Chapter 1
A/N – so the story begins. This chappie was written by Oy Wilson.
Donald McRae tossed his copy of the Sunday Herald into the bin with a vengeance as he passed the 1950's style police box that stood on the corner of Cathedral Street and the High Street. Once again there was nothing but bad news in the papers, and Donald was feeling particularly exasperated as he continued down Cathedral Street. He paused as a strange whirring sound filled the grey Glasgow air. He turned to look beck, and now saw two police boxes where previously he could have sworn there was only one.
He blinked furiously, but the second box remained, obviously determined to stay there despite Donald's objections. He turned and walked away, feeling decidedly puzzled. Double vision! He began to lament the introduction of late-night drinking at The Crown. He resolved that these sorts of things were best left ignored, and continued on his way.
A few moments later, the Doctor poked his head out of the door of the TARDIS, and registered the other phone box that stood beside it with surprised amusement.
"Rose!" he called, assuming his uncanny impression of a Scots accent, "Come and have a look at this!"
A blonde girl appeared beside him at the door and laughed. The two then stepped onto the pavement, and Rose took a deep breath.
"Good old Earth!" she said, before turning to the Doctor with a grin on her face. "And d'you know what the best bit is?" She pointed to the sky. "No black hole!"
The Doctor mirrored Rose's smile, and looked up at the parting clouds, obviously feeling just as happy to be back on Earth as she was. He put his hands in his pockets and said in an assertive voice,
"Right. To business."
"Hang on just a minute," Rose interrupted, "before you go gallivanting off, just check we're in the right place, will you?"
The Doctor appeared genuinely hurt by Rose's lack of faith, for about five seconds. Then he shrugged and obediently walked into the crowd of people making their way up High Street.
"Excuse me," he said, stopping a youth in a white tracksuit and baseball cap, "Have you got the time?"
The boy glared stonily at him for a moment, then walked away without a word. The Doctor turned back to Rose.
"Yup," he said, "we're in Glasgow."
"And you're sure it's 2000?"
At this point the Doctor fished a copy of the Sunday Herald from a nearby bin. He read the date aloud,
"Seventeenth of April, 2000. O, ye of little faith."
Rose shrugged. "First time for everything. And you still haven't told me why we're here, of all places."
The Doctor indicated his tattered footwear. "New Converse," he said matter-of-factly. Rose stared at him, incredulous.
"You do know we have shoe-shops in 2006 London, right? Why did you have to get them in 2000?"
"Because I wanted to get them from a time before Converse were bought out by Nike. My shoes have to be the real thing."
Rose rolled her eyes. "All right then, let's go,"
The Doctor flashed her his trademark cheeky grin. They started to head off up the High Street, but the Doctor laid his hand on Rose's shoulder and stopped her.
"Do you have any money?"
She shook her head. "No, not on me."
"Oh well," the Doctor sighed, "there's a Cashpoint just up here."
"Cashpoint?" Rose echoed, "You have a bank card?"
"Nope," replied the Doctor cheerily. He aimed his sonic screwdriver at the cash machine, and several crisp twenty-pound notes slid into his outstretched hand. With a satisfied smile, he turned back to Rose.
"Come on, then - -"
Where Rose had previously been standing, there was now nothing but air. The Doctor spun round, looking in every direction, but he could find not a trace of his companion. She was gone.
"Rose?" he called hopefully. Then panic started to boil within him. "Rose!"
Nothing. He could see neither hide nor blonde hair of Rose Tyler.
"ROSE!"
Still nothing. Now he felt truly afraid; not for himself, but for Rose. Where was she?
Frantically, the Doctor pushed his way through crowds of tourists, shoppers and businessmen, all the time calling Rose's name. His eyes were wild with panic, and his voice desperate and hoarse from shouting.
"ROSE? ANSWER ME!"
He broke free of the crowd, and raced down the road, stopping frequently to look in every direction. But still no Rose.
- - - - - -
Exhausted, the Doctor flopped down onto a wooden bench. He had spent the last half-hour tearing around all the busy streets and deserted back alleys of Glasgow, searching desperately for any clue as to Rose's whereabouts. He had found nothing, and was now left with feelings of guilt and defeat. He'd let Rose down; he'd betrayed her. He'd broken his promise to Jackie and himself not to let her come to any harm. He'd failed all three of them.
No. He wouldn't allow it. He would find her if it killed him. He calmed himself and took a deep breath. He frowned as he concentrated all his thoughts on finding Rose.
Obviously, someone had taken her. Rose may flout the Don't Wander Off rule, but there was no way she could simply have vanished into thin air.
But then, if someone had Rose, then that meant they also had something else…..her key to the TARDIS.
Within seconds, the Doctor was on his feet and running back towards Cathedral Street.
If the kidnappers had Rose's key, they effectively had the TARDIS. He couldn't let that happen. Also, if he reached his ship first, there might be a chance that he could use it to try and trace Rose's whereabouts.
Yes! He caught sight of the TARDIS as he neared the corner of Cathedral Street. He quickened his pace and burst through the door. His hands hit the back of the box and he cursed. He was in the wrong police box!
His blaspheming was interrupted as the unearthly whirring of the TARDIS engines permeated his senses. He rushed out the police box, just in time to see his own ship disappear into time and space.
"NO!" he shouted.
Pigeons all around him started and took flight as his yell echoed off the grey stone of the buildings. Passers-by stopped and stared to see where the noise was coming from, but the Doctor neither noticed nor cared.
Rose was gone. The TARDIS was gone. Both could be anywhere, and at anytime. There was nothing the Doctor could do anymore to save Rose…..or himself. He was trapped, without his ship or his companion, in the middle of Glasgow, at the turn of the 21st centaury.
Alone.
A/N from Oy Wilson - And so ends Chapter the First! It wasn't all that long, I admit, but it was only really there to set the scene and kick-start the plot. So here come the infamous end-of-chapter cliffhanger questions:
Will the Doctor be able to rescue Rose?
Will the police box ever have another friend?
Will the Doctor find and destroy the stereotypical Glaswegian Ned?
And most importantly, will he ever remember his original mission and buy some new Converse?
For the answers to all these questions and more, please endure an agonising wait until Chapter 2, written by the ever wonderful fugaziclash!