying over to the lone figure in the distance. 'Why, hello there! And who are you?" he asked, stopping beside a girl of maybe nineteen, with long black hair.
She looked up, startled, to see a rather thin man in a blue pinstripe suit, his brown hair tousled in a very messy but cute way atop his head. And his eyes...She liked those hazel eyes. "Oh, I...I'm Esme. Pleased to make your aquatince..."
"I'm the Doctor," he said, shaking the woman's hand. "And this is Rhys, my companion. I don't suppose you happen to know where we are or how we got here, do you?" he asked, frowning when she shook her head. "Well, why don't you travel with us then? Until we can figure out where we are and how to get you two home."
Rhys smiled at Esme and shook her hand. "Hi!" she said. She was still rather surprised at how the Doctor introduced her. We've only just met! she thought to herself. That was when she noticed how Esme was looking at the Doctor. Something burned inside her. Jealousy? No way! He's got to be at least twenty years older than me! Angry at herself, she expelled the thoughts from her mind, for now.
Esme nodded. "All right. If it isn't too much trouble, I would love to join you." She smiled sweetly up at the Doctor, happy that she already had a goal established in the short time that she had been...Well, wherever here was.
"We would love to have you along with us! Now, let's move along, shall we?" The Doctor turned and began walking back through the field.
They had been walking a long time now, around an hour or so, and the girls were complaining. He glanced around again once more, when something in the distance caught his eye. It looked like..."Oh? Is that a building?"
Rhys squinted. "Yes...I see it too!" She glanced up at the Doctor. "So...are we going to head towards civilization?" she supplied, grinning.
The Doctor nodded. "Allons-y!" he exclaimed, moving on towards the building.
Esme smiled and nodded, walking close to the Doctor. She sent a glare towards the girl behind them, just daring her to say anything.
Rhys smiled at the Doctor and walked near him on his other side. She noticed Esme glaring at her. 'Clingy aren't we?' she mouthed at her.
Esme smiled sweetly at the girl. 'Oh, but I am. Just you wait,' she mouthed back, smirking. She turned her attention back towards the Doctor, striking up a conversation with him. "So, what was your job back home?" she asked. "I was a dancer. A theatre ballerina."
The Doctor smiled. "I'm a Doctor," he answered. "A dancer! I love watching dancers. Artists in general are enough to catch my attention," he enthused, grinning down at the girl.
Esme looked up, taking his arm. "I'll have to show you sometime, now won't I?"
Rhys huffed angrily but regained her composure almost immediately. "Well I'm a musician!" she said, taking the Doctor's other arm. "I'm going to Juilliard in the United States for violin and piano."
The Doctor blinked at Rhys. "Really? I love the violin! Marvellous instrument, gorgeous sound." He smiled at the two girls, completely oblivious to what was really going on.
"Have you heard of Freedom Brand jeans? I'm their newest model! Just started about a week ago, actually!" Esme said, not to be outdone. Her long raven black hair blew behind her in the wind, as she barely noticed that they were closer to the building.
Rhys paid no attention to how close they were to the building. "Yes, well, I was accepted into Juilliard on a full scholarship but I was accepted into all of the world's best music schools! I also play the piano for the New York Philharmonic!" She stared daggers at Esme behind the Doctor's back but also gave a triumphant smile, as if to say 'Top that!'
"Ah! Here we are!" the Doctor said, coming to a stop in front of the building, he ran his hand along the sides, looking for a way in. "No door...A building in the middle of a field of grass, a big building, enormous, but no way in..." He frowned and stepped back, disentangling himself from the two girls. "Alright, girls! Start hunting down a way in!"
Nodding, Esme moved away to start searching the ground. She felt along the base of the building, jumping back when a click sounded and a portion of the wall slipped in. "Doctor! I think I found it!" She stood and peered into the hole. It was decent sized; her and that other girl could fit in easily. The Doctor would have to duck the whole way, though...
The Doctor smiled at Esme's call, hurrying over. "Very nice, Esme. Come along, Grey!" he called out to Rhys, ducking down and heading inside, Esme close behind.
Rhys had just gone 'round the other side of the building when she heard the Doctor call for her. She ran over to wear he was and saw he and Esme had found a way in. "Ugh, small spaces" she muttered to herself. She was way claustrophobic but she forced herself to continue.
The tunnel was long, and curved in all sorts of weird directions. Spotting a light on the other end, he hurried through, emerging happily on the other side. Straightening up, he leaned back, cracking his back and sighing in relief. "When we leave, we are finding a different way out," he informed the girls, turning back to examine the room. "Alright, empty room, no furniture...Door!" He headed towards the door and turned the doorknob, only to discover it was locked. "Alright then..." He pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and held it to the doorknob, waiting for the tell tale click that meant the door had unlocked. Smiling, he slipped the screwdriver back into his pocket and opened the door, stepping through.
"Hold on...What?" he exclaimed, running over to the middle of the room, where his TARDIS was perched dead centre. "How did you get in here?" He reached out to touch it, only to have his hand shocked. Drawing it back quickly, he scowled at the police box. "Well, someone obviously knew I was going to find you...But who?"
Rhys didn't laugh when the Doctor talked about finding a different way out. She was terrified of what they'd find. She could feel the blood draining from her face. She reached up to adjust her eyeglasses with a shaky hand and resisted the urge to run over and grab the Doctor's hand. She didn't want to seem like a fraidy-cat in front of him or Esme. Swallowing, she walked over to the Doctor, who was staring at the box from before. "That's your...TARDIS, isn't it?" she whispered nervously
The Doctor nodded. "Yes, it is...So what is it doing in here?" he muttered, searching around the room for a switch. Finding none, he scanned the invisible field around the TARDIS with his screwdriver, scanning the results. "Well, bugger," he exclaimed. "That field around the TARDIS is specifically engineered to a Time Lords DNA, meaning I can't touch it, which also means that whoever did this wants me specifically..."
Rhys looked up at him and stared. "A what Lord? What are you talking about?" she asked, furring her eyebrows. She reached out to touch the TARDIS and nothing happened. "This is bloody weird..." she murmured, her voice trailing off.
The Doctor waved her off. "A Time Lord. It's what I am. My species. Look, I'll explain later. For now, we need to figure out how to get this field off..." He scowled, scanning the room again. "Any ideas on where to start?"
Rhys nodded, thinking Okay...I'll go with it for now. "If it's like a force field or something, shouldn't there be a generator?" She replied slowly. It'd been a while since her last sci-fi flick. "So if we take it out, the field will shut down, right?"
The Doctor nodded. "Yes, but where would I find that?" He moved around the TARDIS, searching for any sign of one.
Esme backed up, trying to get the whole room in her view, only to trip over a small, black box. "Doctor, like this?" she called, eyeing the little box.
The Doctor ran over to Esme, beaming at her. "Oh, I could kiss you!" he exclaimed. "But first, we need to find out who did this..."
Rhys crossed her arms over chest and stared angrily at Esme. "Uh Doc...Are you wonky today? It's a box!" she said crossly. "Aren't generators much, oh I don't know, bigger?" she turned away from the pair and caught sight of another door. She tiptoed over and quietly turned the handle. It creaked open. Glancing over her shoulder, she disappeared into the room.
The Doctor shook his head. "No, this is alien technology to you. Much more advanced, smaller, compact. And- Wait. Rhys?" he stood and hurried after the girl, following her into the room.
Rhys looked behind her to see the Doctor following her. "Can't I go anywhere alone?" she asked bitterly. "I'm not five y'know." The room they had arrived in was pitch black. She felt along the wall until she came in contact with a light switch. She flipped it on and light flooded the room.
The Doctors eyes went wide and he grabbed Rhys's hand just as Esme walked in. "No! Get out!" he yelled at her, and she obeyed, terrified at his sudden outburst. "Okay, listen to me very carefully. Stay close to me. Don't move, don't even blink. Back out of the room as slow as you can..."
The room was full of Angels.
Rhys clutched the Doctor's hand and pulled closer to them. "Doctor, what are they?" she whispered. Something in the Doctor's tone made her obey. She stared at what appeared to be stone statues of angels without blinking. The lights in the room flickered.
The Doctor began backing out of the room. The whole building..."It's covered in Angels...These are Weeping Angels. Made completely of stone until you look away. They'll kill you in a heartbeat the second you blink." Understanding lit up his face. "That's what they wanted...That's why they brought me here, for my TARDIS. And they brought you two here...Esme!" he yelled, dragging her out of the room. Esme was backed up against a corner, an Angel reaching out in front of her. "Come on!" He threw Rhys against the TARDIS, running over to Esme. He grabbed her hand and tossed her to Rhys. "Here!" He handed Rhys the key to the TARDIS. "Inside, now! I'll join you in a second!" Grabbing the little black box off the floor, he grabbed his screwdriver and began sonicing it, messing around with it. If he worked it enough, he could wire it to take out the whole building. He had to hurry, though. Every time the lights flickered, the Angels grew closer to him.
Rhys stuffed the TARDIS key into Esme's hand and raced into the Doctor. "I'm not leaving you!" she cried. "I'll watch them for you." she offered. She stared at the Angels, but the lights flickered again and they moved closer.
The Doctor grabbed her arm and pushed her over towards the TARDIS. "Get in the TARDIS, Rhys!"
Esme paced nervously in front of the big blue box. "Come on, get over here, please!" she called to Rhys.
Rhys bit her lip but hurried over to Esme. "Hurry! Open it!" she urged her
The Doctor groaned in frustration, poking at the box until the graphic stimulators and the warps lined up.
Esme slipped the key into the lock and turned it, stumbling inside. "Whoa..."
Rhys's eyes widened at the sight of the TARDIS. "It's bigger on the inside!" she gasped in surprise. She stared in awe. But her awe turned to worry. "The Doctor better hurry up and get in here because if he dies, I'll kill him!" she muttered to herself, anger masking the nervousness tearing at her on the inside.
There was one loud word yelled in Gallifreyan, which the TARDIS thankfully didn't translate as the lights in the room went out completely, and the Doctor disappeared from their view.
"Doctor!" Esme yelled, tears in her eyes. "Doctor!"
Rhys felt a single tear roll down her cheek. "What're we going to do without him?" she whispered. What am I going to do without him? Moving quickly, Rhys closed the TARDIS doors and turned to Esme. "We can't let those Angels in." She said, her voice breaking at the end.
"But he's still out there!" Esme yelled. Rhys only shook her head, and Esme collapsed onto the floor, leaning against one of the poles.