Origins, Part 4
"Report."
"Test subjects were dosed with the mutagen twelve hours ago. Three cases of adverse reactions reported so far. The others seem to be resisting."
"Interesting. Call Dr Mathers and update him on our progress."
-------
It was a very crumpled Alecia Connell who arrived at the art class. Mumbling her excuses to the attendees, she headed to the small back room and undressed, wrapping a bathrobe around herself until she was in position. Tucking her bag and books underneath a shelf, she left the room and headed to the podium, upon which sat a chaise longue.
She looked around for the lecturer, who was normally present to direct her position. He wasn't there.
Seeing her baffled look, one of the students piped up, "He's not gotten here yet - I think he might be sick."
She nodded.
"I expect we'll just go with what feels good, then," she replied, and took off the bathrobe, arranging herself on the chaise longue in a position she felt relatively comfortable holding for about twenty minutes. The students, half-hidden behind their boards, began working.
The door opened and closed behind her. Being a consummate professional, she didn't move to see who it was. Some of the students, she noticed, exchanged confused looks. There was a sign on the blacked-out window of the door that there was a life-drawing class going on, to prevent people walking in accidentally.
"Sorry I'm late," a man's voice drifted over the classroom. "I'm the temporary stand-in for Mr. McKinley. Carry on."
Alecia sighed, as the students settled back down to their work. She heard the scuff of shoes on the hard floor as the stand-in walked around the room, lowered voices discussing each student's progress. He eventually came into her field of vision as he moved around the room. Her heart stopped.
It was the Doctor.
He saw her at almost precisely the same instant, and she registered the surprise on his aristocratic face as he froze. Alecia suddenly felt incredibly over-exposed; ashamed, even, and tried her best to remain composed, but seconds later she found herself running from the podium, into the small room. She began plucking her clothes from the pile, pulling them over her head with an amazing speed, and, grabbing her bag and books, ran out, past him and the bewildered class, into the hallway.
The Doctor told his students to attempt to finish their pictures, before yanking open the door and giving chase. It wasn't hard for him to catch up; she was still trying to get her shoes on. Hearing his footsteps, she tried to break into a run, but loaded down with her books and her bag, she didn't get far. He reached out, took her arm gently, and spun her round.
"Alecia."
"What do you want? Haven't I made enough of a fool of myself? You walked out on me this morning and I fully expected never to see you again, yet here you are, bright as a new penny, taking the sodding art class that I'm modelling for!"
"I had no idea, Alecia, I'm sorry. I - "
"You're sorry that I managed to run into you again?"
The Doctor looked confused. "No... I wanted to apologise to you for last night. I did something very wrong, and I hurt you."
Alecia blinked. "You didn't hurt me, I - "
"Yes, I did. I pushed too far. I shouldn't have tried a mental link like that, it could have been dangerous for both of us."
"Mental link?"
She peered at him. He was deadly serious. Then she remembered, the images that had flashed through her mind, just before she'd -
"You made me black out?" A nod. Alecia's skepticism called a halt. "That's not possible."
"I did. I wanted to be just a little closer to you, just for an instant... " he sighed. He wanted to tell her, tell her that it wasn't the contact that had caused her blackout, but his running into a 'brick wall' in her mind that wasn't supposed to be there. But he couldn't, not until he knew for sure himself, so went on with his white lie. "I presumed too much. You humans have such a long way to go before you're capable of - "
"Hold it right there. 'You humans'?" Alecia's mental alarm bells started going off. One part of her brain was crowing, 'I was right, see, he really is nuts!' and the other part was yelling, 'Run, run now!'
"I'm not like you," he said, finally, the statement seeming to take the life from his eyes. "I'm not like anyone."
He suddenly seemed so lost, so vulnerable, that Alecia felt like she should be giving him a hug, not beating on him for last night.
"Why do you feel that way?" she ventured.
He responded by taking the books from her and setting them down on the floor. Then, taking her hands, gently, he slipped them beneath his waistcoat, to the soft linen shirt, clasping them one on either side of his chest. A few moments passed, as she felt his heartbeat, allowing herself the small luxury of enjoying the contact. Then -
"Oh!"
He'd expected her to pull away, but instead she pressed her head to him to listen, first one side, then the other. When she finally did pull back, her face wore an expression of amazement and fascination.
"You have two hearts!" she whispered. He nodded. She grinned. "That is so cool!"
The Doctor's face broke into an amazed smile.
"It is?"
"Yes, it is!" she laughed.
" 'Cool'," he repeated, chuckling. "Am I forgiven?"
Alecia stopped laughing, and looked up at him.
"I... I don't know." She picked up her books. The laughter was gone, replaced by awkwardness once more.
"Alecia, please - "
"I'm sorry, I can't see you again."
She was already walking away, trying to avoid his gaze, knowing that if she met it she would be helpless.
"Why not?" he called after her.
His only answer was the main door slamming shut.
------
"Report."
"Test subjects were dosed with the mutagen twelve hours ago. Three cases of adverse reactions reported so far. The others seem to be resisting."
"Interesting. Call Dr Mathers and update him on our progress."
-------
It was a very crumpled Alecia Connell who arrived at the art class. Mumbling her excuses to the attendees, she headed to the small back room and undressed, wrapping a bathrobe around herself until she was in position. Tucking her bag and books underneath a shelf, she left the room and headed to the podium, upon which sat a chaise longue.
She looked around for the lecturer, who was normally present to direct her position. He wasn't there.
Seeing her baffled look, one of the students piped up, "He's not gotten here yet - I think he might be sick."
She nodded.
"I expect we'll just go with what feels good, then," she replied, and took off the bathrobe, arranging herself on the chaise longue in a position she felt relatively comfortable holding for about twenty minutes. The students, half-hidden behind their boards, began working.
The door opened and closed behind her. Being a consummate professional, she didn't move to see who it was. Some of the students, she noticed, exchanged confused looks. There was a sign on the blacked-out window of the door that there was a life-drawing class going on, to prevent people walking in accidentally.
"Sorry I'm late," a man's voice drifted over the classroom. "I'm the temporary stand-in for Mr. McKinley. Carry on."
Alecia sighed, as the students settled back down to their work. She heard the scuff of shoes on the hard floor as the stand-in walked around the room, lowered voices discussing each student's progress. He eventually came into her field of vision as he moved around the room. Her heart stopped.
It was the Doctor.
He saw her at almost precisely the same instant, and she registered the surprise on his aristocratic face as he froze. Alecia suddenly felt incredibly over-exposed; ashamed, even, and tried her best to remain composed, but seconds later she found herself running from the podium, into the small room. She began plucking her clothes from the pile, pulling them over her head with an amazing speed, and, grabbing her bag and books, ran out, past him and the bewildered class, into the hallway.
The Doctor told his students to attempt to finish their pictures, before yanking open the door and giving chase. It wasn't hard for him to catch up; she was still trying to get her shoes on. Hearing his footsteps, she tried to break into a run, but loaded down with her books and her bag, she didn't get far. He reached out, took her arm gently, and spun her round.
"Alecia."
"What do you want? Haven't I made enough of a fool of myself? You walked out on me this morning and I fully expected never to see you again, yet here you are, bright as a new penny, taking the sodding art class that I'm modelling for!"
"I had no idea, Alecia, I'm sorry. I - "
"You're sorry that I managed to run into you again?"
The Doctor looked confused. "No... I wanted to apologise to you for last night. I did something very wrong, and I hurt you."
Alecia blinked. "You didn't hurt me, I - "
"Yes, I did. I pushed too far. I shouldn't have tried a mental link like that, it could have been dangerous for both of us."
"Mental link?"
She peered at him. He was deadly serious. Then she remembered, the images that had flashed through her mind, just before she'd -
"You made me black out?" A nod. Alecia's skepticism called a halt. "That's not possible."
"I did. I wanted to be just a little closer to you, just for an instant... " he sighed. He wanted to tell her, tell her that it wasn't the contact that had caused her blackout, but his running into a 'brick wall' in her mind that wasn't supposed to be there. But he couldn't, not until he knew for sure himself, so went on with his white lie. "I presumed too much. You humans have such a long way to go before you're capable of - "
"Hold it right there. 'You humans'?" Alecia's mental alarm bells started going off. One part of her brain was crowing, 'I was right, see, he really is nuts!' and the other part was yelling, 'Run, run now!'
"I'm not like you," he said, finally, the statement seeming to take the life from his eyes. "I'm not like anyone."
He suddenly seemed so lost, so vulnerable, that Alecia felt like she should be giving him a hug, not beating on him for last night.
"Why do you feel that way?" she ventured.
He responded by taking the books from her and setting them down on the floor. Then, taking her hands, gently, he slipped them beneath his waistcoat, to the soft linen shirt, clasping them one on either side of his chest. A few moments passed, as she felt his heartbeat, allowing herself the small luxury of enjoying the contact. Then -
"Oh!"
He'd expected her to pull away, but instead she pressed her head to him to listen, first one side, then the other. When she finally did pull back, her face wore an expression of amazement and fascination.
"You have two hearts!" she whispered. He nodded. She grinned. "That is so cool!"
The Doctor's face broke into an amazed smile.
"It is?"
"Yes, it is!" she laughed.
" 'Cool'," he repeated, chuckling. "Am I forgiven?"
Alecia stopped laughing, and looked up at him.
"I... I don't know." She picked up her books. The laughter was gone, replaced by awkwardness once more.
"Alecia, please - "
"I'm sorry, I can't see you again."
She was already walking away, trying to avoid his gaze, knowing that if she met it she would be helpless.
"Why not?" he called after her.
His only answer was the main door slamming shut.
------