"So how does your signal work Amber?" The Doctor asked as they walked through the forest to where Amber's ship was parked.
"Bio Signal," She replied, stepping elegantly over the fallen branches, "only requires a tiny bit of power from the ship to start up, then spreads through anything living, feeding off their own power source for energy. Everybody gets sleepy a bit earlier, or has to drink an extra coffee, and I get a distress signal the size of a planet."
"So, you actually want help?" Jack asked, "I find that hard to believe."
"What happened?" The Doctor asked.
"I was shot out of the sky – caught in the crossfire between two much bigger and much more powerful ships. I was invisible, shielded – it was a lucky, or unlucky, depending on whose view point you're taking, hit. I was in deep space, no planet available to crash land on, so I jumped Time Tracks with what was left of my Time Displacement Equipment. I had to fly blind, no co-ordinates, no dates. Ended up here, Perth, whatever year it is." Amber explained.
"And how did you survive – you're race was destroyed, wiped out!" the Doctor said.
A brief flicker of pain crossed Amber's eyes and she looked to the floor.
"I was five when the war ended, when we lost – my Mother put me in my ship and remote programmed it to jump away, through time and space. I never saw her again, not in real life anyway, she left me recorded instructions in the ship's archive on how to survive. I adopted the Quertiz identity and made my life as an assassin, trust me, not my ideal profession, but it's a dog-eat-just-about-everything-else world out there in two seventy two, and there isn't an easy way to survive." She walked ahead of the others to the clearing where her ship was parked, holding out her locator like a car-key. She pressed something and her ship appeared, the active camouflage sliding back, like a sheet being pulled away from a table.
"It still looks like a med-ship," Jack said.
"You're afraid of a med-ship?" Amber asked, raising an eyebrow in Jack's direction.
"Long story," Rose said with a cheeky grin in Jack's direction. He looked almost embarrassed.
Amber pressed another button and the psychic defence shield slid back like the active camouflage had done. In place of the Slitheen warship, the Dalek fleet-ship and the Chula med-ship, stood a ship which appeared to be made of liquid black metal. If Jack had stared at Amber before, it was nothing compared to the eyes he was giving her ship.
"That is the most beautiful, non-living, thing I have ever seen!" he breathed, rushing forwards and brushing over the shiny black surface with his hands.
Amber walked past him to the entrance, taking the opportunity to smack him on the way.
"No fingerprints!" she said, then disappeared inside, followed closely by the Doctor, who was grinning at Jack.
"Finally met your match, Jack my boy!" he said, then vanished from sight.
"Seem a bit cosy those two, considering they've only just met and she tried to kill me," Rose said.
"Give her a bit more credit – if she'd tried to kill you, you'd be dead," Jack said, earning him a sharp slap from Rose.
"Watch your mouth!" she said with a flirtatious smile, then followed Amber and the Doctor onboard.
"See, the navigator circuits are completely fried, and the TD systems blew when I left the Time Vortex, the navigator I can fix with basic supplies but the Time Displacement systems will need something a bit more advanced." Amber said, lifting a floor panel in the ship and showing it to the Doctor.
The Doctor looked at the burnt out wiring, scanning it with his Screwdriver. Rose tried to read his expression but couldn't. He had one of those annoyingly guarded faces on at the moment. Rose guessed it was hard being reminded he was the last of his species, that her existence, much like his, was as much of a blessing as a curse.
"Well, I see two possibilities here, Amber. You are either being totally honest with me, or you are getting your ship to show us what you want us to see." The Doctor said, standing up and folding his arms again, his expression still guarded.
"Why would I lie to you?" Amber asked, standing to look him directly in the eye.
"Why would you entirely trust a man whose name you don't even know." The Doctor said.
"Then what is your name?" Amber asked.
"The Doctor," he replied.
"The Doctor, Rose, and Jack," Amber said, "Now I know your whole crew, first name terms, if you consider 'The Doctor' to be a first name."
"You're an assassin," the Doctor said.
"So are you," Amber replied calmly.
Rose watched as Amber and the Doctor seemed to be engaged in a silent battle of wills. They stared deeply into each other's eyes for a long time, searching for truth and lie. Rose could almost feel electricity in the air. In the end it was Amber who looked away.
"I can't say anything to convince you, other than I only ever did what I did in the interest of preserving my life, my heritage. That must be something you relate to, Doctor," she said, "Why else would you keep going when nothing else is left? Because you feel giving up would be an insult to those who died before you."
The Doctor considered her words for a moment, then nodded. The movement was barely noticeable, as though he was trying to control himself, afraid that moving or speaking too much would betray what he was trying to keep from everyone, but to Rose it seemed that Amber's unusual eyes saw everything.
"We'll help you," He said after a moment of collecting his thoughts, "I'm sure we can do something about this." He gestured to the burnt out wiring.
"Thank you," Amber said.
"Though I don't know how we can get this to the TARDIS, not if it can't fly, and I don't want to move the TARDIS any more than necessary – if the Perthians find it we'll never leave this place." The Doctor said, in his usual, back-to-business voice.
A flicker of a smile crossed Amber's face as he mentioned the Perthians.
"They are a bit military in their knowledge advancement," she said, "But it's not a problem, not now I've got this back." She held up the locator.
"Remote control?" Rose asked.
"Can function as that, but not when the ship itself can't fly," Amber said, kicking the floor panel shut with her foot and stepping outside, dragging Jack away from the control panels on her way past. "What did I say about no fingerprints?" she snapped.
The Doctor grinned at Rose as Jack meekly followed her out, tail firmly between his legs.
"You're quick to trust her," Rose said, trying not to let on that she was slightly annoyed about this.
"You can always trust someone who finds honour in death," the Doctor said, "Samurais thought death was honourable – you can trust Samurais, can't you?"
"I wouldn't trust anybody with a big sharp sword ready to cut my head off," Rose said, "So I'm not really following your logic."
"People who find honour in death fully appreciate the value of life," the Doctor said in a philosophical manner.
"You're making this up!" Rose said, shoving him teasingly. The Doctor looked indignant.
"No I'm not!" he said, walking after Rose who was leaving the ship, a grin plastered across her face, her tongue creeping to the side of her mouth like it so often did when she was amused and trying to contain it.
When they were all outside and a safe distance away from the ship, Amber held up her locator and opened it.
Rose was oddly reminded of the TV show Pokemon. The ship began to melt, then flew through the sky towards Amber's outstretched hand. The stream of liquid metal flew into the locator box, shrinking down until the entire ship was inside the locator, which was small enough to fit in the palm of Amber's dainty hands.
"Witness the technology of the future ladies and gentlemen," the Doctor said as Amber snapped the locator shut.
"No gentlemen here," Rose said.
"Hey!" Jack protested, but Rose was already laughing and didn't hear him.
"No ladies either, only children!" the Doctor said, "So kiddies, lets head back, shall we? Time for your afternoon nap."
"Nine hundred years old isn't too old for a slap, you know?" Rose said, linking his arm with hers.
"According to Tyler women you are never too old for a slap!" the Doctor said.
"You're Mother sounds like a real charmer," Jack said.
"Don't listen to a word he says!" Rose retorted, "My Mother is lovely, she and the Doctor just have a conflict of interests."
"You mean your Mum doesn't appreciate a nine hundred year old alien chasing after her daughter." Jack said.
"I wasn't chasing her!" the Doctor protested, "It was the living plastic that was after her!"
"Living plastic?" Jack asked, "Now that's a new way of putting it."
"Is there ever an innocent thought that runs through your mind?" The Doctor asked.
"Apparently not," Rose said, a smirk on her face.
Amber walked behind them in silence, watching them interact. They were so comfortable together, so carefree and fun loving. There was an aura of darkness about the Doctor that the other two didn't have, but even he was happy, particularly when his eyes crossed the form of his young blonde companion. How she wanted to have a taste of that kind of life.
"Right then, as you didn't get a proper welcome last time, as you barged your own way in, welcome, Amber, to the TARDIS!" the Doctor said as he opened the door to his Police Box shaped ship.
"Why does it look like a blue box?" Amber questioned. Rose thought there was a hint of scorn in her voice and immediately got annoyed.
"I like it, don't you?" she asked, smiling smugly at the pleased look on the Doctor's face.
"It's the inside that counts," Amber said indifferently.
"You bet it is," Jack said, all charm and smiles. Amber looked at him with more than just a hint of scorn.
"How is it you can find sexual innuendo in everything?" Amber asked, making Rose snort with laughter despite herself.
"He's a fifty first century guy, they are well known for having only one thing on their mind, literally." The Doctor said.
"Yeah," Jack said, "dancing!"
"That's one way of putting it," Rose said.
"So it was all a false alarm," Proxima Centauri said.
"Yes, I found the assassin, turns out she's just stuck and in need of help," the Doctor said, "I'll take her back to the Time Agency in my own ship, let them deal with her."
"She? And I thought you weren't actually Time Agents."
"Jack was once, he knows where the Time Agency is."
"You said this ship was one from the future?"
"Yeah, about the year one million four hundred thousand, give or take a couple of centuries." The Doctor smiled, "So, anyway, we'll be off now."
He stood to leave, but the Perthians guarding the entrance blocked his way.
"A ship from the future would be invaluable to our studies, Doctor, and what better exhibit to open Library 2000 with?" Proxima Centauri stood up.
"She may be an assassin, but she is still a person," the Doctor said, "She should be taken to the Time Agency."
"I'm afraid I can't let you take away such a wealth of knowledge, not when it had the consideration to crash land on our moon." Proxima Centauri motioned to the guards and they grabbed the Doctor by his arms.
"Don't make this mistake!" The Doctor said, "Just let me go and we'll be out of your hair within ten minutes. Take me, and I can't account for the lengths my friends will go too to get me back."
"Your friends won't be going to any lengths if they are sharing a cage with you," Proxima Centauri said, "Lalande, round them up."
"Where did the Doctor go again, Rose?" Jack asked.
"Dunno," Rose said, looking out of the window to the forest outside. "Something about visiting Proxima Centauri, but I thought that was a star."
"The people in charge here are named after stars." Amber explained, "Proxima Centauri runs Library 207, mostly through Lalande."
"He's probably just gone to say there's no problem then," Rose said, "He went to visit him before, to warn him there was an assassin from the future about."
"He did what?" Amber asked, turning away from the TARDIS to the window where Rose was.
"Does it matter what the Doctor chooses to do?" Rose asked, feeling the need to defend her friend and companion.
"Ladies!" Jack said, standing very close to them both and moving to put his arms round their shoulders, "No need to fight, there's plenty of Jack to go round!"
Amber rested her hand on his chest, and pushed him backwards.
The door suddenly flew very violently open, and Rose and Jack turned round to see Lalande, flanked by several very burly security guards.
"Identify yourself at the back there," Lalande said.
"Jupiter ma'am," a meek voice said, making Rose and Jack jump. They turned round to see a small, timid looking Perthian where Amber had been a moment ago. "I was just seeing if the lady and gentlemen required anything."
"Well, they don't," Lalande said, "Get back to your study area! Guards, apprehend these two!"
"Hey! Hands off Rose!" Jack said, stepping protectively in front of her.
He was no match, however, for the animal strength of the Perthians and they dragged him before Lalande, dragging Rose closely behind him.
"What is the purpose of this blue… box?" Lalande questioned, looking at the TARDIS.
"Wouldn't you love to know!" Jack said.
"I would," Lalande said with a ghostly smile, "And I shall find out. Guards, take them to the cells with the other."
"Oh no, Doctor!" Rose murmured fearfully, hoping the Doctor was safe and well.
"Nice of you to join me, where's Amber?" the Doctor said, as the Perthian guards threw Rose and Jack in the dark, dank cell.
"Gone," Rose said, "Some loyalty she displayed!"
"She'll come back for us," the Doctor said confidently.
"Can't you get us out of here, Sonic Screwdriver malfunctioning or something?" Rose asked huffily.
"There's nothing wrong with my Screwdriver," the Doctor said, "But it won't get us past those two." He pointed out two armed guards that were now blocking the exit.
"Oh great!" Rose said.
"Amber will get us out of here."
"Why do you trust her?"
"I trust her because she's like you, only with guns and grace."
Are you saying I'm not graceful?" Rose asked.
"Well, after that fall you took yesterday…" Jack interrupted.
"Shut up! Who asked you?" Rose snapped jokingly. "Why do I feel like I've heard this conversation before?"
"Because you have, we've just swapped lines." The Doctor said.
"What?"
"We had exactly the same conversation about Jack, just you were the one doing the trusting and me the one doing the complaining." The Doctor said with a grin, "Makes a change doesn't it? Anyway, you were right about Jack, give me a chance to be right about Amber."
Rose looked to the floor. She was sure the Doctor had objected to Jack because he had been jealous of him. Was she jealous of Amber? Did she not want another woman, much more useful and with a much better figure getting between her and the Doctor?
"Well this is boring," Jack said, "Charades while we wait anyone?"
Amber waited until they had been dragged out of sight and earshot before she ventured back into the room. She switched back to her usual self as she walked towards the TARDIS. The doors wouldn't open with a push, but that didn't matter, because Amber had the key. She had swiped it from around Jack's neck when she had pushed him away. She doubted he would notice until he went to take out his key and found it wasn't there.
She slotted the key in the lock and opened the door, stepping inside the time ship. Once inside she closed the doors and ran straight for the console.
For several hours she sat there, just meditating on the controls, trying to fathom how to use it. It was like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle with no edge pieces but bit by bit the picture began to slot together. Seven hours after she first entered, the central column started moving. With an incredibly smug smile, she sat back, and let the TARDIS fly her away from room 27b.
"I'll ask you again," Lalande persisted, "What is the blue box in your room, and how do you get it open."
"And I'll tell you again that I'm not going to tell you anything," the Doctor said, a cheery smile on his face.
They had lost count of the hours since they had been dragged down here, but the Doctor was not about to give up his secrets, even after so many hours of questioning.
"She's never coming back for us," Rose muttered bitterly to Jack as Lalande contemplated what to do next. Before Jack could reply, the door to the cell block opened.
"Then you leave me no choice." Proxima Centauri said, walking in the room.
The Doctor stood up, wary of this new presence of higher authority.
"Guards, take the blonde one!" Proxima Centauri said, pointing at Rose, "Hit him where it really hurts, then he'll talk!"
"No!" the Doctor said, rushing right up to the bars that separated him from the Perthians. "Don't touch her!"
"I thought as much," Proxima Centauri said, "You humans are so predictable."
