Lara breathed a sigh of relief as she heard that wonderful sound of the ringing bell. It was the signal informing all the men that it was time to move on to their next speed dating companion. To Lara it was a sign that she was one step closer to a warm bath and a comfortable bed. Come to think of it, she wasn't even sure why she had decided to come to this thing. Though she was quite certain as to why she had come alone.
She'd had a long line of tragically horrid dates of late and this event was just another link in that chain of bad experiences. Sure her best friend Mary would have come had she asked, but after the first few men she'd met tonight, she was glad she was alone. Mostly she was relieved she wouldn't have to apologize to her friend for dragging her along.
She'd be pleased if only one of these carbon copy cut-outs had something new or partially interesting to say. It was this exact thought that occupied her mind when a man's voice had broken her concentration.
"If you were sitting in a crowded bar surrounded by a bunch of aliens from outer-space would you want to know about it?" the man asked as he seated himself.
The question confused Lara for a second, but succeeded in bringing her abruptly back to reality. It was, after all, a question she hadn't heard before and would just as likely never hear again. "Hello," he continued with an extended hand. "I'm the Doctor."
She looked over him briefly, noting specifically the bow tie. Not many men wore bow ties these days, nor should they she mused. There was something unique and almost charming about this man though, so she allowed the slightest smile to crease her lips.
"Lara," she replied. "Lara Simmons; Doctor Wh-," she started but was quickly interrupted.
"Just the Doctor," he smiled.
Lara watched the Doctor curiously as he soaked in his surroundings. It was readily apparent that this was a new scene for him, though Lara couldn't really be considered a veteran herself. Still, there was something fresh-faced and playful about the Doctor that gave her the slightest glimmer of hope.
"I love this speed dating," the Doctor continued. "It's brilliant. Have you done a lot of these?" he asked curiously. "These speed dates?"
"This is my first," she answered. "You?"
"Me? Oh definitely not," he replied. "This is my first speed date. Well my first date really, I don't have those often; or at all. How about you do you have many dates?"
"I've had a lot of first dates lately," she replied.
"First dates? Do you like those then?" he asked completely interested. "The first dates?"
"Not really," she replied with a smile. "They haven't gone very well for me in the past."
"Oh," he remarked. "Then why not go on a second date or a third date even?"
"Well the first date usually has to go well for there to be a second date or a third," she clarified.
"Is that a requirement?" he asked.
"It is," she answered cheerfully. Though strange, there was something remarkably nice about this doctor. At any other time she might have thought this man a bumbling fool, but that wasn't the impression she was getting. She found herself easily liking him, which is why she was thrilled when he leaned in towards her with a smile.
"Can I tell you a secret," he asked.
"Sure," she replied leaning in herself. She didn't just allow herself to smile, but had no control over it now, nor any real idea she was smiling at all.
"There is something very special about you Lara Simmons," he continued.
"And what's so special about me, Doctor?" she asked, flirting with the Doctor.
"What's special about you Lara is that there is absolutely nothing special about you at all; at least not from what I can tell," he remarked so matter-of-factly.
The Doctor's comment jilted Lara. This was certainly not the compliment she had allowed herself to hope for. She wasn't really even sure how to respond. She just stared at the Doctor wondering if this wonderfully charming and witty man wasn't actually charming or witty at all.
"Which makes me wonder," the Doctor continued, "Why an incredibly old, highly advanced, and oh so very mean alien race would travel millions and millions and billions of miles just for you," he finished.
"I'm sorry, did you say alien race?" she laughed, almost spitting her drink onto the Doctor. For a moment she knew that the drastic turn this conversation was taking could only lead to one of the worst first dates she will ever have had. Lara didn't care though; she was hooked, if for no other reason than to see how this date could possibly end.
"Two alien races actually," the Doctor replied.
"Two alien races?" she asked, laughing uncontrollably at the notion.
"Well three if you count me," he added.
"Is this a joke? Did Mary put you up to this?" she asked, knowing there was no other possible explanation for this absurd turn of events.
"No... who's Mary?" he inquired.
Lara noticed that the Doctor seemed genuinely perplexed by her suggestion that Mary had anything to do with this. Still, she had to admit that the sincerity with which the Doctor presented his notions couldn't be explained within any realm of normalcy. The unique oddness of the conversation kept her spirits high though.
"So you're a crazy person then?" she asked.
"Probably, but that's hardly the point," he replied.
"Then what's the point?"
"The point is, look around you Lara Simmons. Look very carefully. Do you notice anything odd, anything out of the ordinary?"
"You mean besides a crazy man sitting across from me that thinks he's an alien?" she laughed.
"Of course besides that! Look very closely at everyone here."
Lara wasn't sure why she continued to play this Doctor's little game. It was partly out of simple curiosity and partly out of the desire for a really good story to tell her friend the next day. She didn't feel threatened at all, she was fairly certain that the joke would be revealed before the next bell was to ring.
Though she couldn't say exactly what, there was definitely something about this man, this so-called Doctor. She glanced around the room coyly, almost mockingly, looking from one set of daters to another.
"I see a bunch of regular people on a bunch of regular old dates," she finally responded.
The Doctor, unwavering in his persistence continued to push. "Look closer," he whispered.
She let out the slightest chuckle as she continued to glance around the other tables. She noticed a young pair sitting to her right, the woman tilting her head to the side letting out a laugh as the man lifted his glass to take a drink. To her left, an older man across from a hilariously younger woman was engaged in casual conversation. The woman held her right hand to her chin, her left stirred her drink with a toothpick-skewered olive.
"Do you see it yet?" the Doctor asked, his eyes almost as wide as his smile.
Lara really expected to see nothing, so much so that she had almost completely missed it at first. But there it was, far to her left, a woman with a familiar tilted head, her face creased in what seemed like a replica of another's smile. She recognized another movement from another table; a man, the way he lifted his drink. Different people at each table performing exactly the same motions. Though perhaps each action occurred in a different order and at a different time, the resemblance was unmistakable. They were the same repetitive, identical motions; each person performing an action from some pre-determined set.
"They're all the same!" she exclaimed.
"That's very good!" the Doctor said with a giant grin.
"But how is that possible?" she asked.
Before the Doctor could possibly answer the room grew eerily quiet. There was, for the first time that night, an uneasy feeling inside her; perhaps one could even call it fear. She glanced around the room, and grew increasingly frightened as every set of eyes there met her gaze.
"Okay, this is less good," the Doctor said, having noticed this new turn of events.
He glanced from table to table, more amused than Lara by each cold gaze. Then, in unison, every other person in the bar stood up and turned to face the Doctor and his new friend.
"Okay, this is very, very not good, and I think that we should run."