This is a fun experiment to see how much I can twist a story into something new.
Chapter 2 V-Day
14, February, 2005
Evelyn Noble was moving around a canvas with her head bobbing to the rock music she had playing in the background. A few of the journalists, mainly bloggers, had helped with getting her art out to the public and things had been going better for her. She was able to purchase better canvases and planks of wood to paint on, her art supplies were far more bountiful, and she was even able to get a new stereo to listen to her music. She paused in her painting to wash her hands and take a spot of lunch. It had been a month since she met the Doctor and she hadn't been able to forget him, the first man she had met that went by the same name, or even the man that wished her a happy new year. They each had their own drawing in a small sketchbook she kept next to her bedside table so that if she had any dreams she could draw them out.
She hummed to her music as she rooted around her cupboards for something to eat. She grabbed a box of cereal and a bowl and decided to have breakfast for lunch. She was munching on her lunch when her television turned on, playing nothing but static. She paused in her actions with the spoon hanging in the air above the bowl the milk trickling back into it. The spoon clattered against the floor as it fell from her hand. It snapped her out of her shock and she picked up the TV remote and pressed the off button. The screen went dark as it turned off and she knelt down to pick up her now dirty spoon. She let out a small scream when her landline went off. She hurried over and picked up the phone before answering it.
"Hello? Evelyn Noble here," She answered.
"Evie!" A loud voice stated in a drunken tone, "Listen, listen, listen."
"Hello Mary, I'm listening to you," Evelyn stater as she moved the phone away from her ear, "How are you already drunk this early in the day? It's not even two yet."
"Don't worry about it," Mary replied, "listen I set you up on a date, I refuse to let you be alone on Valentine's Day. Meet him at the park near your flat at two."
"He better not be one of those gits again," Evelyn muttered as she checked the time, one in the afternoon she had an hour to get ready, "Okay, I'll meet up with him, but I'm bringing my mace with me."
"Oh that's not needed," Mary stated.
"Last person you set me up with attempted to cop a feel, even when I asked them to stop," Evelyn pointed out as she finished her cereal and placed the bowl in the sink, "If this one does it no more blind dates, all right?"
"Fine, but you still need to tell me about that mystery man who has your attention," Mary stated in a more sober tone, "The one that you keep sketching, the one with the hair that looks soft as hell."
"Sorry, I didn't ask him to feel his hair when he was walking home drunk," Evelyn sarcastically, "He looked like he needed some rest, now I'm going to go get ready for that blind date."
She hung up and placed the phone back on the receiver before heading to her room. She grabbed a dress show always wore on these blind dates and hopped into the shower. She came out a few seconds later with her hair wrapped up in a towel and wearing the dress. A navy blue dress with long sleeves that reached her wrists and a skirt that ended at her knees. She removed the towel and quickly ran a brush through her hair. She put on eyeliner and some eyeshadow and stared at her face before putting on a copper colored lipstick.
"This is as good as it gets," she muttered as she pulled on a pair of black heels and her coat.
She grabbed her purse and put everything in it before turning off her speakers and heading out. The park was a few minutes away and when she got there she sat down and watched the people passing by her. There was a nip to the air and she shivered slightly when her wet hair brushed against the back of her neck. She checked her watch and sighed quietly, she had ten minutes until two and she wasn't looking forward to the date. Every single one of the men that Mary had set her up with had always attempted to sleep with her or ask too much of her. Like she was going to do any of that with a man she'd never met before. She scoffed at the thought and looked around the area.
She paused in her observations upon noticing a retro police box sitting in the middle of the park. She blinked and stood up. People were passing by it as if it was perfectly normal that a phone box from the sixties was sitting in the middle of the park. She walked up to it, all the while cursing her stilted walk due to the heels, and placed a hand against the painted wood. A sudden shock went through her hand and she pulled it back as it tingled from the sudden electric shock. She frowned as she felt something weird in her head. It was like something was burrowing into the back of her thoughts. She narrowed her eyes when she got a sudden feeling like she was being tutted at. She looked at the box and wondered if she should apologize to it, as odd as it was.
"My bad, sorry," She awkwardly apologized to the blue box, "it's just odd to see a police box from the sixties, I was just making sure you're real…and I'm talking to a police box."
She shook her head and walked away from the police box. She went and sat on a bench to wait for her date. Her hand was still tingling and she shook it to see if that would help. It actually did a bit. She checked the time and sighed, he was ten minutes late. She heard some approaching footsteps and looked to her right to see a smartly dressed man rushing towards.
"Are you Evelyn Noble?" He asked as he panted.
"I am, you a friend of Mary's?" She asked as she stood up.
"Nathan Howard," He introduced as he held out a hand.
She took and he gave it a light shake before looking at her. She raised a brow at him and felt ready to call the date off if he kept eyeing her. She wondered if this was how Donna felt, her sister was far prettier than she thought. She blamed the low self esteem on their mum.
"You look lovely by the way," Nathan quickly stated upon seeing her unimpressed expression.
"You look nice as well," She replied, the flattery having its wanted effect as her cheeks turned a light pink.
He held out an arm and she accepted it. He started talking about who he was and Evelyn carefully hid her expression when he turned the conversation to art. He was actually insulting her art to her face and he didn't even know it. Either that or he was a big enough git to do so while knowing. They sat down in a rather nice restaurant that over looked the main shopping district of London and she found herself watching the happy couples walking around with a churning in her gut. Sometimes she wanted someone like that, but when she looked towards Nathan she found herself not wanting that all. He reminded her of her mum and that caused her to want to end the date even more when he started talking about his job.
"I work as an executive producer for a music company," Nathan told her.
"Fascinating," Evelyn stated in a calm tone as a waitress came to their table and took their orders.
"Mary said you were a tough cookie to talk to," He dryly commented, he scooted back from his seat and she raised a brow at him, "Excuse me, I need the loo."
"Take your time," She smiled at him.
He left and she let out a sigh of relief. The waitress from earlier walked over with the drinks and shot her an sympathetic look.
"He looks nice but sounds pretty stuck up," She commented.
"He even insulted me several times and I don't know if he actually knows it or not," Evelyn responded.
"Want to take off on him?" The waitress asked, "The owners pretty understanding."
"I think I will," Evelyn commented as she stood up from the table, "I'll pay for the drinks though."
The waitress smiled at her as she brought out her wallet and paid for the drinks before heading out of the restaurant. She grabbed her phone and inputted Mary's number. It gave a few rings before someone picked up.
"Hello?" A males voice asked.
"Can I speak to Mary, Marquis?" Evelyn asked.
"Oh yeah," He responded in a pleasant tone, "Babe, it's Evie."
There was the sound of movement on the phone as it was handed over and Evelyn headed back to the park. She wanted to see if the police box was still there. She still had that feeling in the back of her mind.
"What happened?" Mary asked.
"Well besides the fact that he was a git and completely full of himself?" Evelyn sarcastically asked, "He insulted me, several times in fact, right to my face."
"Shite, I thought Nathan might've actually been a good matchup with you," Mary grumbled as Marquis let out a yell of victory, "I just lost a bet to him, you know how badly he gloats?"
"I do," Evelyn chuckled at her friends misfortune as she turned into the park, her expression fell as she noted that the police box was gone, "I think I'll head back to my flat and work on my paintings."
"Right," Mary stated as she yawned, "I'm in the spirit for a round two but tired as fuck."
"Too much information," Evelyn dryly commented as she headed up the stairs of her flat, "Ta, Mary."
She hung up her mobile and unlocked her door. She stepped in and blinked in confusion at the metal flooring. Her flat was mainly hard wood with some carpet in the bedroom. She looked around and frowned when her glasses suddenly fogged up. She took them off and cleaned them with a soft cloth she always kept in her jacket.
"Am I in a broom closet?" She muttered in confusion as the door behind her closed, "What?"
She turned and attempted to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. She made a sound of disbelief before trying the door once again. Still no movement, so that meant she needed to find a different way out of the small room she found herself in. She was just glad it had some light which came from a small LED light fixated in the ceiling. She shuffled around the room until she found another door. This one was made out of metal and she pressed a green button on a nearby switch to open it. She was welcomed with the sight of people bustling about dressed in finery.
"What?" She quietly questioned as she walked into the room a bit more.
A few men in nice uniforms looked at her for a few seconds before shrugging, they figured that she had to be a guest with how she was dressed. She put her hands in her pockets as she moved around the room to survey the people. There were humans like her on the area, then there were the aliens. All different sizes, colors, and shapes. She let out a shaky breath and began to look around for a place to hide or at least a place to find out where she was.
"Excuse me," She softly stated as she moved past a slightly larger couple.
They nodded at her and she gave them the tiniest smile as she opened a door and headed through it. She walked past a few more aliens before heading through a different door. The room she found seemed to be empty and she sighed in relief as the doors closed behind her and it was mostly quiet. She could hear music, it was a song she'd never heard before, but it was very distant. She finally looked around the room and noted that it was a type of observation room. She was standing on a platform that was higher than the rest of the room.
"Fucking heels," She grumbled as her heel got stuck in a hole of the metal floor.
She knelt down and freed it before walking towards the railing around the platform and leaning against them as a red light turned on the wall in front of her. The wall shifted and glass was revealed. She was momentarily distracted from her predicament as the Earth was revealed to her. She walked down the stairs of the platform and stopped in front of the glass.
"Am I on a bloody spaceship?" She stated to herself before pinching the bridge of her nose, "Oh come on Noble you bloody idiot, what else could it be?"
"Do you always talk to yourself?" A northern accented voice asked her making her jump.
"Only in times of stress," she responded as she spun around to face the owner of the voice, "Do you always sneak up on people—Doctor?"
"Hello again," He stated with a smile and small wave.
"Did you ever get to the Doctor convention?" She asked as he joined her in front of the window.
"Yeah," he laughed as though it was something he had heard a long time ago, "we had those tiny little sandwiches and some drinks."
"Sounds like an absolute banger," She joked before she looked towards the planet, "I've never seen the planet like this, it's gorgeous."
"Yeah," He commented and she looked towards him to see his expression.
He looked lonely, sad, and fond all at the same time. She frowned slightly at that and shifted in her spot and her foot began to cramp. He snapped out of his expression and looked at her with a raised brow. She mimicked his expression.
"What?" She asked.
"Why are you dressed like that?" He asked.
"An old classmate of mine set me up on a blind date for Valentine's Day," She replied with a grumpy tone, "Man was an absolute git that insulted me to my face."
"Hmm," He hummed in response.
"I don't think he even knew it too," She added as she made a thoughtful expression, "Helped Marquis make a easy hundred quid, so it wasn't all bad."
He didn't even want to know what she was talking about. He looked towards her and watched as her expression went from stormy to calm as she looked over at the planet once again. She was still a strange woman. Her hair had grown a bit, and now rested on her shoulders, she brought a hand up and ran it through her hair and let out a sigh.
"I don't even know how I got up here," She grumbled, "I just wanted to go back to painting."
He didn't give a response to that and she heard a familiar buzzing sound. He kept a straight face as she slowly turned to look at him. Her face went from calm to annoyed within seconds. It then turned into annoyance as she slowly crossed her and across her chest.
"Stop bleeping me," She snapped before making a face, "Oh that's familiar."
He didn't comment on that as he read his readings. He frowned at what he was reading. She was looking at him in confusion and he kept a smirk off his face, that wasn't a usual expression on her.
"You've been teleported from the surface of the planet," He told her, "that's the only thing I could find."
He didn't like not knowing something. He frowned at that idea and he joined her in her stance with her arms. The doors opened behind them and they both turned in unison to see who had entered. A man in a crisp waiters uniform looked around before sighing in relief.
"Miss Noble, you are wanted in the gaming area," He stated as he walked towards the two.
"Why? I literally just wanted to enjoy the rest of my day," Evelyn stated.
"You've been volunteered for the date game," The waiter stated in a strained tone.
"I didn't sign up for it," She replied.
"You have to compete or else you'll be stuck on the ship as per the rules and regulations of the ship," He replied, "I'm so sorry."
She laid off him at his tone. He was genuinely apologetic for what was going on. He didn't seem to agree with any of this. She sighed and gave him a nod and he relaxed slightly.
"I'll see you around, Doctor," She quietly stated as she turned to look at said man.
He gave her a nod and his expression was akin to someone who had sucked on a lemon or lime. The waiter sighed in relief and began to walk towards the door. He would be her guide since she had been teleported to the ship and didn't have any clue where she was going. She gave the Doctor one last smile before following after the waiter. It wasn't the first time he'd seen that and he sighed at that in annoyance before walking after them. He was curious.
"Miss, I don't think you have much to worry about," The waiter stated as they went down a corridor, "I think you're rather lovely."
"I've never heard that one before," Evelyn muttered as they walked into a large auditorium that was filled with people.
She let out a grunt as she was pulled by the arms towards the stage where three other girls were sitting on stools. She glared at everyone as she stepped onto the stage and sat down in the last empty chair. It went quiet as the lights dimmed over the tables filled with patrons and a hole opened up on the stage and a robot rose out of it. One of the girls joined Evelyn in her look of utter disbelief.
"What the hell?" She muttered in complete confusion.
"Welcome to the Galatia's Date Night game," The Robot announced in a very familiar voice.
"Is that Drew Carey?" A girl asked Evelyn, her American accent heavy amongst the English ones.
"It sounds like it," Evelyn shrugged as the robot turned to look at them.
"These four lovely ladies will be the dates for tonight," The Robot continued, "Each date will be bid for by you, our lovely audience, and all profits will be going to charities to help find new medicines for those in need."
A pleasant jingle rang out through the auditorium and a light appeared on the first girl, a woman with long silver hair matched with pitch black skin- she actually looked like a gem to Evelyn- and she glared at everyone around her. The Robot moved forward until it was standing next to her chair.
"This lovely lady comes from the lustrous galaxy," The Robot announced, "The planet of Polinski, and is made of the gem known as Smokey quartz. Her name is Miliana Qualish, daughter of the Polinski president. We start the bid at two hundred galactic credits."
People scrambled to bid for the woman until she was allowed to leave the stage with a slightly relieved look as a man of a similar race, but different gem composition, paid for a date with her and simply put his coat over her shoulders to protect her from the eyes of the other patrons. Evelyn and the American, a girl with black hair in a buzz cut and almond shaped brown eyes, shared a look before looking towards the next woman. She looked to be part bird and part human.
"I think we're screwed," The American stated, "Names Mai Marcovsky, I'm guessing you're from Earth as well."
"Yeah, Evelyn Noble I'm from London," Evelyn introduced as they shook hands.
"Always wanted to go to London, I'm stuck in a little military town in California," She grumbled, "Good thing I'm joining the military to get outta there."
"Nice," Evelyn stated as she grimaced, "Malone went to a person from her planet, oh that's just lovely."
Mai let out a quiet groan and Evelyn began to look around for some way out of the situation. She couldn't find one and Mai was bid for by a nice looking woman with blue skin and a kind smile. Evelyn started to sweat and her heart was pounding at such a decible she was having problems hearing over the blood rushing through her ears.
"This here is our last girl," The Robot stated, she jumped since she hadn't noticed it appear next to her, "This is the artist Evelyn Noble, she's also from the planet Earth and has been found to be born with a telepathic ability. She's not exactly a rarity or much to look at really."
Evelyn froze at those words and wondered if the programmers had met her mother. She felt her throat constrict uncomfortably as she attempted to keep a stiff upper lip. She was English after all, they carried on. It didn't make it hurt any less.
"I can guarantee you that she's smarter than she looks and can keep you entertained," The Robot continued and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from saying something.
It was quiet and she started to feel hot and uncomfortable. She made a mental note to punch the waiter from earlier. No one was bidding for her and an awkward cough went out through the auditorium. She almost found herself wishing the Doctor was there, she didn't mind either Doctor at the moment.
"Three hundred galactic credits!" A voice rang out and she felt some relief at the northern accent.
She met his eyes and he gave her a wink. He may be a little rough around the edges, but he had a good heart from what she could tell. What if he had two? A little voice in the back of her mind chimed in. It was female, but held a tone to it that made it feel eternal almost infinite- it also had an accent that she'd never heard before- almost ethereal.
"Going once," The Robot started before she sent him a look, "Sold, enjoy your dates and all winners remember that all money must be turned in at the end of the date."
She hopped off her stool and headed down towards the Doctor. The muttering began and she noticed that the two ladies who had gotten lucky with their own species were heading out. A man was counting what looked to be sticks and she wondered if that meant that they had already paid. She sent a smile to the Doctor.
"Thanks for that, I appreciate it," She quietly told him as he handed a few of the sticks to the man.
"It was getting awkward," He stated.
"Thanks," She dryly stated, "I'll try not to be insulted."
He sent her a look at that and she gave a small sigh before sending him an apologetic look. He turned back and offered her his arm. She accepted and he lead the way out of the auditorium. It got quieter the farther into the ship that they went.
"How is this even legal?" She questioned, "I certainly didn't sign up for this."
"It's not," He responded as he stopped outside a door and placed his device against a panel.
"What is that?" Evelyn finally asked.
"A Sonic screwdriver," He replied.
There was a pause for a few seconds and he spared a glance towards her. Her face was blank before she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. She pinched the bridge of her nose before opening her eyes and looking at him in disbelief.
"You are the one person who looked at a screwdriver and said, 'this could be more sonic'," She told him.
He went to reply in a way to defend himself when the corners of her lips twitched upwards. She slowly began to laugh at that and he frowned in an insulted way. She was different than he remembered. She gently wiped at a few stray tears that had started to fall from her eyes.
"I bloody love you," She stated, "It's genius."
His frown smoothed and she took in a deep breath to chase away her theatrics. She was getting hysterical, and she didn't know how long she'd be able to save face. The door opened and he headed inside. She followed after and her eyes grew wide behind her glasses as she looked around in slight fear. There were pods lining the metal walls with bodies floating inside a purple liquid. She hurried after the Doctor as he walked across the tiled floor.
"What is all of this?" She quietly asked him.
"Those who aren't bid on," He grumbled with a stormy expression on his face.
A shiver went down her spine and she almost reached out to hold onto his sleeve. She drew her hand back and instead wrapped her arms around herself. That could've been her in one of the pods. Her Gramps and Sister would never have known what happened to her.
"Are they still alive?" She quietly asked and he was quiet for a few seconds.
"No," He responded as he pressed a few keys on a keyboard that was attached to a monitor, "The liquid is a mercury and aluminum mixture it kills them and keeps them from decaying."
"Why are they doing this?" She asked.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," He bluntly informed her.
"Sorry," She muttered.
He continued typing on the computer and eventually brought out his sonic screwdriver to speed up the computers processing ability. His eyes were trained on the screen as images passed by in a blur. He stepped back from the screen and looked towards Evelyn. He had some very bad news for her.
"The games are rigged," He told her, "The owners vote for someone to be the loser and threaten the patrons."
"Why?" Evelyn asked with a churning feeling in her stomach.
"They collect people as trophies," was the answer.
"Oh god," She quietly muttered.
She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she had been so close to death. It would've been something that her mother would offhandedly say without a second thought. She ran a hand down her face, not even caring about her makeup anymore, and kept in a sob. She was clenching one hand in her pocket and placed her other against her mouth. She was shaking, badly.
"It has to stop, Doctor," She stated as she funneled her fear into righteous anger.
"Give me a minute," He stated.
He went back to typing at the keyboard and grinned at her as he hit the enter key. He stepped back as an alarm went off and the words Police Call Sent flashed in red on the monitor. He held out a hand to her and she accepted it before he began to lead her down the ships hallways. She blinked at the sight of a blue police box and couldn't help but wonder if it was similar to the one she saw earlier.
"In you go," the Doctor stated as he opened the door to the police box.
She walked in and frowned at him before looking around the inside of the box. It wasn't what she was expecting and stood still as she looked around. He closed the door and walked past her with a grin on his face. She was amazed at the sight of the large room with cables hanging down from the ceiling. A large pillar stood in the room and bathed everything in a mint green light that was a few shades away from being a turquoise. A loud wheezing sound filled the area and the room jolted to the left and Evelyn slammed into a nearby railing and let out a grunt of pain as she wrapped her arms around the railing.
It only lasted for a few seconds before everything went still. Evelyn removed herself from the railing and stumbled slightly as she opened the doors. She was welcomed to the sight of the park near her flat. The Doctor had walked out of the box and was leaning against it and watching her as she circled it and looked back inside. It was distracting her from what had almost happened.
"It's bigger on the inside?!" She asked, "That's brilliant, absolutely brilliant! What's it called?"
"Time and relative dimension in space," He replied, "T.A.R.D.I.S."
"Lovely," She responded with a smile, "Does she travel through space and time?"
"It is part of her name," He replied.
She sent him a half glare and then chuckled at him. She placed a hand against the wood of the Tardis and this time she didn't get shocked. She wondered if it was even the same box from earlier. She stopped and put her hands into her pockets.
"I should head back to my flat," She stated, "I have a piece that I need to finish today."
"Right," He stated, "Or you could come with me."
"This life of yours Doctor, it's dangerous, isn't it?" She asked and he nodded, "Okay, if we meet again, for a third time, I'll come with you."
He smiled at her. It was better than nothing and she smiled back, her cheeks gaining a light dusting of pink. She raised a hand and gave him a small wave before heading towards her flat. He put his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he headed back into the Tardis. Evelyn headed up the stairs to her flat and sighed when the door to Settler's flat opened.
"Who are-" Evelyn didn't get the chance to finish that question when a loud bang echoed through the area and her dress began to turn black from a spot on her side.
She didn't get the chance to scream for help when something slammed her head into the wall behind her. She came to, to the sound of sirens and someone talking to her. She couldn't focus on them as she was gently lifted onto a gurney and rolled into the back of an ambulance. She let out a small cry of pain when she took a deep breath and an IV was put in her arm.
"Come around little soldier," a familiar voice called to her.
"C'mon, Evie," Another stated, "You gotta tell me about the mystery man."
"That's not a good approach to get me up," Evelyn grumbled before grunting in pain when someone pulled her into a rough hug, "Hello, Donna."
"Don't you Hello Donna, me," Her sister hissed, "You were shot by a man who was robbing the apartments."
"What was his name?" Evelyn asked as her Gramps helped her lean back onto the pillows behind her.
"Nathan Howard, a local CEO who's been discovered robbing apartments of art and jewelry," Gramps told her.
"I went on a blind date with that prick and left him with the bill," Evelyn grumbled as Donna got up.
"I'll go get tea," Donna told them.
"Bring me a sweet tea please!" Evelyn called before the door closed, "How long was I out?"
"A day," Gramps responded, "They had to remove the bullet from your side, said you were fortunate that nothing important was hit."
"I think they missed the fact that I was shot," She quipped and he chortled at that, "I met him again, the mystery man."
"A new story is it?" He asked.
"Let's wait for Donna, yeah?" She stated.
He nodded and when Donna came back, she even brought sweet tea for Evelyn, the story was told. She told about her first encounter with the Doctor to her latest one. Donna was practically fuming at the idea of a game show being rigged in a way that one person would always be left out. Gramps was just holding his youngest granddaughter's hand since he knew she was still shaken up about it.
"At least that Doctor got you out of trouble," He pointed out.
"Yeah," Evelyn nodded, "I can't help but wonder if it's the same Doctor."
"What makes you say that?" Donna asked after she'd calm down.
"They were similar in attitude and he wasn't insulted by anything I said," Evelyn responded, "at least, I hope he wasn't, but it felt like he knew me personally."
"Think he might be an alien?" Donna asked and Gramps eyes gained a glint to them.
"He might be," Evelyn nodded, "I promised him that I'd travel with him if we met for a third time, and I mean the Doctor that helped me out today not the one with the lovely curly hair."
Donna looked worried about that before sighing and smiling at her sister. She just wanted the youngest Noble to be happy, and if traveling with an alien is what made her happy then so be it. Their Gramps was in the same boat, he just wanted the both of them to be happy. The conversation turned towards fashion and the latest gossip as he sipped at his tea and listened to the two talk. It had been a long time since the two were able to talk together.
It had been far too long in his opinion.
