She had seen him once, twice, thrice, as far as she was concerned.
The first time, she was running late for her job, and the Subway Station didn't cooperate at all. She intently looked at her cell phone while sipping her coffee. And that was the moment when she got the eerie feeling-someone was watching her.
Ruffled brown hair and blue pinstripe suit at her left. He avoided her gaze for a while, obviously being self-conscious -he had been caught. Curiosity ran through her veins. She cleared her throat.
"Excuse me, Sir, have we met before?" She questioned. She could see over his face a shocked expression.
"Yes! Well, no, can't tell, I need to go, see you Annie!" He uttered…and went away.
That was plain weird.
Out of nowhere, a man in the subway who knew her name?
The second time, she was involved in something she couldn't place her finger on. The guys she had been meeting were a gang, a proper one. They had stolen an important jewel- a Metebesomething- to an eccentric aristocrat.
What struck as funny was the fact that she was covering them! Anne, the moral- protector! What had become of her?
Actually, to be fair, she was on duty. She was a spy trainee. Not a legal one, of course; all those apes were corrupted by the British Crown.
She ran a few miles with a bloke who thought her name was Marla; the cops were after them, but she needed to rescue the infamous jewel from the gang…and from the government system.
They lost sight of them in Southwark. Alfred followed her wherever she went. After crossing an alley, they found themselves in a lonely, gray park.
And that was the place where she faced him again.
He was by the swings, looking absent-minded by staring into the floor, when all of the sudden, he snapped his head towards her. He showed an alarmed gesture…and started to run, fluttering his trench coat around.
"What the… Oh, not this time! Return to the alley and stay there, Alfred. I've got something to do."
She ran faster than she thought she could, shouting "Oi, you!" to see if by any chance the strange man will stop and talk to her. He owed her answers.
"Come back!"
He arrived to a stop in front of a 60s police box.
"I'm so, so sorry, Annie, not today." He half-smiled at her before entering really quickly inside the telephone kiosk... or so she thought, leaving her alone and disgusted when the box started dematerializing.
Luckily, Alfred was thick and followed her instructions with no reply.
She was talented to order and convince everyone around her… that's why she got Torchwood's attention.
The third time, she was at Vienna, not precisely enjoying some vacations. She was requested to infiltrate the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs to obtain a vortex manipulator that shouldn't be in their hands... not just yet.
And how did she manage to do that? Simple. Schedule a visit under a fake name with other earthlings- and, once inside, don't follow instructions.
The hilarious thing was how, as she dismantled her fifth door of the day, she felt like she could be working there in the not-so-far-future. She liked UNOOS. She promised to herself she'll be back.
The door clicked. She had reached the room containing the valuable object. She was in.
And, oh, do they happen to have a penguin for a pet? It was freezing, even with all those files and artifacts around. Maybe she entered the wrong hall. She was about to return and go out when she focused on a metal box (labeled "Companion") that was wide open. She had found the origin of the abnormal temperature.
Something had gone out…someone. She closed what now looked to her as a cryogenic suspension chamber. She could hear shallow breathing. "Hello?" Without further thinking, she wrapped her hand around her knife. An audible sigh was perceived to her right, where the biggest shelf was located, blocking her view. "Ok, we don't need extremes. Let go of that knife or we'll create a bloody paradox."
She finished freezing after hearing that voice.
Her voice.
Slowly, a woman with a lab coat and a ponytail appeared. "Is-is this some kind of joke? I mean, you look exactly like me-and whoa! We are the bomb- but you, you look…older." She was utterly shocked while her counterpart beamed with delight.
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"Follow me."
They hopped in an elevator, going five floors under Earth. Her older self turned left, unlocking the fourth room in the hall and muttering under her breath "This is getting more difficult to open every time I come back."
"Can you tell me what's going on? I'm pissed when I don't understand something, you should know that!"
"Spoilers!" She sang, and opened wide the gate.
There, in a white room, behind a pair of Converse over a Victorian desk, the man. Or should she say the alien?
"YOU."
"Exactly, me!" He replied by opening his arms. His brown eyes flickered with excitement.
She crossed her arms and smiled. "Finally, Doctor."
"Wait, how do you-"
"I've done some research since the last time we saw each other."
"Oh yes, you did, my smart girl. Well, hello, Annie. I'm in your future, you're in mine, how about that? And this is how we meet."
"Hi. I was waiting for you."