This is the first in the Fortuna Brown series. It follows The Doctor after The Time War, but never met Rose. The whole series follows a whole new bunch of companions, a whole new bunch of stories and a whole new different canon and regenerations.
Characters in this chapter:
The Doctor (9th)
Mariella Williams
Private Ross Jenkins (Greyhound 40, UNIT)
Colonel Mace (UNIT)
I imagine Mariella being played by Victoria Justice, but with a British accent.
For the ninth time, the door crashed, wobbling furiously along with the three bolts and chains holding it closed. Standing against the one door between the front door and the one room flat was a woman clutching a knife, her back pressed against the splintering white wood. She eyed the door nervously, then glanced down at the bread knife with a gulp.
"MARIELLA!" A gruff voice shouted from behind the slowly weakening front door as it was smashed into again. "I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE YOU BITCH!"
Mariella watched the door as it repeatedly got rammed into, shaking nervously.
"22 years of my life and how does it end?" She laughed nervously to herself. "Fighting off Danny Gong with a bread knife." She squeaked slightly, clutching the knife tighter and ducked as one of the bolts came flying off the door.
"MARIELLA!" Another bolt came flying off again. She breathed sharply and the third came off. Without blinking she threw the knife towards the front door and span round, yanking open the door behind her. She ran, ignoring her blurry vision from tears and ran out the open balcony door. She crawled up onto the ledge and stumbled onto her feet, peering over to try and find something to jump down onto only to be met with the stone cold pavement 20 floors down. She squeezed her eyes tightly as she heard footsteps running through the flat before throwing herself off the edge.
Colonel Mace strided down the halls of UNIT's UK base, heading to a particular office with a young soldier following after him.
"Who is it again?" Mace asked.
"Uh, we don't know sir." The soldier replied, trying to keep up with the Colonel as quickly as he could.
"So why is she in the morgue?"
"Well, we're getting some strange readings off of her, sir."
"What sort of readings?"
"Well she's alive, sir."
Mace stopped in his tracks outside a door and frowned at the young soldier, "Then why is she in the morgue?"
"Ah," The soldier began nervously. "Well, sir, her heart isn't actually beating. There's no pulse."
"Is she conscious?"
"Yes. She hasn't really said anything, she's in shock, but then again sir, you would be after falling off a 20 floor building. She's just lying on the table, staring at the ceiling, pupils flickering all over the place."
Mace pinched the bridge of his nose, "Uh, just, go and make her a cup of tea or something."
"Sir." The soldier nodded before turning and walking off swiftly. Mace opened the door he'd stopped outside of to be met with the door of The TARDIS. He quickly knocked on it only for it to be pulled open before he'd even been able to pull his hand away.
"What?" The Doctor asked. Mace stared at him a moment, his short brown hair, his leather jacket and purple jumper. The human found it odd sometimes seeing The Doctor so differently to the incarnations he'd seen pictures of back in the 70's.
"Doctor, sir." He began to salute, only for The Doctor to push his hand down quickly. "Uh, we have a problem."
"What sort of problem?"
"You might want to come and have a look..."
The Doctor stood in a white, sterile room next to Private Ross Jenkins in front of a medical table.
"Who is she?" The Doctor asked, crossing his arms as he looked down at the young woman laying on the table. He observed her pale skin, the white hospital gown she was wearing, shoulder length glossy brown and matching eyes. The woman's eyes flickered round the room.
"Uh," Ross said, pulling back a page on the clipboard he was holding. "Mariella Williams. 22."
"And what happened?"
"She jumped off the balcony of her flat in London, 20 floors up."
The Doctor leaned over and put one hand on the side of the woman's face and looked at her eyes as the whizzed around in her eye sockets. "Why did she jump?"
"She was being chased by some guy." Ross shrugged. "He's been caught though."
"Right." The Doctor said, letting go of the woman and striding towards the door. "Which cell is he in?"
"He's not, sir." Ross called. The Doctor turned back and looked at him with a frown. "Uh, he locked himself inside his own containment vortex."
One of the UNIT soldiers stood on the balcony of Mariella Williams' flat, round a blue watery cylinder that contained a young Chinese man with a bread knife in his chest who was staring into space. The female soldier stood, carefully watching the containment vortex before glancing over the edge of the balcony at the forensic people down on the pavement, cornering off the blood splattered on the cold grey paving.
"Greyhound 40 to trap 7." Ross' voice came through on the radio.
"Trap 7 receiving." The female soldier replied.
"We need an update on the man on the balcony."
"He's frozen. Just, staring into space..." She leant forward, peering into the eyes of the man. "It's... a bit..." Her eyes grew wider as the Chinese man's eyes turned completely electric blue.
"Trap 7, report." Ross instructed as the woman gulped. "Trap 7, report immediately."
"His eyes have turned blue." She hissed, scrambling backwards against the outside of the wall of the flat. "Oh my god." Suddenly, the man snapped his head round and locked eyes with the woman.
"H- H- H-" The Chinese man began dryly. He shook his head and cleared his throat. "Ho. No. Fro. So."
"I, I don't understand." The woman said nervously. "What are you saying?"
Meanwhile, back at UNIT, Ross was holding down the young woman on the table as she shook violently. The Doctor ran round the other side of the table, holding down Mariella's other arm as he clutched Ross' radio in the other hand.
"Hold up the radio so I can hear what he's saying." The Doctor ordered.
"Who is that?" The female soldier asked nervously through the radio.
"Just answer The Doctor!" Ross shouted.
There was a scuffle as the radio was moved. "Ho. Fro, No, Jo, So. Afajbarabano."
"What is he saying?" Ross asked as he placed the back of his hand to Mariella's forehead. "She's burning up, fast."
"Water, go and get some." The Doctor said.
"Sir." Ross nodded before rushing off and leaving the room.
"Doctor, sir, what is it?" The female soldier asked nervously.
"Judoon." The Doctor said regretfully. "What's your name?"
"Anna, sir. Anna Ericson."
"Anna, listen to me, carefully." The Doctor said sternly as Ross ran back into the room, carrying a cup of water that was spilling over the edges. "This is what we're going to do-" Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed through the radio, making The Doctor's blood run cold. "Anna?" The Doctor asked, although there was no reply, just static. Ross threw the water over Mariella's face, making The Doctor look up.
"Sorry." Ross mouthed.
Back on the balcony, the Chinese man who was previously known as Danny Gong although he hadn't been himself in a while. He glanced down, unaffected, at the open, gaping wound in his chest, then at the bread knife clutched tightly in his hand, covered in blood, then at Anna laying on the floor, staring up, eyes open with a slit across her neck. He wiped the knife on his trousers, stuffed it into his pocket and walked stiffly back through the flat and out the front door.
"Sir, she's burning!" Ross said, moving her hand up and down Mariella's face and neck.
"Ok, one problem at a time." The Doctor said, putting one arm underneath Mariella's legs and the other under her back, picking her up. "Let's get her sorted. Get the door." Ross nodded and held open the door as The Doctor pushed past him. He ran down the hallway with Ross hot on his tail.
"Sir, not that I undermine your authority or anything, but what are you doing?!" Ross asked.
"Just shut up, will you?" The Doctor called over his shoulder, kicking open the door he'd stopped outside of. He peered into the small room before his gaze fell on a small round metal tank filled with water. "What's this?" He asked.
"Uh, we scavenged it last year, a crashed ship landed on the coast of Blackpool."
"Why is it full of water?"
"To keep it cool. The hotter it gets, it begins to fill up with acid."
"Right, well, it's going to have to do."
"What's going to have to do-" Ross was interrupted as The Doctor heaved Mariella higher into the air before chucking her into the water. Ross stumbled back, being splashed slightly by water as Mariella began to sink under. "Um, are you going to let her drown or-" He flinched again as Mariella came flying up, sitting up in the water with a gasp.
"Are you insane?" She gasped as her hair stuck to the hospital gown that stuck to her back.
"I just saved your life," The Doctor said, grabbing her hand and pulling her up to stand. "And you're complaining."
"I'm soaking wet!" She shouted.
"Apes!" The Doctor grumbled as he helped her out of the tank. "I stop you from dying and you're complaining."
"I JUMPED OFF A BUILDING!" She shouted once again, waving her arms around before abruptly stopping, dropping her arms and looking around. "Hang on, I jumped off a building." She frowned. "Where am I?"
"UNIT." Ross piped up, walking round from behind her and standing next to The Doctor, giving her a small, nervous smile. "London base."
"I jumped 20 levels though!" Suddenly, a look of shock crossed her face. "Oh my god..." She whispered, looking away at nowhere in particular. "I should be dead."
"Yes," The Doctor said. "You should be." He gave a quick smile and turned and left the room.
Danny strode towards the UNIT HQ, stopping outside the entrance to the car park. He observed the bar shutting off the way in and walked into it a few times, frowning.
"Oi mate!" He span round to look at the small cubicle at the side of the bar where a small, bald security guard was coming out of and walking towards him. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked as he stopped in front of Danny.
"Ho, fro, no. So, jo, fro ho. Bano."
The man raised his eyebrow at him. "You taking the mick?"
Danny's eyes shined blue as he grabbed the man's collar and picked him up before smashing him to the ground. Blood poured from his head immediately and his eyes flickered shut as he lay on the paving of the car park. Danny held out his wrist, staring at a black watch on it before pressing a few buttons.
"Language assimilated." Danny said darkly.
A few moments after the man dared to open his eyes again to find Danny had disappeared. He clambered to his feet and stumbled back to the cubicle and grabbed the phone.
"Where are you going?" Mariella shouted as she followed The Doctor and Ross down the hallway.
"Mariella Williams." The Doctor scoffed.
"The Doctor." Mariella replied sarcastically. "What sort of name is that? Doctor? Doctor WHO?"
"Just The Doctor."
"Just The Doctor?"
Ross looked back with a shrug, "It's all he ever says."
"Well then, Doctor, I think you owe me answers."
"Why would I owe you answers?" The Doctor asked.
"Well, I should be dead, and I'm not, then when I wake up, you're there and... UH I DON'T KNOW!"
"Why did you throw yourself off in the first place?" The Doctor asked, looking over his shoulder briefly as he walked.
"And that's your business because?"
"Sassy, isn't she?" Ross muttered to The Doctor.
"Oit!" Mariella gasped as The Doctor smirked back at Ross. "Listen here, I'm soaking wet and I want answers!"
The Doctor rolled his eyes and shrugged off his coat, throwing it back to her. "Wear this."
"Who do you think you are?" Mariella asked, putting on the coat and wrapping it round her tightly. "Danny from Grease?"
And then it happened.
Alarms blared throughout the building and the corridor turned red from the light of the alarms spinning round.
"What's going on?" Mariella asked nervously, grabbing onto The Doctor's arm.
"The security's been breached." Ross said as a two loud clunks echoed, one from behind the three of them and the other from the other end of the hallway. "And that's the doors, locking. Deadlocking."
"Ah," The Doctor nodded sarcastically. "Fantastic."
"Ok, could really do with some answers now." Mariella said quietly.
Suddenly, there was a flash of blue light a few metres away from them in the dark. The sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway before Danny appeared out of the dark, his blue eyes shining brightly.
"Danny." Mariella choked out.
"You know him?" The Doctor asked in surprise.
"He's the guy that I was running from." Mariella gulped.
"Running from?"
"When I threw myself of the building." Mariella said, fear wavering in her voice.
"So this is the guy trapped in his own containment vortex?" Ross asked sternly as The Doctor squeezed Mariella's hand. "Where is she?"
Danny smirked, "You mean 'Trap 7'?" He mocked.
"Her name was Anna!" Ross shouted.
"Since when did the Judoon use humans as their hosts?" The Doctor asked. "Can't see why you couldn't just come down to Earth yourselves?"
"We've been watching Mariella Williams for a long time, we needed to blend in." Danny shrugged.
The Doctor frowned, "Why?"
"We've been waiting to make an arrest."
"An arrest?" Mariella spluttered. "Why?"
"She's human." The Doctor said. "Why would you arrest her? Has she done an intergalactic crime? No-"
"Yes." Danny said sternly. The Doctor blinked a few times in confusion as Mariella watched fearfully. "She's been accused of the murder of Fortuna Brown."
"Who?" The Doctor asked with a frown.
Danny smirked even more, "Don't you know, Time Lord?"
"What's a Time Lord?" Mariella asked quietly.
"That's what I am." The Doctor said.
"Well you never hear the Queen mentioning that kind of knighthood in her Christmas speech, do you?" Mariella muttered quietly to Ross.
"Her sentence is execution." Danny said, reaching into his pocket, taking out the knife Mariella was defending herself with against him and quickly throwing it straight towards Mariella's head. With a squeak she ducked and the knife lodged itself into the door behind them.
"I'm confused, has she killed anyone?" Ross asked quietly.
Mariella scoffed, looking back at Ross. "I haven't killed anyone, thank you!"
"Really?" Danny asked, reaching into his back pocket and pulled out a laser gun, aiming it at Mariella.
"I haven't." She insisted. "I don't even know who Fortune Blonde is."
"Fortuna Brown." Danny corrected slyly with a look of disgust, squeezing on the gun. "Punishment: execution." Mariella span round, pulled the knife out of the door and stepped in front of Ross and The Doctor, holding out the knife at him.
"I don't think so." Mariella laughed nervously. And then, in a spur of the moment, Danny pulled the trigger and at the same time, Mariella through the knife, spinning round. The laser went flying and hit Mariella in the back, against The Doctor's jacket but bounded off. Mariella looked round in shock, sighing with relief that for the second time that day, she should have been dead, but wasn't. The three of them looked up as the knife hit Danny back in the same place as it had earlier that day. He choked out, clutching onto the knife.
"You. Killed. Fortuna. Brown." He hissed before his whole body crumbled into dust, dropping to the floor. The three of them stared at the pile of dust on the floor before the lights turned back to normal and there was two more clunking sounds and the doors unlocked.
"Typical." Mariella muttered. The Doctor silently turned and opened the door, walking out.
"DOCTOR!" Ross called after him as he and Mariella chased after him. They followed him down a corridor, calling after him. "Doctor, where are you going?" He opened the door to his 'office' and stepped in as Mariella and Ross watched him step into The TARDIS.
"Doctor!" Mariella called with a smirk. "Oi, Time Lord, where are you going?!" Suddenly, a whirring filled the air and Ross and Mariella watched as The TARDIS materialized away.
"Colonel Mace is going to kill me." Ross groaned.
"He'll come back." Mariella shrugged, putting her arm round Ross' shoulder.
Ross frowned, "How do you know that?"
"Well I'm not going anywhere."
"What, and you think he's coming back for you?"
"Of course." She giggled. "I have his jacket."