Theodore's eyes wide as he stared at the object sitting in front of him, having suddenly vanished and reappeared, without him knowing.
He never seen it in person, only heard stories from his mum and father, his father sent it away, after the Bad Thing, he did.
… the Bad Thing, as dubbed, his father never mentioned a word what he did, but whatever it was, was enough for him to hang up his scarf for good, and even mum wouldn't talk about it, either.
None of the Smith siblings knew what the Bad Thing was and no attempts to find out succeeded, their parents forcibly suppressed it.
Even then, as he's in advanced age, his father won't say a word about it.
Whatever it was, something serious, and Theodore couldn't fathom what it might've been. Enough to cause his father to give up his traveling for good and forgo the thing now standing in front of Theodore in a rougher shape than when his father took those odd years ago.
The TARDIS.
That's not the shorthand or actual name of the object, but due to the archaic differences between the languages, his father translated it to something people can understand and the concept of what it is wasn't lost. It stuck since.
His father stole it away from his home world, he claimed he broke no laws, since his people wanted to destroy it, and claimed it as rubbish when they initially caught him. He used their language of the law against them, but they wanted him exiled. Strip him of his name and everything. For taking a broken-down TARDIS. Maybe causing issues since day one, but semantics aside, him taking it broke the camel's back.
Theodore and his siblings never saw it in person, just some photographs their mother took, as their father sent it away when Hammond was born.
Here it is, yet again, and Theodore's mystified.
Of all people, it showed up to him, and it made no sense, considering it should've gone back to his father. Maybe it mistook him for his father, as others none bright do, but he dabbed his hair with water, blackening it to his mother's colour, and it should've been obvious.
"Wh—", Theodore's shocked as he looked at the TARDIS.
No rhyme or reason, it showed up into his flat, and he checked the time. Oh, he needed to head to the restaurant and fast, else his brother won't let him hear the end of it!
"I can't…" Theodore spoke aloud. "I-I have a dinner… I can't be late. I'll deal with you when I get back!"
Pulling on his jacket and heading to the door, Theodore exited his flat, locked it tightly, and headed out of the building, trying to reach the restaurant.
As he strolled the sidewalk down, Theodore's unable to grasp the scene that happened, and if not for the dinner, he'd discuss with his family about it, but for now, he's going to act calmly as possible. When he sees Odette's friend off, then he'll discuss…
"Oomph!" Theodore's jolted from his thoughts as he slammed into something and fell backwards onto his back.
Groggily, he recovered, thinking he'd foolishly run into a street torch, but as he blinked, he sees…
"You, again?!" Theodore's eyes widened as he sees the TARDIS, right in front of him, having left his flat.
Rubbing his sore nose, Theodore shooed at the TARDIS as he said, "After! I said after! I know you're forceful, but I can't do anything until after the dinner! Do you understand?!"
Yes, it looks crazy to someone who sees him yelling at an inanimate object, but don't let it fool you, the damn thing's got a mind of its own and known to act out whenever possible!
"Now shoo! I have to be there within… four minutes!" Theodore exclaimed as he realized the time yet again and hurried away from the TARDIS, rushing towards the crowd of people as he hurried through them as politely as he can, before reaching the restaurant.
He checked himself in the reflection of the large window looking into the restaurant before rushing inside. A waitress led him towards a table where he sees Hammond and Odette talking.
She's wearing a black long coat down to her ankles and her hair's a messy black hair going down to her neck, just like mum. Her icy silver eyes glistened under the soft light, comments from all around about her eyes since she and her brothers were children, because of how striking they are in direct sunlight. Skin's as pale as mum's but she's out in the sun a lot during film and TV shoots, she somewhat tans. Though, it never takes for long.
Immediately, Theodore wrapped his arms around his baby sister as she hardly a chance to look up at him.
"Oddie!" Theodore squeaked with joy as he hugged her.
His poor baby sister struggled as she responded, "Nice seeing you, again, Theo!"
Sitting down adjacent from her and Hammond, Theodore unleashed questions about she's doing and what's she doing currently, to which she answered in quick succession.
"Oh, really?" Theodore raised a brow as Odette told him that she's working for a television series based a set of novels by a famous author who their father met sometime ago in his prime.
During an adventure, their father bumped into the author, and drank his inkwell near dry. Not that he did it with intent, he ended up poisoned, and the ink helped disperse the toxins within sufficient timing.
It could say his and the author's misadventure helped inspire the novels that people come to love.
Nodding, Odette said that she lucked out on the contract and she's onboard for a good while, simple work, but it's keeping her on her toes. Literary. She went to a construction site for a shoot and walked along the steel beams without a harness or anything, made a few people queasy as she casually waked at the very top of the bare bone building.
Her striking eyes garnered attention from the producer who claimed that she reminded him of a passage from the author's autobiography about a woman with similar eyes traversing through London with her companion.
… Evidently, her mother and father, having helped the author solve a real life murder that he became involved with.
This led to the inspiration that everyone knows and loves.
The helpful knowledge Odette provided's enough to get her stripes on the set.
That's how she met her friend.
He's the lead actor.
"Someone we know?" Theodore looked at her.
There's so many and few Theodore recognized. The ones he recognized mostly from his father's stories about his misadventures that caused him to bump into the said actors.
Odette didn't tell him anything and he heard a man's voice behind him, "Sorry, traffic."
He turned his head and raised a brow at the sight of a man, about as tall as Theodore, dark short hair combed back with patches of ginger sneaking through the darkened hair, probably from the hair dye, and soft blue eyes, all encompassed with wearing a gray suit.
He sat down across from Odette as she greeted him, asking how was traffic, to which he replied with, "Terrible!"
Hammond introduced himself first and kickstarted the conversation before he subtly pushed Theodore to say something and he introduced himself afterwards.
"Odette's told me so much," mused Ben as he shook Theodore's hand.
Theodore winced as he asked, "Nothing too embarrassing, right?"
Smiling, Ben replied, "Oh, nothing terribly embarrassing."
The four sat around talking and the brothers learnt the antics their sisters gets into when she's not around.
Always disappearing from the set, but somehow always reappearing within seconds, even if it's in an area where there's no way to hide or appear from.
Gave everyone a fright more than once with her penchant for always appearing unexpectedly.
Then, she's climbing on steel beams without a harness or any safety equipment preventing her from falling from her death if she ended up slipping and falling.
Really made Ben fret enough to effectively ground her unless she's wearing a safety harness. Though, Odette's not the one to have idle hands.
"I told you. Father worked in construction," Odette informed Ben that she learnt how to walk the beams from her father.
Ben asked if he let her play in a construction site and shocked when she replied, "Well, he never let us climb so high."
Theodore smiled as he chimed in, "He'd never let us climb if we had ear infections!"
Hammond subtly kicked him with his foot, but Theodore shrugged as he said, "What, it's true!"
Their father kept them from the construction sites he worked if they showed ear infections. He'd never let them fool around in any that weren't safe and he always checked before letting them play. Always with them when they're playing. It was his way of showing the children where he worked and for them to understand his workplace.
Never had any problems and they learnt plenty.
Hearing how they're casually going up high places at a young age's not something Ben expected, but Odette shrugged as she affirmed, none of them gotten hurt during their time playing in the construction sites.
"He's proud of his work, just wanted to show it off," Hammond summed.
Their father held pride for every construction he's involved in that he loved showing it to his children. Another reason he brought them to the construction sites.
It didn't ease Ben's concerns as he drank from his glass, looking at them questionably.
As they're talking, Theodore caught sight of something in the corner of his eyes, and he tried to keep his composure.
It's the TARDIS, across from the restaurant.
The TARDIS… is following… Theodore…
And he doesn't know why and can't talk about it because Ben's here and Ben doesn't understand.
Can't communicate via telepathy because it'll be a hell trying to keep up conversations while talking about the situation in their minds.
Theodore forced himself to remain calm and prayed for the dinner to end and he got his wish because Odette and Ben needed to ready for a shoot tomorrow. He made sure to hug his sister tightly and kept his snark to a minimal as he shook Ben's hand.
Time slowed for Theodore, because he waited for so long for the dinner to end, and everyone heading out so he can deal with his problem.
Thankfully, the TARDIS disappeared just before the others left, so they didn't see it, and Theodore's able to panic outwardly as he's unsure what the TARDIS wanted.
He wanted to tell his siblings, but Hammond… well… he's Hammond… and Odette has work tomorrow. He couldn't pull them into this and certainly not his father, he can't get involved in this, again.
"Think, think, think," Theodore clicked his tongue against his teeth as he's thinking while he has time before his stalker showed up again, this time in another position, ready to hound him hell and back.
An idea came to mind and Theodore had to call upon someone unexpectedly.
Not his proudest, but he needed help and she came to mind.
Retracing his steps, Theodore found his way to Lila's flat and nearly battered her door with his fists as he's trying to get her attention.
She nearly whacked him with a skillet and he ran inside the flat, much to her confusion.
"I have… I have… a pro-problem!" Theodore huffed as he weakly explained to the baffled Lila as she rested her skillet on the counter.
Without dropping a beat, Lila told him, "There's a doctor for that."
Swatting the air, Theodore coughed as he elaborated, "I have a problem!"
He emphasized strongly as he gestured towards the front door and Lila sees he's in distressed, becoming concerned. She asked if he's okay and he nodded that he is, as she went around the counter to speak to him face to face.
Lila genuinely asked, "What's the problem?"
Gesturing, Theodore asked, "Do you… remember the conversation we had about my father's life before he became a construction worker?"
Lila raised her brow as she nods.
Continuing, Theodore gestured as he said, "You remember the part I told you, how my father traveled?"
Blinking as she crossed her arms, Lila responded with, "The whatcha-call it?"
Nodding as he gestures, Theodore summed that, yes, that's the TARDIS, and it's the root of his problem.
Lila's taken aback as Theodore explained to her how it's stalking him and how thankful he was that it didn't damn well materialized in the restaurant or else he'd be in further trouble.
"Why's it stalking you?" Lila asked him as he's pacing around her flat, his hair turning back to the messy brown that it is since it's drying out.
Running his fingers through his drying hair as it's becoming a mess again, Theodore replied that he doesn't know why, he thought it was gone and now it isn't.
"Maybe it thinks you're your dad?" Lila shrugged as she gave Theodore her guess as to why the TARDIS' hounding him. It thinks he's his father and that it couldn't tell them apart. Maybe if Theodore told it this, it'll leave him alone.
Raising his finger, Theodore told her that he couldn't, it'd go find his father instead, and he couldn't allow it. His father's too old, now, to do any adventuring, and his mother would've boxed his ears from beyond the grave if she caught wind that his father took the TARDIS, yet again.
"So, what're you going to do?" Lila asked him.
Thinking to himself, Theodore tried to come up with an explanation for why the TARDIS suddenly shown up in his life, but nothing took, and he doesn't know what to do.
"Maybe you should ask your dad, he might know," Lila tried to help but Theodore refused to contact his father, out of fear. She then suggested he call his Uncle. If not his father, then his Uncle, maybe he'd know what to do.
Frowning, Theodore sighed as he imagined that his beloved Uncle would've given him insight on the strange situation, he's in, and he conceded that he'll contact his Uncle and see what comes of it, hopefully he has an idea. At least, his Uncle wouldn't tell his father of it, unless he had to, so Theodore has an opportunity to plan.
"Well, how're you going to contact your Uncle. He doesn't exactly have a landline, does he?" Lila asked how Theodore would've contacted his Uncle. She's told that his Uncle lived on a completely different plain of existence that there's no chance he'll get any calls from the family any time soon.
Chewing on his inner lip, Theodore said he'll have to put his noggin to the test and contact his Uncle via telepathy, which isn't easy to do since he's so far away.
"Don't pull a "Scanner" trying, okay?" Lila lightly touched his shoulder as she reminded him of his limits. She also stressed that if he couldn't contact his Uncle, he'll have to face the music, and bring it to the attention of his father, whether he liked it or not.
Shaking his head, Theodore worried about the consequences of reuniting the two. He couldn't fathom his father having it in him to travel yet again, especially without his beloved wife.
"Okay, so, if the thing with the Uncle fails and the thing with your dad fails, what then?" Lila tried pointing out to Theodore that he didn't exactly have many people to rely on in helping him with this bizarre problem of his.
She mentioned he'd have to call on his siblings and Theodore winced at the thought of Hammond hearing about the TARDIS coming back, as he'd twist Theodore's ear and yank him to their father henceforth.
"You're going to have to face the music, eventually, Theo, you have to come up with an end," Lila pointed at him. "You really don't expect it to just go away until you figure it out, right?"
Frowning, Theodore shook his head as he defeatedly said, "No."
The TARDIS came to him and like a loan officer, it's not going away easily, and he doesn't know what it wants, or if he wants to know what it wants.
He went with Lila towards the front door as she led him out of her flat, talking on the way down, and as they exited the building, they're not met with a cold breeze hitting them.
They're not in the street below, either.
Looking around, the two realized that they're in…
"Um, where are we?" Lila's chestnut eyes widened as she looked around the strange area they've entered unknowingly.
It's surrounding with cold dark steel, with rounded white holes in the walls, and it looked like they're on an edgy "Star Trek" set.
There's something in the middle of the area and it looked like a control center of sorts and she's afraid to even move an inch from her spot.
"Oh!" Theodore winced as he looked around the area. "Who redecorated you, H.G. Welles, again?!"
His pointed nose recoiled as he's disgusted by the sight of what he said's the control room.
Lila froze in spot as she said, "Control room. Y-you're saying we're inside the damn thing?!"
Nodding, Theodore said it must've trapped them, but Lila didn't want to give up so easily, so she turned around and hurried towards the door, trying to open it.
"Open!" Lila struggled as she tried to open the door, but it wouldn't. Try as she might, the damn thing wouldn't open, and she's jolted when she felt the TARDIS coming alive and Theodore telling her to hold onto something. It's rather old and whoever redecorated it probably left the brakes on, again.
Moving away from the door, Lila struggled to walk as the whole TARDIS' shaking and grabbed the railings while Theodore's messing with the controls.
"Where's it taking us?" Lila asked.
Theodore responded with a panicked, "I don't know!"
TO BE CONTINUED