The Doctor was underneath the floorboards or the TARDIS, throwing wires up over his head as he dug around. The lights blinked on and off sequentially Rose could hear bangs somewhere deep in the old ship. She tried the doors for the tenth time, but they had sealed tight of their own accord, and she couldn't get through.
"Doctor?" She called down. "What could be wrong with the TARDIS? It's never done this before."
"She," he said, muffled by the parts around him.
"What?"
He popped his head out, holding a small crystal in his hand. "The TARDIS isn't an it, Rose, she's a beautiful lady. Why don't you and the boys grasp this?"
Rose rolled her eyes. "Fine, what's wrong with her? Is she too old?"
"Not nice to comment on a lady's age," he smiled weakly, "but no. It's not just her, either. I think it's all three of us. We've been shoved into a pocket universe by something that doesn't want us going anywhere."
Rose frowned
"Imagine...imagine time is like a set of train tracks. If a train is not on them, it doesn't have much hope of going anywhere. Someone's derailed the TARDIS, and us with it. Even if we tried to run for civilization now, I'm not sure anyone could see us. We're out of sync."
"What can we do?"
"The TARDIS doesn't belong in this pocket universe, it wants to right itself. You remember that time we got caught in that alternate universe with the Cybermen? I can charge it with regeneration energy, but only enough for one trip. We're splintered away from the normal time stream, the trip would take... some time, but eventually we'd meet up with the present."
"How long?"
The Doctor scratched the back of his head. "Uh, ten years? Give or take?"
"Okay," Rose said with a firm nod. "Ten years. I can do that. We have plenty of food and air. We stay here ten years, then we catch up to the boys and find them. I'll wait."
The Doctor smiled grimly and took her hand. "I've no doubt you would, but that's not how it works. The TARDIS is her own dimension, the jump would be instantaneous for us."
"Then what's the problem?"
"Someone has to be holding a piece of the TARDIS ten years from now in the exact place it is this moment so that we can lock onto it. We can't reach anyone on the phone, and we're trapped inside. There's a way we can do this, but it's risky."
"I don't care, what do we need to do?"
"We let the TARDIS solve it. She's trying to do something, but doesn't have the strength. I charge her up and let her do what she thinks she needs to."
Rose nodded.
"You don't understand. She might think the best way to get back on track is to explode right now and use the scattered pieces to reconstitute in ten years. There's no telling what method she'll take."
"Let's go!" Rose said, slapping a hand against the console.
The Doctor grimaced, but nodded. He took the small crystal in his hand and blew on it gently. The crystal grew a pale green, and he set it back into the deep recesses of the ship. The TARDIS surged with life, the glass cylinders pumping as the cloister bell echoed through the room. The Doctor took his wife's hand and pulled her back from the chaos, bracing himself for whatever his ancient friend was about to do.
The room grew very bright, and the bell became louder. They squeezed their eyes closed tight and waited. Slowly, the intense brightness started to fade and the ship went silent. A very small voice came from around the console.
"Hello?"
The couple blinked, edging around the room to find the source of the voice. A young girl with very red hair stood in a polkadotted nightdress, staring at them with wide eyes.
The Doctor bent down to her height and waved with a wide smile. "Hello there. What's your name?"
She looked torn between approaching them and running away. "Amelia Pond."
"Oh, that's lovely," he said. "Can you tell me where you live, Amelia?"
"You're not supposed to tell strangers where you live," she snapped, sounding braver than she looked.
The Doctor nodded. "That's a very good policy, very smart, but could you tell me if you live on Earth?"
"Course I do. Everyone does."
The Doctor and Rose shared a knowing look. "Definitely Scottish accent then, right? Bit far from here for a child." she whispered to him.
"I don't live in Scotland anymore," the girl said crossing her arms. "I live in Leadworth with Aunt Sharon." She froze. "Or not, it's none of your business."
"It's nice to meet you, Amelia. My name is the Doctor, and this is my wife, Rose. I don't think you'll be here long, so we have to talk fast." He pulled out a key and held it up for her to see. "We need your help."
The girl took a step back from the key. Rose put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, an old signal between them that he was being too intimidating and the situation called for a human touch. He stepped back and Rose smiled at the girl. "You live with your Aunt, Amelia? Where are your parents?"
The girl stood firmly. "My parents are gone. The crack swallowed them up."
The Doctor made an interested noise, but Rose held out a hand to remind him there were bigger issues right now. "I have two sons. Would you like to see them?"
The girl nodded.
Rose reached into her back pocket and fished out an old picture of the four of them with Jackie Tyler. "This is an old picture. Sherlock was just a baby, and my older one, Mike, he was a few months away from seven."
Amelia inspected the picture. "They're cute."
"Thank you," Rose smiled. "I'm worried about them. They're in trouble, and I want to go help them, but me and their Daddy are trapped here. Do you think you could do us a favor so we can find them?"
Amelia thought a moment, and then slowly nodded.
The Doctor held out the key again. "In about ten years, this key is going to start to glow. If you go in the right direction it'll glow brighter and brighter. Follow it, and it'll lead you to an old house in the country. Go to the tool shed, and we'll be able to meet you and go find our boys."
"That doesn't make any sense," she said with narrowed eyes, taking the key gently.
The Doctor opened his mouth to explain, but with a flash of light the girl was gone. Rose felt at the empty air she'd just stood in, frowning worriedly at him. "A little girl? Why would the TARDIS send a little girl?"
The Doctor shrugged. "It doesn't really have a frame of reference for how long humans live. Probably figured if it chose an underdeveloped human they would have a better chance of still being alive in ten years."
"Do you think she'll do it?"
Before he could answer, they were met with the old familiar sound of the engine screeching as they took off. The TARDIS tilted dangerously back and forth and struggled to stay upright. "Amelia Pond!" The Doctor clapped. "Remind me to get her something. What do little girls like? Or I suppose she's not so little anymore?"
"Doctor!" Rose yelled and she nearly hit the ground.
He caught her and they took hold of the railing, riding out the violent trip. The bell finally rang once more, and then the ground was solid beneath their feet. The Doctor ran to the doors and threw them open. Just outside the TARDIS stood a very surprised looking young woman with bright red hair, holding the TARDIS key in her hand.
"Oh my God," she said, dropping the key. "You're real. It was real. What the-"
The Doctor swept her up into a big hug. "Amelia Pond!" he cried happily. "How long's it been for you, eh? Ten years?"
"T-twelve," she stuttered.
"Ah, pretty close," he shrugged. He frowned at her outfit. "Are you a police woman? Kind of young for that, aren't you?"
"Maybe," she said, crossing her arms in the same definitely way she had as a child. "Not that it matters. I was at work when your little key went all shiny. I'm probably going to get fired."
"Sorry," Rose waved bittersweetly from the door, "but thank you."
"I'm coming back for you, Amelia Pond," the Doctor said resolutely, tapping her once on the nose. "We're going to talk about that crack that took your parents."
"What crack? I don't have parents."
"Interesting," the Doctor mused. "Very interesting. Can't today though, family emergency. See you soon, Amelia."
"It's Amy, now!" She called at him as he closed the door on her.
"I prefer Amelia!" She heard him call back. The little blue box faded away with the same screeching whine, leaving her with more questions than before.
Rose held the Doctor's arm as they took flight. "Where do we start?"
"'Give my best to Uncle Jack', that's what Mycroft's message said. Sounds like we're starting at Torchwood."
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Brigadier Harold Carter was shaving for work, listening to his wife encourage his children to get up, when his mind went completely blank. His old pocketwatch, the one his father had given him on his sixteenth birthday, lay on the sink in front of him. It opened on it's own, a dull light came from it, and then his mind was gone. A voice echoed in his head, one he'd never heard before.
"Hello, Brigadier," the voice said calmly. "My name is James. You're going to do what I tell you to aren't, you?"
"Yes, Sir," the man said. He tried to fight, tried to figure out why he was accepting this strange intruder, but his will was weakened. His razor dropped uselessly into the basin and the water continued pouring down the sink.
"I prefer Sire."
"Yes, Sire."
"Good. I want you to get dressed, and go to work. At your desk, there will be a piece of paper with an exact address on it. Drive there, and await further instructions."
The pocketwatch snapped shut, and so left the last bit of strength Harold had to deny the powerful voice.
"Yes, Sire."
Harold put the watch calmly in his pocket and put on his uniform, leaving the house with shaving cream still on his neck. He heard the man laughing gleefully somewhere in the back of his mind.
