"Avery"
Chapter Two
By Johanna Jimenez (6 April '13)
The TARDIS pitched and rolled violently sending the Doctor careening clear across the floor and into a bulkhead. She knew that the TARDIS had been in distress ever since fleeing from the Nightmare, but perhaps she underestimated the damage her beloved TARDIS had sustained in the effort. The Doctor felt the every bit of the hard landing after she crashed into floor again with a hard jolt. She briefly wondered just how many bruises this brand new body would take. Everything finally came to a sudden bone-jarring halt. The alarms were still screeching; sparks flew and smoke drifted all around her. She ducked as a live wire swung just past her head. The TARDIS settled at an sharp angle which quickly pitched the good Doctor right on out the door and into a brick wall. Before she could right herself, she heard the door slam shut. She sighed. This was going to take awhile. The TARDIS needed to do her own sort of regeneration. All she could do was stay out of the way now.
She gingerly stood up and realized she was still wearing the old suit of her previous incarnation. Before her pants could slide down yet again, she tightened the belt as far as it would go and hoped her new hips would help to keep the pants up. Every scrap of clothing on her new body was either torn, muddied, or bloodied. She was missing her shoes too. She'd tumbled clean out of them only moments ago. She looked down at her new feet and idly wondered how was one supposed to walk properly with these anyway. She felt around in the coat pockets for her sonic screwdriver. While fishing around, her hands grazed her new breasts. Brilliant! These things were going to take some getting used to. She pushed back a pang of longing for her former strong and very male body. Best get used to this one and carry on straight away. She had no reason to think she couldn't do just as well in a female form as she'd always done in a male form, but she'd darn sure find a way to bind these squishy things up tight just as soon as she could. She found what was left of her sonic screwdriver nearly severed in half and held together by a single copper wire. It buzzed and spit gray smoke like a tiny dragon, its yellow light fizzled out in her hands. With a sigh, she shoved it back in her pocket. No telling where her wallet with her psychic paper was. It was probably burnt up all in ash now. At least the TARDIS key was still safe.
She hadn't a chance to look in a mirror yet, but it didn't take much to know her appearance was somewhat haphazard. She decided it was best not to walk around looking like she'd been on a real bender. Plus, she was exhausted and quite sore. She leaned against the backside of the TARDIS and slowly sank back down to the cold cobblestone ground. She pushed the hair out of her eyes again.
The Doctor looked around. She'd landed in some back alley way. Beyond that, she really didn't know exactly where she was, but it couldn't have been all that far. She was fairly certain she never left Earth. For once though, she wasn't inclined to go looking. For the first time in a long time, she just wanted to rest. The regeneration process wasn't complete yet and she would need a long sleep at some point. She would also need some kind of food too if the sensations in her stomach were any indication. She was quite sure she looked like a common beggar, so her options might be on the limited side. For now, she'd just close her eyes for a tiny moment.
The Doctor's eyes flew open at the sound of someone rustling in the rubbish bins just a few paces away from her hiding place. The light was fading; falling asleep hadn't been her plan, but there was nothing for it now. In the light spilling out from an open door into the alley, she saw a young man stuffing a large bag of garbage into one of the black bins by the wall. She watched the young man with a mild curiosity at first. His skin was light brown, and she imagined he might be from India perhaps. He wasn't a large man by any stretch, not too skinny or too big, but he looked fit enough. He wore a black beanie with a mop of dark curly hair peeking from underneath. She sat up a bit straighter. His strange demeanor immediately intrigued her. He seemed rather wary for someone just dumping the day's rubbish; he kept looking all around as if there were monsters lurking around every corner. His eyes darted wildly everywhere seeming to not know where to look first. Then he jumped back against the wall and froze there as if he saw his worst nightmare pop up in front of him, but she saw nothing in the dim lighting where he stood.
She felt it instead.
It was in the air, caught in an unnatural breeze hurtling by. The Doctor shivered. She caught a vaguely familiar odor too, like burning hair. Where had she come across that strange smell before? Something was after this young man, biding its time. The Doctor just knew it, there was no mistaking it, but what? Better yet, WHY? Of course, this meant it was time for introductions!
"Hullo, but would you have the time?" She hoisted herself up quietly so as not to startle him even more, but he nearly jumped out of his skin anyway. He whipped around and saw her standing there. It took him a moment to register that she was not the monster he seemed to be expecting. He looked all around again before he looked down at his watch. He was visibly shaken still. He'd turned nearly white.
"It's a little after the six thirty, I'm just closing up shop." he slowly walked toward her looking furtively all around. He stopped, "Oh wow miss, you're a bit of a wreck. Did you have an accident?"
"You could say that. Still a little loopy." She tapped her head and smiled ruefully. "What year is it?"
"Year? Oh, uh, it's 2003. Blimey, we should get you to a doctor! You're hurt!" he said upon getting a closer look at her.
"Nonsense, just a bit banged up. I'll be good as new soon enough. I promise." She gave him the 'peace' sign like a hippie and she wasn't sure why. She really had to get a look in a mirror.
"Well, uh, how can I help?"
"I could use a spot of tea and some . . . pickled eggs! Oh, those sound good! Do you have any pickled eggs? OH! Kippers might be nice too."
"I'-I'm sorry. I can get you a cup of tea, but I'm afraid we're all out of um. . . pickled eggs, definitely no kippers," the young man said with a tight smile and a slightly green pallor now. "I'll look for the aid kit."
"No worries. Just the tea is fine." She began to hobble toward the open door. He rushed up and put her arm around his shoulders. It was then that she saw a rather unusual pendant slip out from under his blue button-up shirt. It hung on a thick brass chain and seemed unduly heavy. It was a large octahedron-shaped diamond encased in an intricate framework of gold. She saw bright colors and light swirl around inside the core of it. Without knowing the how yet, she immediately knew this was a treasure. Something very dark was after it-and the young man that wore it. She had no doubt about it now. She said nothing though as he led her to the open door which turned out to be the back end of a small bookshop.
"I've just closed up the shop, but we always keep a kettle on. I've got some biscuits too, Molly brought them in. Here, you should sit." He hastily pulled out a red chair and cleared newspapers and various stacks of paper from the small wooden table near a dingy back window.
The Doctor remained quiet while he bustled around in the tiny kitchenette. She watched him closely. He still seemed nervous, but he looked quite relieved to have company. Just then, the window darkened as if something very large had come to silently loom up in front of it; the light faded a bit in the small room. Suddenly the window rattled loudly. She smiled a little when she felt the hair on the back of her head stand up. It was good to know some things worked as they should in this new body. The startling noise stopped almost as quickly as it had started. The young man nearly dropped the teapot in her lap, hot tea spilled all over the table and the tea cups clattered when he bumped the table. She grabbed hold of the cups to steady them.
"I'm so-sorry! Here, let me get that. Geez, what was that?" He plucked a yellow towel from a small green cabinet and sopped up the tea from the table. He sighed. "Sorry, it's been rather a long day for me, and I'm seein' things-and hearin' them too now." He glanced at her, but she said nothing. "Ah, but it's been longer for you perhaps, no?"
The Doctor thought back on her 'day'. Just hours ago, she, Jamie and James were fleeing for their lives in the TARDIS. Of course, there was that whole near-dying bit and this regeneration-still going, then finishing it up by falling asleep in some alley locked outside her TARDIS was a lovely touch. She frowned. She needed to get back to Jamie and James, and soon. The Jamies were really going to be . .. surprised. Jamie especially hated surprises. The Doctor smiled at the thought.
"Yes. Yes it has been a very long day." was all she said.
"Well then, have you got a place to go then? I can give you a lift off home in a bit. I mean no offense or anything, but you look dead on your feet. You uh, you could use a change of clothes too."
"No offense taken. I've a . . . home, it's just nearby, but it's not ready yet, soon I think, but not just yet. Clothes will have to wait." She sipped her tea. "What is your name?"
He glanced down at his shoes and blushed.
"Oh, well my given name is Avinash Vimal-Ray Young, but I call myself Ramon now. What do you think? I just uh. . . I just sort of picked that out for myself. It's the new me-nice and simple." he said with a lopsided grin as he rocked back and forth on his heels. She looked at him like he'd lost his mind. He squirmed.
"Avery. Right. I like it." she said distractedly. The Doctor felt the distinct presence of something again, only this time she felt it in the room with them. There came that odor again, perhaps her new nose was a bit wonky, yet alarm bells went off in her head and goose bumps rose up on her arms like a small army. This was not good. She couldn't put her finger on it. What the devil was it?! She wasn't up to par just yet and a clear head couldn't come soon enough. She glanced back at Avery who seemed only intent on telling her his 'new' name
"No, it's Ramon. Raaaammmoooon."
"Yes, AVERY. Quite nice." She stood up and began to nose around the small kitchenette.
"No, um, no. It's Ramon!"
"Avery. Got it."
"No, it's, wait. . . oh blimey! There's nothing wrong with your hearing then, is there?"
"No, the hearing is quite keen, Avery. You're no 'Ramon'. I knew one of those once. . . " She said as she continued to poke about. As she leaned against the counter, she crossed her arms and faced him squarely, "Avery, is there something after you? Because I do believe there is."
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