The Peruclian Key
Chapter Three (second draft)
By Johanna J.
"Wh-what're you asking me that for?" asked Avery. "I mean, why do you think that?" He stumbled backwards into the doorframe. His eyes had grown wide in his skull. The Doctor idly wondered if they'd pop right on out of his head.
"I'm always watching, Avery. I always pay attention to the shadows. You lot would be wise to do the same. There are always things in the shadows, always lurking just off the edge of our vision; and some of them mean harm." said the Doctor. "Not to mention the fact that you have an entire galaxy hanging on your neck. Don't know which one though, still loopy you see." she said as she tapped her head again.
"Galaxy?! That's not possible! What are you talking about? You think this is a galaxy? Everyone thinks I got it out of a gumball machine!" exclaimed Avery as he clasped the pendant closer to his chest. "No, it's just a-a thing, it's been in my family for generations. My father gave it to me before he died. I never take it off, you know, 'cause he gave it to me."
"That's good, it needs to be kept near a beating heart, but I think you know that."
"Look, it's not a galaxy . . . thing! How would you know anyway? Who are you?"
"Don't worry about who I am just yet, worry about what's chasing you instead!"
"So there is something after me then? Why? I'm nobody." said Avery. He crossed his arms stubbornly.
"Everybody is somebody Avery, I've never met anybody who wasn't. And I already told you why: you have a galaxy on your neck. Somebody has been looking for it, and they've probably been looking for a long time now. The question is: who?" mused the Doctor
"It's not a galaxy! Wait, just what do you think is after me?"
"I'm not sure -still loopy. It's only been watching you for now and that's good, buys us some time that way. For once; ordinary time is what I need. Just where the devil am I?" demanded the Doctor as she sank back down into the chair.
She was tired. She was not quite in the middle of the regeneration cycle, and this one was a little more complicated than all the others put together. While the various bumps and bruises she got from flopping all around the inside of the TARDIS would heal in this cycle, it was obvious it was going to take awhile.
"How could you not know where you are?"
She tapped her head and shrugged her shoulders.
"Ah! Still 'loopy', right! You're just north of London, in Potters Bar. This is Mr. Hopper's bookshop on High Street. Not many of the original shops left, but this one is." said Avery with pride. "Oh look here, you might have a head injury or something!"
"London? Well that was a short trip! You said it's just 2003? Explains the dodgy parts then." mused the Doctor. "I'll be fine, and Avery? I am a doctor. I just need food -lots and lots of it because I am just famished. You have no idea! Yeah, food will do nicely. Have you got any?" she asked as she cocked her head.
"Nothing more than a few biscuits. I can get some things I suppose, it's still early. There's a fish and chip shop just across the street, or the Asian place a few shops down. I can get some take away. There's also my sister's Indi-"
"I'll have a bit of everything and anything. This body doesn't know what it wants just yet." said the Doctor with a wave of her hand.
"Uh, okay then. I don't suppose you've got any money? A few tenners maybe?"
The Doctor shrugged her shoulders.
"Of course not." sighed Avery. "Right then, I'll be back."
"Avery? I'll be watching you from the store window there in the front. You must have eyes on you at all times now and mine are the very best to have, so keep around people and try to stay in sight." She pointed to her eyes. If her thinking was close to being right, then the thing after Avery wouldn't touch him as long as there were people around him. It was only a hunch though, but she learned a long time ago to pay attention to those. "Come back with food and I'll tell you a story."
Forty-five minutes later, Avery returned to the shop with two armloads of food. He didn't know what to buy for someone who didn't seem to know what they wanted, so he bought a little of everything-to include pickled eggs and kippers from yet another shop. He dumped it all out on the table in the kitchenette, but there was so much of it, he put the rest next to the sink. Perhaps he'd gone overboard, but then again, maybe not.
She dug in before he even had it all out on the table. If felt like she hadn't eaten in a week. She popped the pickled eggs in her mouth whole and then grimaced as they each went down one by one.
"You uh, you might want to slow it down. You don't seem to like pickled eggs, you did ask for those earlier, right?" asked Avery as he stood there and watched.
"No, I don't think I like pickled eggs. I will absolutely never eat them again. Bloody hell, don't ever give me these things again! But for now, this body gets what this body wants." she said with her mouth full. Down went another. She went for the teriyaki chicken and Asian noodles in the yellow take away boxes, down went half the kippers, a small salad, more kippers, then came a butty, and an apple. "I don't think I like apples either; beastly little crunchy things!" she said as she ate the entire thing, core and all. She hacked into a block of cheese, more fish and chips, and she started on a slice of pizza.
"Blimey, tastes like cardboard!
"That's because it is cardboard, you've eaten half the wrapper!"
"Oh, right. Fiber then." She popped even more into her mouth along with half the pizza. She finished by washing it all down with two Horlicks. Then she became highly interested in the chocolate bar laying off to the side looking quite lonely. She snatched it up like a child on Christmas morning.
"Do you always eat like that?!
"Only when I regenerate into a woman apparently." said the Doctor as she peeled the wrapper off the chocolate bar. "Oh, I quite like this!" she said as she popped more chocolate into her mouth.
"Okay, time for that story!" said Avery as he noshed on the few chips left. "You're talking all weird and I get the feeling it's got nothing to do with 'being loopy' like you keep saying."
"Fine, but show me to the loo please." she said as she bounced up with chocolate in hand and headed out the kitchen door. The food did wonders, perhaps the need for sleep could wait a bit longer. "Right, story time! Here's the short of it: I'm a time traveler you see, and that blue box outside is my TARDIS-my ship. She's the best in all the universe! She's repairing herself right now and has me locked out, she thinks I'll just get in the way. I probably would I suppose. She must've brought me here because you have something after you. I don't believe that thing is from this world. Kind of a rough landing if you ask me." rambled the Doctor as she rubbed her left shoulder. She didn't notice that Avery had stopped walking until she bumped into him halfway upstairs. He looked upset. It was kind of early to be pissing off the human.
"You do realize what you said was pure rubbish, right?! A 'time traveler'? Really? And a space ship that repairs itself? Blast it! Finally someone who doesn't think I'm crazy is actually. . . well, you're just completely nuts! Bloody hell!" He stomped up a few more stairs.
She marched up after him. "Avery, I want you to think very hard here. Look at what you're wearing-just look at it! What do you see? I know that some part of you knows this is more than some family heirloom. You know it! You feel it!" she said as she jabbed him in the chest. "It's why you feel the need to keep it close and protect it. Now why do you suppose that is? It can so easily be taken from you and I don't think that should happen."
"Yeah, you're barmy alright. I'll not be parting with this, don't you worry. You'll have to strangle me to get it off anyway." muttered Avery.
"Oh, what do you mean? Like this?" With that, she yanked the pendant clean off. It came off with a "snap". The thick gold chain came dribbling after. It pooled in her hand like a golden river. She laughed. "Oh, oi! Freakishly strong at the moment! I quite like that! Won't last though, but I like it!"
"OW! What'd you do that for?" said a stunned Avery reaching up to gingerly massage his neck. "Give that back!"
The Doctor handed the pendant -complete with broken chain, back to him with a sigh. He quickly tucked it into his front pants pocket. Humans were either too trusting or not trusting at all. There seemed to be no middle way with them, but she might just kick this one.
"I do believe you'll see soon enough, ready or not. I just hope the TARDIS is ready before then. I certainly can't engage anything like this." she said as she swept her hand over her tattered attire. "The loo?"
"Yeah, it's just up here on the right." Avery slowly walked up the last half of the stairs. Even crazy people needed to use the loo he supposed.
The Doctor splashed cold water on her new face, she was shocked at her appearance. It was one thing to find one had changed into a woman after having been gloriously male for 824 years, but it was altogether another to have it staring back at you. Tattered or not, she was grateful to be in her old incarnation's manly, and now baggy suit because it hid all the new curvy parts. She didn't think she could take seeing all those just yet.
She splashed more cool water on her face as if to wash the reflection away, but it didn't work. She leaned in for a closer look. Set under narrow eyebrows, quick and sharp chocolate brown eyes stared back at her from under a line of dark feminine lashes. She groaned. Her skin was now creamy white and mostly clear except for a few freckles splashed across her nose. The cheekbones were wide, and the face narrowed down to a fairly delicate-looking chin. She frowned. She thought the dainty chin looked a little odd with such a strong jaw line. Crazy, curly brown hair tumbled down to her shoulders. What the heck was one supposed to do with a mop like that? It was like a perpetual bad hair day. She opened her mouth and inspected all the teeth. Yep, they were all there. Before she could ponder the new pearly whites any further, she heard a commotion just outside the door. Avery let out a howl which was followed by a heavy 'thunk'. The Doctor let out a Mynthurian curse. She was surprised she even remembered one.
The Doctor yanked open the door only to find Avery pinned high up against a wall in the hallway. The aroma of burnt hair was pungent and stung her eyes. There was a large figure in the shape of a man bodily hoisting Avery even higher up. She knew this was no mere man and from the pure terror plastered on Avery's face, he knew it too. The creature was dressed all in bulky black clothing from the hooded head down to heavy black boots with large silver buckles. It had one thick gloved hand firmly around Avery's neck while the other methodically searched for the pendant under his shirt. Its head turned toward the Doctor, then it hissed. Pale yellow eyes glared down at her from a black featureless face. Without warning, it vanished. Avery came tumbling down like a sack of potatoes, he was gasping for air.
"What- the hell- was that?! It just vanished into . . . nothing! How? Did you see it? What was that?" demanded Avery hoarsely.
"Of course I saw it." She helped him up by yanking on the gray scarf around his neck. "The galaxy? Did he get to it?! DID HE FIND IT?"
"OW again! Not a good day to be Avery's neck! I'm fine; totally fine, thanks for asking by the way." said Avery still trying to catch his breath. "No, I put it in my pocket. Couldn't very well put it back on my neck, you broke the chain, remember?"
"Right. Worked out brilliantly then!"
"You know, you don't seem terribly surprised to see what we just saw. Why not? It had the coldest eyes I've ever seen! Look at me, I'm shaking like jelly and you're practically glowing! That key hangin' off your neck sure is!"
"What?!" she glanced down at the old skeleton key hanging off the silver chain. "Oh! This is brilliant! Yes!" she said as she kissed the key. She grinned and grabbed his arm, "Time to run, Avery!"