May 20th, 2000
One thousand miles above North America a flash of light appeared in the blackness of space. Emerging from the flash of white light was a grey sphere approximately six feet in diameter. Caught in Earth's gravity well and with no forward momentum, it immediately started to fall. Inside the capsule sat a slim blond women with the looks of a 20 year old. She noticed a message on a display which said "Jump Complete". She smiled at it, and looked in a mirror to check her make up. She then glanced at the planet below her through a small triangular window and then uttered in a very non human voice "The Earth is so blue."
Lt. Johnson looked at his computer screens, which showed the nation's air defense radars and satellites, with tired bored eyes. Johnson had just spent the last eight hours defending America by cataloguing space junk and keeping an eye out for missiles. The radars they use tracked things the size of a quarter half way to the moon. He was about to pack it in when something new showed up on the screen. He saw that an object had appeared in high orbit, and was accelerating toward the planet. "Hmm" he thought, "approximately 6 feet in diameter and descending over the state of Maine. Surprised it wasn't spotted by the computer earlier." The computer determined based on its trajectory that it originated from deep space and not any of America's enemies. "Well its not a missile, and its not in shuttle Atlantis's flight path. Just another unlucky rock which crossed Earths orbit at the wrong time. The sixth one this week" he noted. "Enjoy your fiery death space rock, I hope the people of Maine make a wish."
"A mysterious blue police box that shows up throughout history. English playing a prank in time? Up next on Sick Sad World!" An intrigued Jane looked up from her painting to glance at the TV in her room. "I'll have to keep and eye out for one of those." Daria, her concentration broken by Jane's voice, looked up from her report she was writing. "Keep an eye out for what?" She asked. "A time travelling blue box. I bet you we could hitch a ride, and cause mischief in the past." Jane replied excitedly. "Ah yes," Daria said flatly "we can go back to when the first creature walked out of the ocean and step on it. Thus saving the Earth from the inevitable rise of man, and reports about the stupidity of man." Jane looked over and replied "Oh but then I wouldn't get to see your cheery self everyday." While giving Daria a wry smile.
"This report on the War of 1812 is getting a little tiresome. I almost can't believe these events are true. Do you want to get some pizza?" Daria asked. "Sure, might as well get out on this fine Saturday. Just a sec." Jane replied then put a nice red streak on a seemingly random part of her abstractish painting of a grey man driving. "There, perfect!" Daria just raised an eyebrow while looking at Janes painting. "Do I want to ask?" she stated, to which Jane replied. "Its a painting about the bleakness of driving to and from work your whole life till you die, or die when you crash into a semi. One of the two." Jane offhandedly replied. Daria added as they left her room. "You should sell it to the school for drivers ed class. That way the soon to be drivers will know what they're getting into."
As they went downstairs to leave Casa Lane, they saw Trent open the front door from the outside. He was holding a bag from the Grab and Save on the corner. "Hey Trent what's up." Jane said. He replied in his distinctly slow dialect. "Just got back from the convenience store with snacks for practice. Some blond was trying to buy magnesium from the place and held up the line." He looked up for a second and horsley sang "She held up the line, we're all out of time. Hmmm cool." Jane replied sarcastically "Magnesium? Kids these days." Daria locked eyes with Trent for a moment and just as the shyness gripped her she just managed to eke out "Yes kids." instead of the witty reply she wanted to say, and then quickly glanced away. Trent was still too engrossed in possible song lyrics to notice. As he moved to go down stairs he just said "Yeah there's gotta be something in the water."
Later over pizza Jane mentions, "You know its kinda early to be working on that report. Its due like a week from now." Daria looked up from her pizza and replied, "My high standards prevent me from starting on it at the last minute." Daria added. "When are you doing yours?" Jane thought about it for second "I don't know. Night before maybe? I think I have a half page somewhere. That's the war with Lincoln right?" Daria rolled her eyes "Looks like another D for you." she replied. Jane unconcerned for her grade or any other conventions of "The Man" just changed the subject and said. "Man, whatever they make this cheese out of must come from heaven. It's awesome." Daria dryly replied. "Yes, the best cheese with a 3 year shelf life I've ever had." Maybe they put magnesium in it." Jane replied. "We better find that girl Trent mentioned and let her know about the magnesium cheese." Daria almost shuddered "Sorry I've reached my maximum dose of crazy for the time being."
Once the pizza was finished, they left and started walking home. It was getting close to nine and so it had been dark for hours. About half way to Casa Lane, Jane got a feeling that they were being followed. "Daria I think we're being followed." she whispered. Daria sighed, "Great, getting murdered on the way home from pizza. What a way to go." Daria replied as she got her keys out and arrayed each key between her fingers like she was shown in a self defense class. Jane carefully glanced back, and she saw a pretty blond woman with a tall petite body much like Quinns annoying friend Sandi. She had seen her a few turns ago and she was still walking at their pace 10 feet behind them. "Oh I think its a fashion club reject stalking us" Jane said somewhat relieved. Daria put her keys back in her pocket relieved when she heard a few sniffing noises coming from the girl behind her. The women then strangely said "Magnesium!"
"Great why are we the lucky ones," Jane retorted as the women approach closer. Daria was about to make a sardonic comment when the women quickly closed the distance between them and said, "I need your magnesium, give it too me." She then stuck out her hand in a forceful way. Daria and Jane stopped walking. Just amazed at it all Daria said flatly "What the hell is going on, and no! I don't have any magnesium on me." To which the women replied menacingly "I can smell it on you" and then in an oddly deeper less women like voice. "Give it to me." Daria and Jane just stood dumbfounded at the non human voice and mannerisms of the blond women.
Just then, all three were surprised by a metallic ding from behind. The sound of quickly approaching steps drew their attention from their standoff to a young man with wavy brown hair in his mid to late 20's in a brown suit coat and a red bowtie. He ran up and authoritatively said in a british accent. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you. For ages, well not quite that long, but long enough." He then pointed at the blond in a rather annoyed manner. "You're the Traxaxian who's been lurking around looking for magnesium." Then his expression changed from serious to confused in an instant. "Who just carries around magnesium anyway? Not a lot of use for it, unless you're making pyrotechnics. But I suppose somebody would." The blond interrupted his monologue with "I'm not an alien." In a human sounding voice, while trying to look innocent. "I'm just lost and asking for directions." The man in the brown coat just waved a finger at her and said "Ah no no no you're definitely an alien, and do you know how I know?" he waved a hand held device of some kind with an antenna on one end, while doing a spin in place excitedly. "With this!" he said. "It scans DNA within a 20 meter radius and goes ding when it detects non human DNA. It also downloads comic books from the future, I just don't know when to stop." The device then went ding rather loudly. Daria just looked on with an eyebrow raised and thought. "Who is this idiot?" Jane just looked at it rather intently and asked "Did you get that at Sharper Image?" "No!" the man said turning his head toward her slightly offended. "I built it ages ago! Saved Great Queen Elizabeth the First with it from the Zygons, and then became the king of England for a bit." He beamed.
Daria disbelieving everything for a moment just said. "Trent was right somethings definitely in the water, none of this can be happening." "Anyway." the strange man said "You are coming with me. Gotta get you off this planet before you cause more trouble." The blond took a step back and got better footing on the sidewalk. Her eyes glowed red and she said in a guttural voice. "I'm going nowhere! You will die with these pathetic creatures in the name of the Traxaxian Empire." With that, a shell of energy erupted from the blonds body which knocked Daria, Jane and the strange englishman off their feet to the ground. "Ok" the englishman said with a surprised look on his face, "Time to run." He then jumped to his feet and ran across the street toward a corner. Jane and Daria got up and followed suit. Daria wasn't exactly sure why she was trying to keep up with the strange man but he seemed to know what's going on. Plus following him is preferable to dying for the Traxaxian Empire.
They crossed the street and rounded a corner just in time to see the man run up to a blue british police box which was just sitting on the sidewalk. He quickly grabbed a key from his pocket and opened the door. "Hurry before it gets here." the englishman said while frantically waving them over. Jane was in the middle of saying, 'We're not all going to fit….." just as she and Daria ran in. They stood inside the entryway stunned. Behind them was the two wooden doors of the police box, but the inside of the police box was a large two story circular rather retro futuristic room with what looked like a control console on a raised platform in the center, and corridors branching off. The whole thing was darkly lit by various lights from the ceiling. The strange englishman closed the doors and then ran between Daria and Jane to the console in the center of the circular room and started to manipulate the various knobs and levers. The whole thing looked rather rube goldberg. "Its bigger in here" Jane confusingly said. Daria nodded "Indeed" as both were looking around.
