Chapter three
Getting to know each other
"These chips are gorgeous" the Doctor cried enthusiastically as he reached for another chip
"There only from KFC" Claire told him then added "It's the only thing they do right according to my friends"
The Doctor, Donna and Claire were sitting in the Myer Centre food court eating two large boxes of chips from KFC. Claire had decided to pay for them of course as she had that feeling that the Doctor didn't have any money.
"So Claire, tell us a little about yourself" The Doctor asked
Claire sat there and didn't know what to say. She did of course trust them both but was still was a little cautious as she still wasn't sure who both of them were. Ok Claire just calm down you can do this.
"I'm eighteen years old, my parents died when I was thirteen, I live with my two best friends being my older sister Kerri and her fiancé Sean, and he's Irish. Kerri's twenty nine so she's always been there for me and my older brother Michael. I'm currently in TAFE studying for an Advance Diploma in Professional Writing as I would like to be a script writer or an author of Sci-Fi novels"
Claire paused to see the Doctor. He seemed to be very interested in what she wanted to say, so she continued
"Also I have two other best friends, Kate Morgan, who you saw in the side street and Ryan Davies, who's a very smart eighteen year old. That's pretty much it I'm afraid"
"No that's good, I'm sorry about your parents though" The Doctor told her
"I'm ok, already over it, but there still with me" Claire smiled and reached for another chip.
"So what about you then?" she asked the Doctor
"Really it's not much to tell, I travel around here and there with my trusty companion" he pointed to Donna
"What about you Donna?" Claire asked
"Well I'm from London, used to be a temporary secretary for the security firm H.C. Clements. My parents Geoff and Sylvia are still alive. Was engaged to a man called Lance but he turned out to be a jerk, I met the Doctor on my wedding day on Christmas Day, didn't start travelling with him then but after an emergency in London I decided to travel with him you know to see the world" Donna told her
Claire smiled, Donna seemed to be nice but from earlier it seemed that she could have a temper and could scream at the top of her lungs. Donna seemed to be the type of person who could drive you nuts but if you really got to know her then she wouldn't seem that annoying after all.
"Sorry, if I'm being rude, but why are you here in Adelaide?" Claire asked the Doctor suddenly
"We're following a distress signal" The doctor said proudly
"A distress signal here...In Adelaide?"
Claire took another chip and looked into the Doctor's eyes; there was something about those two that didn't seem to add up. Donna meeting the Doctor on her wedding day, like that happened on purpose it just didn't seem right. She remembered reading in the paper that there was some kind of emergency in London but she didn't know what. Her thoughts turned to Torchwood that strange research Institute that was like the CSIRO but there was something about it that also didn't seem right especially when those people started disappearing about a month ago. Her friend Ryan always told her that maybe Torchwood was really like Area 51 and researched alien life forms, but she always dismissed them as it sounded like the old TV show, The X Files.
"Are you an alien?" She suddenly asked him which seemed to shock him
"What makes you say that?" The Doctor asked still shocked about her sudden question
"Well, the distress signal, that strange blue box I dismissed while talking to you, you travelling without money (what tourist would do that) and the fact you met Donna on her wedding day"
The Doctor looked at her and smiled, she did seem to be smart after all and it wasn't like he ever doubted her. When he had first saw her, he thought that she seemed to have an open mind about things, might be intelligent and seemed to be aware of what was going on in the world. It was like he could trust her as he felt that she might be a very friendly girl but might be a little bit shy.
"Yeah, I am an alien, a Time Lord to be exact" The Doctor told her
Claire smiled and started to laugh. The Doctor and Donna looked at her.
"What's so funny?"
"I didn't actually think I was right, I just had that feeling, you know that you were different" Claire smiled and grabbed another chip.
"Well, Donna here is human, the first time I met her, she was affected with Huon particles, imagine that, she was snatched from the church by my strange blue box" The Doctor told her with a grin
"So your strange blue box must contain these particles then?" Claire asked
"Good lord, you don't miss a beat do you?"
"Ok about this distress signal..." before Claire could continue, a sound was coming from her pocket it seemed to be a familiar tune, like from that British car show that everyone seemed to talk about.
"Sorry that's my phone" Claire told them and she dug into her pocket and took out her phone, it was a Motorola and seemed to be the latest model.
"Hello...hi Kate...no I'm in the food court...what...where...ok I'll be there"
"That was my friend, she wants to show me something, and um it was nice to have met you" She told them
"Sure you don't what us to come with you?" The Doctor asked her
"It's ok, I'm sure it's nothing to special, probably some nice looking bloke" Claire said good bye and ran out of the food court.
"So Doctor what you want to do now? Donna asked him
"Let's get back to the TARDIS and see if we can track down that distress signal" The Doctor answered.
So they headed back to the TARDIS and noticed that there was someone waiting for them. The Doctor smiled when he saw the familiar tall man in a Navy blue military jacket.
"Hello Captain"