A Child Evermore

Episode Four: Back to Reality

Featuring Ace

The TARDIS materialised on the top floor of the headquarters of A Charitable Earth and Ace stepped out, rushing to the glass window and gazing out across London. She had finally made it home. She could see the London Eye in the distance and the Houses of Parliament, as well as the hustle and bustle of people moving through the streets far below her. She grinned eagerly, before thinking about where to park her TARDIS. She could just leave it there. Perhaps.
"Ms McShane, there's someone waiting for you in the reception." came the voice of Gerald Finch, her personal assistant.
"Who is it?" she asked, falling back into the normality of human life.
"George Tobshaw."
Ace frowned, curiously.
"Who?"

George Tobshaw sat in one of the leather armchairs dotted around the waiting room and clutched his briefcase proudly. He had come up with a new fundraising idea for A Charitable Earth and eagerly wished to present it to Ms McShane but had been left waiting for over half an hour. In that time, he had drunk two cups of coffee, eaten seven jammy dodgers that he'd brought with him and read a copy of the Times.
"Mr Tobshaw?" Ace asked, standing nearby.
"Yes, that would be me." he replied, standing up and still clutching his black leather briefcase, "Shall we find somewhere more quiet?"

Lucinda Maxwell stood outside the A Charitable Earth building and smiled. Today would be the day when she would finally get an interview with Ms McShane, the charity's founder. Lucinda had heard stories about Ms McShane's life and how she had travelled with someone who had done bad things to her, but today Lucinda wanted to ask for a comment regarding the future of A Charitable Earth amidst the financial crisis that had seen organisations such as UNIT and Torchwood shut down.
"Can you help me?" came the voice of a little girl who had suddenly appeared next to her.
"Are you okay? Have you lost your mummy and daddy?" Lucinda asked, in her most friendly tone.
"I just need to feed." the girl replied, as her skin turned a shade of light green and her body reformed into a large slug-like creature. The creature shuffled towards Lucinda, who screamed and ran inside the building.

George sat in Ace's office with his briefcase on her table. This meeting was inconvenient for Ace as she desperately wanted to get back inside her TARDIS and have more adventures but she had a charity to run. That was an unfortunate shame.
"As you can see, the Trimkolu is currently dormant but when hot water is applied to it," George explained, pouring hot water out of a hot water bottle onto a large light green sphere that sat in his briefcase and watching it grow into a large slug, "it grows into an adult Trimkolu. This can be a good pet as it only needs lettuce and water."
Ace stared in horror at the monster in George's briefcase and instinctively knew that an alien invasion was about to begin. It seemed that she couldn't get away from aliens, even in modern day London.
"Look, this creature is alien and I deal with aliens. Please, stop this invasion or else I'll have to do things the messy way." Ace warned, getting up from her desk and glancing out of her large window.
"I won't back down. You and I both know that." George replied, before his skin turned bright green and he too turned into a large green slug.

Lucinda had entered the lift and desperately wanted to find someone who could help her. The slug had followed her inside the building and, she presumed, was clinging onto the outside of the lift. Her heart was pounding rapidly like the beat of a drum as the lift was pulled further up. All her life she had heard stories of alien invasions. Her mum had even been one of the people hypnotised on Christmas Day a few years back, when there had been a massive spaceship above London. But Lucinda had overslept that day as she had been in a flat in France with her flatmates, who had also been on a nearby roof. Today was the day when she would be involved in an alien crisis. That was clear.

Ace now needed to find a way of getting rid of the slugs. There were two of them locked in her office (she had locked them in and was thinking of what to do outside her TARDIS) and the receptionist had informed her that another had entered the building. She thought about what the Doctor would do and remembered that the Doctor wasn't around any more so he was useless.
"Ms McShane!" Lucinda cried, running to her happily, "I'm so glad to see you."
"Who are you and what are you doing on this floor?" Ace asked.
"Lucy Maxwell, private journalist and a big fan of yours. I noticed that these creatures can shapeshift but don't worry, I'm me." Lucy explained in a few seconds, barely allowing time for Ace to say anything.
"Well these slugs have got us pinned in so any bright ideas would be good." Ace said, barricading the door that led to the lift.
"Fire extinguishers? We could freeze them." Lucy suggested, making Ace grin. She had always wanted to use a fire extinguisher as a weapon before and now was the time. There were two fire extinguishers in the corner of the room and Ace grabbed one and handed one to Lucy, before unlocking both doors. The three slugs came hurtling towards them and the two ladies activated the extinguishers, freezing the slugs until they turned to stone.
"Take a message to your superiors." Ace said to the three frozen slugs, hurling her fire extinguisher away, "This planet is defended. You've seen what we can do so back off."
This method worked: the three slugs teleported away and, in a few seconds, a green spaceship rose out of the Thames and flew off, to the amazement of Lucy.

Half an hour later, Ace and Lucy were sat outside a cafe, both sipping chocolate milkshakes. They felt they deserved it after defeating an invasion of Earth and, admittedly, Ace felt like rewarding Lucy as it was her idea to use the fire extinguishers. She also felt that a milkshake wasn't enough. After all, travelling alone was fun. But travelling with a friend was more fun.
"Lucy," Ace said, "what would you say if I offered you the chance to travel in a ship that could take you to any time and any place?"
Lucy beamed, shocked by the idea.
"I wouldn't believe you." Lucy replied.
"Shall I show you it?"
"Yeah."
The two ladies finished their milkshakes and walked off back to the A Charitable Earth building. A short man clutching an umbrella with a red question mark handle watched them walk off, smiling proudly.
"Well done Ace." the Doctor said to himself, walking back to his TARDIS and leaving.

Ace and Lucy had entered the TARDIS and Lucy couldn't believe what she was seeing. The tall grey cylinder outside only acted as a container for the massive control room inside. Ace had known the feeling which Lucy was currently experiencing but knew that Lucy would get over it. Ace had also left her personal secretary in charge of A Charitable Earth so that someone could look after the charity while she was gone. After all, she didn't need a charity to worry about.
"What do you think of it then?" she asked Lucy, "Good, isn't it?"
"You have too much money." Lucy said, laughing happily, "I'm fascinated more and more by this. What is this place?"
"This is the border between the mundane and the impossible. I once travelled with someone and we did good. But I thought of him as a monster and so I aim to be a better person than him. You saved the world today so I just thought you'd might like to travel with me in this." Ace proposed.
Lucy nodded and Ace activated the dematerialisation control, sending them off into time and space.

THE END