***Another chapter so soon? I know, this chapter a day thing might not last, but I'm really trying. And I can only go as fast as the writing fairy blesses me with good ideas and consistent writing. Pip pip. Review please! Thanks to the three guests who have reviewed so far! You're all adorable and sweet, thanks for the thoughts. Also thanks to all of you that followed. Let me know what you think is going on, guess and what not int he reviews!***
Chapter 2
Talks with Torchwood
The Doctors POV
Darlig Ulv Stranden was a very long coastline beach in the middle of no-where Norway. I walked the entire length of the beach, which was about 20 kilometers, before coming across an old and worn down road that curved by the beach. Without having the faintest clue which direction was better, I decided on the more direct path and kept walking. About another 2 kilometers down the road was when I saw my first sign of civilization on the horizon.
Conveniently or inconveniently enough it was merely an abandoned vehicle. A sigh escaped my lips as I circled the compact vehicle. After I had surveyed the outside I decided on opening the boot to see if perchance anything useful had been left behind. Of course I found nothing. The small grey battery car was definitely not to my taste, but it was easier to tinker with via assistance of my handy dandy screwdriver, if necessary.
Reaching within the reserves of my bigger on the inside pockets I procured my sonic device and aimed it at the driver's side door. The mechanics clicked into an unlocked position and I pulled the door open to slide behind the wheel. Strangely enough, it was a bit dusty and musty inside the car. As if it had been sitting on the side of the road for quite sometime, even though from the outside appearance and by normal standards, abandoned cars never lasted that long in one place. Either they were towed away or their owner eventually came back for them. How peculiar.
I had thought I might find a motor vehicle, but certainly not anything this nice and certainly not one in as good of condition as this. Then I noticed the keychain dangling from the ignition and my interest in this situation momentarily peaked. Now this was a very, very strange coincidence. Usually, I never ever ignore coincidence but I was on a mission that was on a bit of a time crunch. So until this situation proved dangerous, I would continue to ignore this set of peculiarities.
As a precaution I glanced in the back seat, opened the glove box, and any other crevices I could find in the small car. It wasn't until I pulled down the sun blocker that a little piece of paper fluttered into my lap. Curiouser and Curiouser. I picked it up and examined the simple loose leaf. Upon it in pretty, even styled print was the simple phrase -Just in case I'm ever stranded here again-. A chill slid down my spine… something unlike anything I have felt in a long time. It was a strange combination of dread, hope, and trepidation all swirled together that stirred in me. Something about the handwriting, or the phrasing really got to me and suddenly my guilt tripled. If that was even possible at this point.
FInally, I turned the keys in the ignition and the car engine puttered to life. The electronics on the dash lit up in bright almost neon color and the radio came on with a slight static hum. No music filtered into the car, despite my hoping. I desperately needed something to fill the silence with, something that would distract me from my swirling thoughts. I fiddled with the tuning knob for a while before I finally got some poor quality classical music.
Suddenly, a ringing noise filled the car, as if there was a telephone. I searched everywhere before my eyes landed on the phone button on the rearview mirror. Gently I pressed it, hoping nothing bad would happen.
"Hello? Hello? Who is this? Sorry, I'm gonna need to borrow this car. I'm a bit stranded, but I promise I'll put it back as soon as I can." I answered in a hurried manner, noticing how my accent really thickened in my explanation. A whirring noise sounded out of the speakers before a garbled male voice answered him in a very posh accent.
"Quite alright sir, not many people head out that far in Norway this time of year. May I inquire about your business with the vehicle? We registered that you used alien tech to unlock the vehicle and it popped up on our equipment down here." The man seemed rather calm considering he was technically speaking to a carjacker. An alien carjacker none the less, who was probably stealing his car.
"Where exactly is here for you, sir?" I quipped back at him, momentarily avoiding his question.
"Torchwood base one here in London, sir. It's gonna be quite a trip if you're heading this way. You're out on the coast, it's about a 21 hour drive." My hand gripped tighter on the steering wheel at the mention of Torchwood. Why on Earth would Torchwood have a spare car out on the coast of Norway. My mind only came up with one obvious answer. It had to be her. I remember how she told me that she'd been working with Torchwood for the two years we were separated. After the second time being stranded on the beach, maybe as a hopeful precaution she left the car there. Or maybe Torchwood knew there was a weak point in the universes out here.
"Sir, I'm sorry to ask again, but what is your business on Darlig Ulv Stranden?" The male voice asked again. I always hated talking to a bodiless voice, so much harder to read the person. Just like when you hug someone, you can't trust them because you can't see their face. Same concept here, except worse.
"Ohh, I was just passing through and I got a bit lost." I evaded easily.
"Well, it's not a very easy area to pass through, it's surrounded by mountains. So you must have had some intention in being there?" The man pressed further and I narrowed my eyes at the rear view mirror and considered my options. Chances were high that they had planted a tracking device in the car, so it's not like I could get very far. Also, the probability was high that these people could help me find her. So, I guess that means it's time to take a leap.
"Okay, you got me. I'm actually looking for someone. She used to be a friend of mine and I sorta lost touch. Anyway, could you help me? I actually think she used to be an associate of yours." The silence that ensued my question made me a bit nervous. As if the person behind the microphone was discussing my question with a third party.
"Sir, why don't you just sit back and we'll get you directed to our headquarters. Any questions you have can be answered here. And we certainly have a few for you." With that a click sounded throughout the car and the half static half classical music resumed in the car. Something about the way the conversation had ended and just who I had been talking to gave me a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. My eyes flicked over to the GPS screen which I hadn't noticed had come to life. It showed my driving path and how long it would take to reach. Good thing I didn't need sleep. I could get there by mid-afternoon tomorrow.
One step closer to her.
Midday the next day I had reached the intended destination in the GPS. I parked the small car carefully on the crowded street and withdrew the keys from the ignition. With a groan that could only accompany age I shoved open the car door and felt the familiar pin and needle sensation as the blood started to flow properly to my extremities once more. I needed a good cat nap and a thorough stretching before I was really ready to walk into whatever dangers may lay ahead, but it seemed I wouldn't be given the chance. I turned to my left to shut the car door and saw two people with ear pieces standing against the building I had parked next to.
"Impatient lot, aren't you Torchwood? I ran into your kind a while ago before a friend of mine overtook the corporation, tossed it completely upside down and landed on his feet. Just like a well balanced cat. Anyway, he was better than a cat, had way more lives than one. Anyway, Made it better than it was. Anyway, different time different world. Speaking of which, do you have UNIT on this planet?" I rambled on, hoping one of them would give me some sort of indication or reaction to my strange words. Nothing of course. One simply nodded for me to follow, and they both started walking off down the pavement. Well, I suppose it was better than the handcuffs I had anticipated. All though the silent treatment didn't exactly bode well either.
I quickly scampered after the tall man, and slightly shorter woman just after closing the car door and locking it with a beep. They rounded a corner and came to an abrupt stop where the woman reached out and pressed a nearly invisible button on the side of the building. Then in a very clever fashion, the pavement piece we were standing on descended into the Earth, walker-bys paying absolutely no attention to us.
"Some sort of perception filter on the lift then, yeah? So no average person really notices it?"
"Precisely sir. Do you have an eye for different technologies?" The woman asked me, glancing slightly back over her shoulder as she took off the sunglasses she had previously been wearing.
"Oh, you could say that, yeah. Bit of a traveler me, I've picked up a lot of things." I answered vaguely. Best not to give them a definite answer. If they didn't know who I was already, no need to give them a reason to perform tests on me. The shaft we were traveling down was glassy almost in the way it looked, but you couldn't see through it. Then finally about thirty meters down the shaft opened up and you could see a large tan room with gold accents here and there. A large machine adorned the entirety of one wall, but the rest of the room was an assorted amount of fancy computers, desks, and other work stations. A medical station was off to one side and there was what looked like a glass conference room off to the other side. There were three offshoots of the space that could lead almost anywhere. It was anyone's guess what they were or where they led.
"This way sir, the director would like a word with you." The man directed him with a gesture in the direction of the conference room, where outside of it stood a man in a suit with strawberry blonde hair that was going thin at the top and a half smile on his face. As I approached the man walked off down the hallway next to the glass room, and turned into an open doorway. I followed him cautiously but was careful not to take too much time in my observations. When I finally entered the room a few seconds behind the man, he reached his hand out to me in a manner to shake it as he closed the door.
"Hello, sir. Good to finally talk in person! I'm the director of this establishment, everyone around here calls me 'T'. I'm Director T of T, or otherwise Torchwood. And you are?" My hand gripped his firmly and as he introduced himself he led me to a seat in the quaint little office. It was simply furnished but the walls were covered in writings and pictures. Everything around me was reference to something alien or a current investigation regarding it. I smiled at the man in front of me and introduced myself. Choosing for the first time in a while to go with a half truth and a half lie.
"I'm John Foreman. Doctor Foreman is what I usually go by but just John or Doctor will also do. Interesting establishment you've got here, T. It seems you investigate things of an alien nature." I placated in an even tempered voice. The man before me simply smiled, and leaned forward in his office chair.
"Correct you are, John. And it would appear you know a bit about that too, since you haven't reacted surprised to any of the goings on around you. As well as the sonic waves we picked up unlocking the car. Not to mention the double heart and respiratory bypass system our scanners picked up on your lift ride down here. You're not human are you?" T asked giving me an inquisitive yet appraising look. I narrowed my eyes a bit at him. Now this was the Torchwood I had come to expect. An organization that wanted to know every detail about you with or without your consent. But I quickly schooled away my judgemental gaze and just nodded my head.
"Right you are, sir. Not from around here, you see. Except I'm not exactly sure where I'm from. I've always been on Earth as far as I can remember. And I can't remember very far. Which is why I'm looking for someone." I rattled off the top of my head calmly. My instincts were tingling that something wasn't quite right here. Nothing necessarily malicious or bad of any sort, but something wasn't quite right. As if the time stream had gone wrong somewhere along the line and now something critical was missing from its proper place. T regarded me warily for a moment before nodding in understanding.
"This person you're looking for… do you think they might have a clue as to what you are? Or how you came to be here?" This surprised me. I had expected a more probing question about my intention, or my abilities, or what else I remembered. But T seemed for all intents and purposes to be trying to keep the conversation light and friendly. Perhaps trying to keep me comfortable so I wouldn't feel the need to run.
"I certainly hope so." Though my answer was short, I could see that T didn't need more he just nodded and gestured to the empty air next to him.
"Well, what do you know about this person? A name? Age? Appearance? Job description?" T rattled off the various possibilities and I smiled for a moment, before ducking my head down and clearing my throat. This was the moment of truth.
"In one of my memories of her I called her the 'Defender of Earth', I really don't know if that helps though?" I laughed a bit at that and T laughed with me.
"Well, here at Torchwood we like to consider ourselves the defenders of Earth against hostile aliens. So, that would fit her job description if she worked with us. And it's a woman you say?"
"Yes, yes. A young woman. R- Rose Tyler was her name. She would have started working here round abou-"
"Rose Tyler? Are you sure, John?" T cut me off and gave me the most astonished and peculiar look. Almost as if he was seeing a ghost. He shook his head, and rolled back from his desk, turning to a filing cabinet which he opened and began sorting through. Looking for a file suppose. I was, however, having issues thinking straight. My heart was beating erratically all the way up into my throat. It was the first time I had spoken her name aloud in over a thousand years. The way this tongue wrapped around her name felt so funny and right all at the same time. My hands were shaking slightly, and I had to clench them together in an attempt to regain control.
"Positive, actually. Rose Marion Tyler. She had blonde hair, and was about 22 or 23 when I last saw her. I really hope she can help me figure things out." I confirmed T's question and continued more with my lie. Hoping he hadn't noticed my shaking hands or the way I reacted to just saying her name. T stopped rifling through the drawer as he pulled out a singular, thin file and dropped it on the desk in front of me.
"I- I thought I had heard her name for the last time about ten years ago." T said in a strange wistful tone as he plopped back into his char. His hand was rubbing his temples in a sign of stress or worry. I glanced for a moment at the yellowish colored file before me with her name printed in plain script on the tab before looking back up at T and taking note of his age. I could barely see his timeline just around him. He was in his mid to late fifties and his timeline was a peculiar thing. As if it was one in a million he was even alive, but overall didn't hold that much importance in any world. It was just something about the way he said that ominous statement that made my gut twist in a painful way.
Maybe I was too late in her time stream. Perhaps she had already lived out her life with my twin and she was gone now. No reason for me to even be in this world. I glanced back down at the file and grabbed it carefully, as if it might break. Carefully still, I fingered open the thing and there on the inside was a profile picture of her. Her hair was brown and a little longer than shoulder length. She wore a pink sweater and a serene look on her face, almost as if she was in concentration. I smiled at the sight, it was something new to me. I had never seen her with her natural hair color and it looked just as good on her as the blonde had. She looked just as beautiful as I always remembered and pictured her.
Then my eyes scanned over to the side where the typed information was. All black script and typewriter font. I read none of it however, because over the top of all her basic information in bright red stamped ink was one word that stopped my hearts. Sure enough there was her full name, birthdate, height, weight, and location… but over all of that was one word that certainly could and just might shatter my everything.
Deceased.