Chapter 14
Geoffrey Smith took a seat at the small table, the Doctor was pacing the floor in front of the fireplace and Clara realised that at this point, she would normally offer their shaken guest some tea, but even though they had a pot and a hearth, she didn't know where she was supposed to get the tea from. She decided to just sit down at the opposite end of the table. At last, the Doctor had had enough from his pacing and came to a halt, arms crossed in front of his chest and his impatient glance directed at Geoffrey Smith.
"So, what is it?" he demanded to know, his voice harsh.
The blacksmith sat up straight and cleared his throat as Clara watched him search for the right words. He obviously didn't quite know where to begin and the uneasiness in her chest grew. After the events of the day, she could only guess what madness had happened next.
"Anytime," the Doctor went on, gesturing towards the man in an attempt to make him talk.
Clara was about to scold the Time Lord for his rude behaviour when Geoffrey Smith was obviously struggling to come out with whatever had happened to him, but before she had a chance, the blacksmith finally began to talk.
"I didn't tell you the truth about the disappearance of Michael," he admitted, lowering his head towards the table's surface as if something interesting could be found there. He looked ashamed, but Clara didn't understand why. "I didn't mean to lie to you, it's just… I… it's hard."
Without really thinking about it, Clara reached across the table and took the man's hand, giving it a soft squeeze in an attempt to comfort him. She threw a soft smile in his direction. "I know," she said in a hushed voice. "I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through right now. We're trying our best to help you, but we need you to be honest with us about it, okay? Lying to us won't bring your son back."
Finally, the blacksmith's head shot back up and he looked confused as well as a little affronted. "I didn't lie," he replied immediately. "At least not intentionally. I just forgot. It's difficult for me to remember it."
Clara frowned at him in response. "Remember what?"
Suddenly, the Doctor took a step closer and when he spoke, his voice had a hint of curiosity in it. "The events surrounding your son's disappearance," he answered in Geoffrey's place. "It's all a bit fuzzy, isn't it? Like trying to recount a dream after waking up?"
The Doctor knew something, Clara determined right then and there. He had made some sort of connection and was on the verge of figuring it out while she was left feeling dumb.
"What?" she asked. "What's happening here?"
"Perception filter," he replied simply and took a seat at the table at last, joining Clara and the blacksmith in their conversation instead of seeming like the alien bystander he was. Then, he turned his attention towards Geoffrey Smith. "Please, try to focus and tell us what you remember. This is important."
Clara watched Geoffrey swallow before he took a deep breath and started to tell them what he had come to tell. "There was a girl," he began. "When Michael vanished, he was with a girl. I don't know why I forgot about that, but she came to me and told me what had happened."
Even though she didn't understand what was going on, even though Clara couldn't fathom how on earth Geoffrey was able to forget about such an important detail, she leaned a little closer. "Who was she?" Clara wanted to know.
The blacksmith merely shrugged. "I have no idea," he admitted. "I don't think I had seen her before that and I don't think I've seen her afterwards. She isn't part of the colony even though-"
He broke off, but the Doctor gestured for him to continue.
"She was dressed like she belonged to us, she looked and talked like she belonged to us, so when she came to me, I thought I knew her, I thought it was the most natural thing in the world, but then I forgot and now-"
Geoffrey drew in a sharp breath and exhaled it between his teeth, obviously at a loss about what he had experienced. Clara couldn't blame him, but before she had a chance to comfort him and reassure him that everything was going to be okay, she suddenly felt the Doctor's hand on her arm and he was pulling her up. She followed him willingly as he dragged her into a corner, away from Geoffrey, out of earshot so they could talk in private. When he spoke, his voice was nothing but a whisper that ran down her spine and left her skin rippled with goosebumps.
"I was right. It's the perception filter," the Doctor explained.
Still, Clara didn't fully understand what the spaceship and the alien had to do with what had happened to Geoffrey, but slowly, it was beginning to dawn on her and the idea that an alien might be among them, perfectly camouflaged so as not to be noticed, gave her the creeps. If the alien - whatever it was - had the ability to blend in with its surroundings, it could be anyone, anything. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack where the needle might or might not be dangerous and willing to attack them.
"So you're saying that this alien lives among the colonists?" Clara asked just to be certain she wasn't freaking out over nothing.
"I think so," the Doctor replied carefully. "We saw a rather big spaceship, I think there could have been more than one alien on board and who knows, maybe one got bored and decided to live with the colonists like a milkman's child."
"If the perception filter fooled Geoffrey, they'd never know," she said and realised how awestruck her voice sounded. A part of her admired the creature even though it was still scary. "It could be anyone."
The Doctor nodded gravely.
"But what does any of that have to do with the missing children?" she wanted to know. A weird idea popped into her head and she didn't know whether it made sense or not. "Are they trying to replace the colonists? Swap a human child for an alien one?"
"No idea, but we can ask the girl once we find out," the Doctor answered with a shrug. "I bet she has a couple of interesting stories to tell, don't you think?"
"More like scary tales," Clara argued.
Without replying to her, the Doctor spun back around to where Geoffrey Smith was still sitting at the table, twiddling his nervous thumbs and eyeing them cautiously as if awaiting a verdict.
"There's no subtle way to tell you this, but it appears that there is an alien living among you," the Doctor said.
Clara's head shot around and she glowered at him, unable to believe his lack of tact. "Doctor!" she scolded him, but he ignored it.
"That girl you talked to is an alien species highly skilled in adapting to her environment, sort of like a chameleon, and I need you to describe her to me in as much detail as you can remember."
Geoffrey Smith opened his mouth, but no words came out even as he attempted to speak. Clara thought it was relatable after the Doctor had just dropped that kind of bomb on him and it would probably be a while until he regained his speech, so she decided to soften the blow a little bit and stepped forward to talk to him.
"The Doctor and I were not sent by the Queen," she explained carefully. "We are travellers from the future, as weird as this sounds, and we have seen quite a few strange things. I know it sounds crazy to you and I'm not expecting you to understand any of it, but we really are here to help and we're probably the only ones who can."
The blacksmith's eyes widened considerably as he was taking in the words, but she wasn't entirely sure he was actually understanding them.
"And on top of that, since we come from the future, we know that your colony will be wiped out in a matter of weeks or months - possibly by that alien thing," the Doctor added.
Clara nudged him roughly. "You're not helping!"
Slowly, Geoffrey rose to his feet and for a moment, Clara feared that he might flee and warn the rest of the colony about them, but he stood perfectly still where he was, his eyes fixed on both of them as he gathered his thoughts. "So you're saying my Michael was abducted by aliens?" he asked.
"Basically," the Doctor responded.
"And if he's still alive, you're going to get him back?"
"If he's still alive, we will do what we can, yes, but I can't make any promises."
Geoffrey inhaled deeply and still, Clara wasn't certain what he was going to do. After a moment had passed, however, he nodded. "Alright," the blacksmith said. "I won't pretend that I understand a thing of what you're talking about, but I want my son back and I'm inclined to believe a lot of things if it gives me a chance to get him back."
"Good," the Doctor concluded and pointed towards the chairs, telling everyone to sit back down. Once they were seated again, he continued. "Now, tell me about the girl."
Geoffrey recounted the day of his son's disappearance as well as he could, telling him that a girl had run up to him, a girl so ordinary-looking that he had never before paid any attention to her at all. She had told him about Michael and what had happened in the woods and afterwards, he had forgotten about her. He couldn't really describe her looks at all, only that she had seemed strange and familiar at the same time, part of the colony and yet not part of it. He doubted that any of the others had actually paid any attention to her and suddenly, something in Clara's memory came alive.
"Wait," she blurted out, not caring that she was interrupting the blacksmith's tale. Suddenly, it seemed as clear as day. "I think I've met her."
