Astrid.


She had found her way around the TARDIS on her own. She had been to the pool, the wardrobe, the bedrooms, all of it, and found it fascinating. On some of the monitors in the rooms, there were clips of different aliens: A picture of a Weavil there, a Dalek and Cyberman fighting on a screen. Notes were scrawled across everything and anything. When she came across a statue of an angel, she slowly backed out of the room, careful not to blink.

Heavy hands came down on her shoulders, and she jumped, but didn't look away from the angel.

"It's not a real one," Jack's voice said, steering her back towards the Angel. "Plastic. See?" He knocked on the statues arm, and it did indeed sound hollow and fake.

"How did you know?" Astrid asked, relaxing and examining the fake Angel.

"You can feel a real one. You can feel it starring straight into your soul."

"I've never seen one up close," Astrid said. "Well, I mean, I'm sure I have, they're everywhere. But I was always weary to stay away from them."

"How do you know so much about aliens?" Jack asked, leaning against a wall.

Astrid wondered around the room, examining photos and papers. "Oh, you know. You grow up hearing stories about randomly appearing in a flash of light, and you start to wonder. That stage doesn't go too far. But the next thing you know you're eleven years old, chasing a ball out into the streets, laughing and playing with your friends when you're hit by a car. And you wake up moments later, only dazed by an injury that should have killed you, in a whole new body. And the next thing you know, you're running away from the place you love most, to spare your friends and loved ones. No one wants to be a freaks friend, Jack. When you've been alone as long as I have, you learn to watch out for yourself."

Jack wasn't sure how to respond. He rubbed his chin.

"For example, the way I know all about Torchwood. About you, and Gwen, and Owen. Ianto and Tosh, even. And Suzie." She saw something flash in Jack's eyes. "Or how I know about the Pandorica opening, and the Weeping Angels."

"You sure do know a lot for your age."

"Age is just a number. I may look 21, but I'm wise beyond my years."

"I get that feeling," Jack said. He reached out and lifted her locket a ways. "And this is all you have."

"That and my sonic. Promise this time," she laughed at Jack's skeptical expression.

Jack smiled and released the locket. "You're a smart girl, Astrid."

"You're not so bad yourself, Captain."

They were silent. Finally, Astrid asked, "So what next?"

"Next," Jack said. "We try to find out who you are and where you come from. You are at least part Time Lord, if you can regenerate. You didn't just 'randomly appear'. So we have to assume you were sent to us."

"Have to assume?"

"Just look at your name. Astrid. Tardis. They match."

"Coincidence?"

"Nothing with the Doctor is coincidence."

Astrid shrugged. "If you say so." She and Jack walked back to the center of the TARDIS to catch up with the others.


Amy.

"I'm concerned."

"About what? Astrid?"

"No. River."

"She's a big girl, Amy. She can look after herself."

Amy sighed and crossed her arms, her foot tapping impatiently.

After a moment, Rory did nod. "Okay. She did look a bit bothered when she got on board."

"You see!" Amy exclaimed. "You see, I told you so. And the Doctor just ignoring her, what was that about then?"

"Maybe they just needed a bit of space. Sometimes couples need space."

"Are you telling me that we need space?"

Rory gulped. "Well, if you think about it, we've got plenty of space. I mean, half the time we're actually in space."

Amy couldn't help but smile at that. "Come here, you," she said, pulling him over and leaning her head against his chest. "I'm just worried about this whole situation. This Jack fellow, for instance."

"Oh, yeah. That Jack fellow."

"Rory Williams, is that jealousy I hear in your tone?"

"I saw the way he was looking at you," Rory said harshly. "Like your were dessert."

"Funny," Amy said slyly. "I thought he was looking at you the same way."

The two exchanged a glance before breaking out into laughter.

"What's so funny, then?" The Doctor asked as he joined them at the core, River close behind.

"Oh, nothing," Amy said. "We were just discussing some of the company you keep and their inappropriate intentions."

"Amy, River is right here," the Doctor said in a mock whisper. "She can hear you."

River scoffed and slapped him lightly in the chest, heading towards the console.

"Where are we off to, then?" She asked.

"We're off to look for answers about Astrid," the Doctor said, more serious now. "The only other time I've seen a human regenerate –"

"She was a child of the TARDIS," Amy finished. "Doctor, have you been renting out rooms?"

"Oh, haha," he said. "But in all seriousness, we do need answers."

"We were just saying that," Jack said as he and Astrid joined the rest of the group. Jack smiled at River. "Hello, Dr. Song." He kissed her hand, and River smiled smugly. The Doctor rolled his eyes and turned to Astrid.

"Right, what are your earliest, strangest memories?"

"Just the kind of question I'm good at answering on the spot," Astrid snipped, and River suppressed a smile. "I don't know, let's see. Well, I discovered how to use my sonic when I was about seven, though I thought it was just a fun torch at the time. Then I realized it could lock and unlock most doors, among other things."

"Okay, what else?"

"Nothing else, really. Ran away when I was eleven, and then started on about the aliens not long after."

The Doctor sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Oh, wait!" Astrid exclaimed. "I remember once, when I was quite young, there was a Dalek attack on earth."

"Not unusual, there have been quite a bit of those," Jack said.

Astrid shook her head. "No, you don't understand. The first time I ever saw a Dalek in real life, not on the telly or in the papers, my hand started glowing, like it does before I regenerate. And there are words etched into my hand when it does that, but it's too bright and I can never make out what they say."

"Well, alright," River smiled. "Now we have something to go on."

"What are we going to do, just go looking for a lone Dalek, then?" Rory asked.

"'Course not," the Doctor said. "If we find one Dalek, we'll find loads of Daleks."

"Oh, brilliant," Rory said. "That's much better."

The Doctor grinned before pulling a lever on the console. "Geronimo."