Nightmare in the Neon.
Chapter One
DISCLAIMER : I don't own Doctor Who - it, & its' characters all belong to the BBC.
A/N : This story follows on from my earlier work "Oswin Returns" & chronicles the first adventure of Oswin "Clara" Oswald as a companion of The Doctor.
XX xx XX
Karen Moke hated her present life. The only daughter of a hard working family, she was expected by Chinese tradition to look after her parents when they reached their sunset years. An accident after Karen was born meant that her mother, Helen, would be unable to provide her with a sibling to share the burden. To make things worse, after the accident, Helen had become a "little loopy" (to put it mildly) - and had developed an obsession with money - therefore meaning that unless Karen did well at school, got a very good job, and made loads of money, Helen would never fully respect her...
Karen sighed as she continued her homework in her small room. Her bedside lamp flickered a little as she wrote in her exercise book, but she thought nothing of it. The lamp was part of an innovation in lighting technology by the previously unknown HEADT Corporation. The lamps (and later neon signs) they produced, could save the amount of energy used by over 90%. No wonder Hong Kong changed overnight to mostly using HEADT lights - after all, it was a forward thinking city - and it always made a profit...
The light flickered again, and Karen started feeling a little dizzy...Her vision blurred as she felt herself get up off the seat without the consent of her mind.
What was happening ?!...Why couldn't she control her body ?! In her mind, she started to panic, but there was nothing she could do to stop her actions...
"KAREN ! Have you finished your homework yet ?! - Why are you in the kitchen ?!" Helen huffed, as she stormed out of the lounge, and into the kitchen.
All this girl thinks about is food ! She hasn't made a cent for me yet, and yet she eats so much ! thought Helen, before she froze at the sight in front of her...
Karen turned to face her mother, but she wasn't Karen...Her skin was very pale, but what frightened Helen the most...was her eyes...they were just white globes, staring at her...without blinking.
Karen moved towards Helen - who was still rooted to the spot. Helen placed her hand over her open mouth, just as Karen was raising a very sharp knife in her hand...
XX xx XX
Oswin and The Doctor were making their way through the busy streets of Hong Kong. Hand in hand, they haggled in the markets, enjoyed the delicious cuisine on offer, and were about to make their way to the iconic harbour, when Oswin spotted a familiar looking dress in a shop. Although the dress wasn't TARDIS blue in colour, The Doctor reluctantly bought the dress for Oswin - as he had made a promise to keep Oswin happy (not to mention she had pleaded to him with those big puppy dog eyes again). The size wasn't quite right, so Oswin arranged to have the dress delivered to her hotel...wherever that would be that night...
"Doctor, shall we be staying at a hotel tonight ?..." Oswin turned to face The Doctor, some of her beautiful flowing brown hair resting across one side of her face.
"Well, I was thinking that we could stay in the TARDIS - after all, it is our home now, Oswin" replied The Doctor.
"But wouldn't it be a little weird to have my dress delivered to " the police box, damp wet alley, off a street I don't remember the name of " ...when supposedly you could get, erm, no, borrow an unlimited amount of cash from an ATM with your sonic pen ?!" Oswin tucked her hair behind her ears.
"It's not a sonic pen, it's a screwdriver !"cried The Doctor. "But I suppose you are right, & I think only the best would do for my little Oswin" The Doctor beamed.
"Oi Chin Boy ! Who are you calling little ?! And when did I become "your" Oswin ?!"..."Although I wouldn't mind it" she then muttered under her breath.
"I'm sorry , what was that ?" The Doctor said, moving closer to Oswin.
"Oh, nothing" as Oswin shot back an innocent look. "Did I tell you my friends called me Clara ?...Why are you still calling me Oswin ?" Her face had changed to one of annoyance.
"Oh, er, no, it's just that I met you as Oswin, and I shall remember you always as Oswin." The Doctor nervously straightened his bow tie, then scratched his head...
Oswin grabbed The Doctor's lapels, then kissed him on the forehead with a warm smile. "Only winding you up, my Doctor - I don't mind what you call me, so long as you lo...like me" grinned Oswin.
The Doctor regained his composure and held Oswin's hand again.
"I know a great place by the harbour ! Follow me, souffle girl !"
They made their way down Nathan Road, the main drag of Kowloon (one of the two main cities in the territory), before passing a rather scruffy looking block, with a number of street vendors outside selling magazines, newspapers, and other things. A very large neon sign above the block said "Welcome Hotel"...but one of the Chinese characters on the sign morphed into a skull as soon as Oswin had looked up at it...The skull began to flicker...
"Oswin, are you alright ?...OSWIN ?!" The Doctor cried, his voice bordering on panic.
Oswin was frozen to the spot, staring at the neon sign above her.
The Doctor sighed in relief when Oswin suddenly twitched, and looked around.
"Are you OK ? You looked like you were in a trance" a concerned looking Doctor asked Oswin.
"Erm, yes, I think so...What do you mean ?...Oh, this hotel will do, let's go, my Doctor !"
The Doctor was a bit taken aback at Oswin's change in attitude, but nonetheless decided to follow her into the scruffy looking hotel...
It wasn't as bad inside as it looked on the outside. The pair entered the hotel lobby, which was fairly small, with wood paneling being the main decoration for the walls, floor, and ceiling. A glass case displayed some tacky souvenirs, next to a tired looking rubber plant in a pot. Next to the reception desk, was a glass table, beside which was a black couch, with two men in identical black suits sat on it. Both men had sunglasses on, and turned their heads simultaneously without any sign of emotion as Oswin and The Doctor passed them.
"Hello my dear man, a room for the night please" The Doctor said with a smile to a middle-aged man sat on a stool, who seemed more interested in the newspaper he was reading rather than his job.
Sighing, the receptionist lifted his head & stood up. He looked at the pair in front of him "double room, Sir ?" he said, as he typed something into a computer.
"Yes, please"
"Double bed, or a twin bed ?"
Oswin smirked as she blurted out "double bed" in front of a suddenly blushing Doctor.
"And the names please ?" The receptionist glanced briefly at the pair, before his attention returned to the computer.
"Mr & Mrs...Oswald" Oswin quickly said, putting her hand on The Doctor's open mouth.
After The Doctor had handed over some cash he had borrowed earlier on from a cash machine, he was handed a pair of gold coloured keys with a chipped piece of green plastic - labelled with the number "04", held together by a piece of string.
"Room 04 on the Third Floor...The lift is just in the corner there. Enjoy your stay" the receptionist said with a slight smile.
XX xx XX
The room was a little basic, with a blind across the sole window blocking the glare of the lights outside on the road. Wallpaper with a floral pattern covered the walls, while Oswin had to walk across a dirty brown carpet in her bare feet, after kicking her shoes off on entering the room. Her dress had just been delivered, and she was changing in the bathroom while The Doctor waited on a red armchair which had clearly seen better days. A TV in the corner was showing seemingly endless advertisements about cleaning fluid and apartments to buy in mainland China. The Doctor was wondering how he and Oswin would be sleeping together on the double bed in front of him without giving the wrong impression...
"That's erm, rather nice..." a slightly blushing Doctor said, as Oswin came out of the bathroom with her new dress on.
Oswin's dress was red, and from her neck, it reached down to just above her knees. It had a matching red belt, and complimented Oswin's lovely figure perfectly.
"Mmm, red was always my colour...but blue is my second favourite colour. When I first met you, I wore a similar dress."
"Erm, OK...so is that your, erm, trademark attire ?" The Doctor struggled with small talk, and women's clothing certainly wasn't one of his strong points. However, Oswin would look nice in any attire, he thought.
Oswin raised an eyebrow before saying "yes, maybe it is...Oh Doctor, I'm thirsty, can you get me something to drink ? I noticed a supermarket across from the hotel...Oh, and they may have souffles !" Oswin's eyes lit up.
"Fine, fine..." The Doctor reluctantly moved towards the door of their room, clearly not liking his role as a neo butler.
We could have been exploring strange new worlds...and all we are doing is staying on boring ol' Earth...with me exploring a strange new...supermarket. The Doctor thought.
The hotel room door closed, and Oswin looked at herself in the mirror. She flashed herself a smile, and crooked her finger at her reflection as she said...
"Hello my Doctor, here to take me into your snogbox are you ?" She raised an eyebrow.
Snogbox ?...Where did that word come from ?...It sounded familiar...
She turned her head on hearing a knocking at the door.
That was quick, Oswin thought.
Beaming, Oswin opened the door "that was quick, my Doctor...did... they... have... souffles ?..." Her smile quickly disappeared.
It wasn't The Doctor facing her. It was the two men in the lounge. One of them held up a small lamp, which flashed in front of Oswin's eyes...
Oswin suddenly felt dizzy, and everything faded into black...
XX xx XX
Oswin's sight passed from blurred to clearer, to blurred again, before she shook her head and regained her bearings. She slowly picked herself up off the floor, and looked around.
She was in a dimly lit large room, with plain wooden floorboards, dark red curtains across all the windows, and a pile of plastic chairs in the corner. It seemed to be some sort of meeting room - not unusual for a hotel. The illumination was provided by...a yellow neon sign at the far end of the room.
What's a lit neon sign doing in the middle of a hotel meeting room ? Oswin thought to herself.
"Doctor ?...DOCTOR ?!" Oswin cried, hoping that he was nearby. She started to shake with worry, but a cackle in the room made her turn her head sharply.
Her eyes widened, and she stepped back, as she saw the characters on the neon sign had morphed into a skull - the same skull she had seen earlier...and it was cackling at her...
Oswin composed herself - I can't appear weak in front of this...thing...If I can face Daleks, I can face anything...
"Who are you ?" Oswin asked, with a slight hint of fear in her voice.
"Who Iam is not important, but you, my dear Clara, you can be of so much use to us..." The shape of the skull wavered as it spoke.
"Me ?...I'm just a normal 24 year old British girl...What's so important about me..." Oswin paused before she realised something important. "...H-, how did you know my other name was Clara ?!"
"So you really are the impossible girl...the girl who died twice to save her precious Doctor !" The skull laughed, with sparks exploding from its' teeth.
"Wh, what do you mean...died twice ?!" Oswin's composure was breaking down, and now, more than ever, she wanted The Doctor to be by her side...and to tell her what the hell was going on...
The neon sign flashed, and from a door behind it, the two suited kidnappers appeared with what appeared to be a metal ring.
"Attach the extractor to her head !" the skull commanded.
Oswin could only step back, as the men came ever closer. Whatever those men had, she didn't want it anywhere near her head...