Once he regained his consciousness, Truman found himself strapped to a canopy bed, with his hands and legs tied up with a long, steel-colored rope which actually felt as if it was made out of steel, something which he knew that he'd never seen before despite the weariness of his mind at the moment.
"Hello?" he called out in an angry voice. "Whoever did this, you'd better reveal yourself right now or you'll be in serious trouble once I get out of here!"
"I'm afraid, Truman, that unless you're willing to make some serious compromises at this moment, you may not be able to leave my sight any time soon," the dark, chilling voice of the woman who'd sprayed him said in response, striding slowly up to him. Upon looking at her closely however, Truman noticed that despite her dangerously criminal behavior, there was something very youthful yet wise about her facial expression. She looked like a curious teenager who'd been lured into wrongdoing by a corrupt crowd, and whom despite a deep understand of how her actions were affecting others, had no choice but to proceed with the mission she'd been assigned.
However, Truman knew he couldn't buy into it that easily, and so he demanded sharply, "Could you at least have the courtesy of telling me your name and why you had to knock me out and tie me up as if I were a criminal?" As any thinking man knew, appearances, however convincing they were, could often be deceiving.
The woman gave him a cold stare, almost as if she were attempting to silence him and prevent him from asking further questions. Then, she said, "If you really want to know the truth, I'm someone who's not from this world. I've witnessed a large amount of danger in the world where I'm from, and I'm here to help out someone who's very close to me who left that world a while ago."
Truman laughed. "You're not from this world? Well then, unless you can escort me to your UFO or show me an actual laser beam, I'm going to assume you really must be bonkers!"
"I'm not going to put up with any mocking!" the woman shouted angrily. "If you're just going to make fun of me, don't expect me to go easy on you! What I just told you is the complete truth about myself, and if you don't want to believe me, we're in for a very hard time."
"And if you want to go on telling me crazy stories, then don't expect much cooperation on my part, young lady," Truman responded in a snarky tone. "I expect everyone I work with to take me seriously, and from what I've seen of you so far, you're not only making fun of me, but also endangering me. If there's anything you must know about this world, if I must buy into your ridiculous alien story, it's that this sort of behavior can result in serious criminal charges if the authorities find out about it."
The woman glared at him for a while, but then, as if noticing for the first time the full extent of this man's devastation, her expression appeared to soften a little, and she started slowly inhaling and exhaling in what seemed like an attempt to calm herself.
"Mr. Truman, I'm perfectly aware of the legal risks involved in what I'm doing," she said when finally speaking up, "And believe me when I say that I don't want to hurt you. The problem here is that someone I care really deeply about has been in your hotel for a while now, and even senses something dangerous in here."
Truman sighed. "Young lady, I'm afraid 'sensing' isn't enough for me to see a possible problem around the corner. If you ask me, to sense something just means you believe you're detecting a problem despite seeing little evidence for one around you, something which may just be a small inconvenience in some cases or full blown superstition in others. Can you tell me at least one thing which this friend of yours has seen going on in my hotel which should cause me to be more aware of what may be happening?" If he wasn't in so much panic over what this woman was going to do to him, he may have been more willing to accept her answer. After all, he could have been reassured that he wasn't the only one going through some strange sensations. However, since she'd gone as far as she did and could only explain her actions by saying that a friend sensed something, this left him feeling just as frustrated and suspicious as before.
The woman then seemed a little panicked, remaining silent through what must have been an attempt to think of the right way to respond to Truman's urgent question. Then, perhaps because she couldn't think of anything else to say, she said, "That little girl, Rose Tyler, has been in a deep state of panic ever since she's come here, with this scared look on her face when she walks around the hotel and then having nightmares when she goes to sleep at night."
Upon hearing this, a look of clarification spread across Truman's face. "So, are you trying to say that you're here on account of Jackie Tyler? Quite an unstable set of people she must spend time with, in that case, seeing as how her friend had a nervous breakdown shortly before her murder, and now you coming in here as if you were a secret agent in an action movie. So, hear me out: children often have a hard time adapting to new situations in life, in case you've forgotten. It would surprise me if Little Rose wasn't at least a little nervous about moving into a new home. And as for nightmares, everyone has them from time to time. Rose may be having some now, but so have I at certain times, and I'm pretty sure you've had them too."
"I understand, but when the fear is so frequent, as frequent as the nightmares, then I believe you have every good reason to believe that something is going very wrong. This was the situation with me more than once when I was younger, especially when I left my world for the first time about twenty-nine years ago now, and this friend of mine…"
"Can't you just say Jackie Tyler?" Truman asked, sounding angry once again.
"But it's not her I'm talking about!" the woman said with just as much frustration. "If you want to understand what I mean, why not just take a closer look at your surroundings and tell if you ever recall being inside this chamber before?"
Truman reluctantly did as she said, and for a while, was left speechless, noticing that this was a room which he'd never recalled setting foot in at any time. The walls were painted sky blue, and were flawless in a way which none of the other walls in the hotel appeared to be, without any cracks or dark stains visible in any part of it. There was also one of those lamps which Truman had noticed appearing to be everywhere in the photos of Northern Horizon's archives dating from the 1910s through 30s, and all of the furniture, from the wardrobe (which actually looked a lot like the one in Jackie and Rose's bedroom) to the long rows of bookshelves, looked almost as old as it did. One of the books on the desk was titled The Best British Plays of 1924, with a brown cover along with binding and typography which was clearly dated, yet none of the pages seen around the book's ridges were either yellow or green from age, looking as if it'd just recently been bought.
In addition, right next to the book was a black and white photo featuring a large group of young adults who looked as if they couldn't be older than thirty, wearing either light-colored suits or old-fashioned yet very loose and light dresses. Everyone was smiling, with some holding up glasses of what must have been liquor as high as they could. At the bottom of it, someone had written in black ink: New Year's Eve at Northern Horizons: 1924. Like the books beside it, the picture looked as if it hadn't aged a bit over the years, without a single crease or trace of yellow to indicate that this was a picture from the past.
"Everything here seems so dated, and yet so new," Truman said, finally saying what had been on his mind the whole time.
"You're correct," the woman said. "Now, to answer my question…"
"No," Truman answered hastily, having forgotten the question on account of his astonishment. "I don't recall having been in this room in all my time working here."
But then, he thought, How can you be so sure you're still in Northern Horizons? For all you know, she could have just kidnapped you and placed you in an old room that closely resembles one of the many rooms in the hotel.
However, how would that explain the Northern Horizons photo, the lamp, and being able to the see the exact same sights through the window as he was able to see in the hotel every day?
"If you're having doubts as to where you are," the woman said, as if she had a sense of what he was thinking, "You better look through the door, since you'll find a very familiar room through it." She then walked slowly towards the blue door, and upon opening it up halfway through, Truman was able to see the purple walls, oval-shaped tables covered with white cloth, and large piano which formed the ballroom of Northern Horizons. And to make things even stranger, he saw an old phonograph being played in the center of the room, which was playing a lively jazz number that sounded a little familiar to Truman from his time in New Orleans about a decade ago.
"Does it look familiar?" the woman asked, despite looking as if she already knew the answer.
"It's the Northern Horizons ballroom, where we're about to hold a Christmas party," Truman responded. "And yet, I still don't understand any of this. How is it that…?"
"You're right once again," the woman said, ignoring the fact that he was about to ask a question. "And seeing as how you've been a little more cooperative, I'm going to untie you for now, but you must promise to continue on behaving like this. If you start giving me even the slightest degree of trouble…"
"I promise not to be difficult," Truman said, not even wanting to consider the consequences of upsetting her once again.
"All right," the woman responded, putting her hand into the pocket of her trousers and looking as if she were shuffling through more than he was capable of seeing. After a couple of seconds, she pulled out a silver-colored screwdriver.
"Now what are you thinking of doing with that?" Truman wanted to know.
"Watch and learn," the woman said with a small smile. She then pointed the screwdriver towards the rope with which Truman was tied up, and a strange sound was heard, sounding like something you'd hear from a machine generating in a science fiction movie. Then, golden light started glowing through the tip of the screwdriver, and within seconds, the rope was untied, flowing up in the air as it came off. Once it was completely off, the woman grabbed it tightly, tied it into a neat ribbon, and placed it into her pocket along with her screwdriver as easily as if they were coins or marbles.
"That was incredible!" Truman said in astonishment, rubbing his numb hands. "How were you able to get a hold of such technology?"
"Like I said before, I'm not from this world, so I've been able to get my hands on all sorts of gadgets which people like you have yet to see," the woman answered with a grin, now looking much more like the curious and innocent young woman which Truman had originally assumed she might have been.
"I don't know if I can believe the part about you being from another world, but I do believe that you might come from some society which might have more advanced technology than we do here in the UK," Truman told her, managing to crack a little smile himself.
"And where do you think such a place would be? Japan? Germany? Some remote island in the Pacific?" the woman asked playfully. "You really don't understand the point of me bringing up this secret room, do you?"
"Would it kill you to tell me, though?" Truman asked.
"It wouldn't, thankfully," the woman replied. "So, as you noticed, despite setting foot in Northern Horizon's ballroom over a dozen times, you failed to notice that not only was there a secret room in here which remains invisible to the majority of the hotel's workers and visitors. One of the reasons for this is because the room's been trapped in time, with all these old artifacts from the 1920s remaining as new as they were sixty-eight years ago."
"Yes, I believe that's obvious," Truman responded.
"In the same way, that's how it's been with many of the dangers and forces present in this hotel. They're present here at all times, and yet only a few individuals will ever become aware of them. And this friend whom I've brought up earlier is one of those forces," the woman explained.
"What do you mean by that?" Truman demanded. "Are you trying to say that your friend is that being I've been feeling that's been forcing me to act more harshly than I normally would?"
"No, that's not him," the woman said. "My friend has remained visible to Rose Tyler only, and he's far from being a villain. If anything, he may just be capable of saving this hotel from the demise which it could be facing very soon."
"What kind of demise would that be, and why now of all times? I've been running this place to the best of my ability, and in comparison to the past, there have been very few serious incidents occurring in this hotel ever since I became the owner," Truman said.
"You may not have been able to see the force with your eyes, but I understand that you've somehow been able to feel it, based on what you just told me. In some ways, it's actually able to work at its' best during stable periods when enough guests are coming in and the right amount of money is being made. At the time of the caretaker who murdered his daughters, no other employees fell under the force's influence, so in some ways, that was actually a preferable situation than what you're facing right now. Before that, there was another time when the hotel faced such serious circumstances, and that was during its peak in 1924 and 25. Are you familiar with…?
"Yes; a woman committed suicide one hour before 1925 began, just as they were having one of the biggest parties Northern Horizons had ever hosted," Truman cut it. "According to the papers, the only person who was able to hear her screams moments after she shot herself in a bathtub was a maid who'd been watching over the place all alone; the music, based on her testimony, was so loud that she'd almost failed to hear it herself. But because of the popularity of the hotel at the time, only two small newspapers reported the story on account of how the owner feared that the incident would affect future business."
"And as a result, Northern Horizons continued to prosper into the Depression. As the British got poorer, the hotel seemed to keep getting richer, but not without a handful of tragedies associated with it," the woman continued, with the dark look from before returning.
Truman nodded. A number of suicides and insanity cases had been reported amongst visitors, sometimes within months after visiting the hotel. However, there had never been any evidence of something strange going on Northern Horizons, so the fact that they were all connected with it was usually dismissed as a coincidence, and until a while ago, Truman had been convinced of this as well.
And it was at that moment, with his eyes darting towards that woman's dark expression, that he heard the haunting voice from before echoing through his head: Get her out, get her out right now!
But how could he? If the woman was just warning him about past incidents that had occurred in the hotel and how they tended to repeat themselves, then why should he…?
Have you lost your senses, man? These events can't be anything more than coincidences. You've known this all along; it's just now that this bitch has come along that you're buying into this superstitious nonsense.
No, something had to be going on with this place. Otherwise, why had all these strange incidents occurred throughout the years, why was he feeling so strangely, and why was he capable of hearing this voice in the first place?
And then, just as he was thinking about this, the woman started shaking, and she pressed her hands into her temples with a low groan. "Oh, my head," she muttered. "It hurts so badly."
"What's going on?" Truman asked with concern, and reaching out his hand to her. "Can I help you in any way?"
You stay away from her! The voice demanded furiously. She's caused you enough trouble already, so if she comes down, it's all the better for you and the hotel. Remember to put prosperity before all else, just as all those before have, no matter at what cost it comes.
Just then, the woman's groaning started increasing, and she found herself nearly tripping, and would have fallen to the floor if she hadn't gotten a hold of the bedpost. Truman tried to come up and help her, but he couldn't on account of the feeling that someone (the invisible being, most likely), had taken a strong grip on his shoulder, forcing him to stay to remain where he was.
"No!" the woman cried. "Leave me alone! Why should you hurt me if I haven't intended to do any harm?"
Your very presence here has caused enough trouble already, my dear Time Lady, Truman heard the voice saying in a mocking tone. Don't believe that you and your beloved Theta can stop me that easily, because as he and Rose have been learning well enough, I'm not an alien that can be put down with either your silly little magic wands or a battle of the wits. No, as a creature coming right from this world, I'm a force that can't be reckoned with without facing some devastating consequences for all involved.
"Well, guess what? I've dealt with forces which came from neither aliens nor humans before, as has Theta," the woman answered with a dark smile. "He may have not believed what he was seeing at first, seeing as how he's always been a highly logical thinker, but he was eventually able to come to terms with what was going on and helped me and my friends overcome our struggle. If I could do that when I was only fifteen, then I'm sure I could…"
Not this time, I'm afraid, the voice responded eerily, and before Truman could say or do anything, the woman got knocked to the ground, with her head hitting the ground with a lot of force. And then, what felt like a long stillness took up the air of the room. Truman no longer heard any voices, nor could he feel anyone trying to hold him back, and so he assumed that the force was most likely gone for now.
And so he finally ran up the woman's side and then kneeled down, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Miss, are you okay?" he asked urgently.
The woman groaned for a while, and then said in a quivering voice, "My friend, please find him if you can,"
"Do you mean the one the force called 'Theta'?" Truman wanted to know.
"Yes, that's him," the woman answered weakly. "Although that just happens to be one of several names he's gone by. I've been able to keep in contact with him telepathically for several months now after I left Gallifrey and came down to Earth, but I was going to get the closest I've gotten to him in over two years when I was planning to see Rose Tyler today."
"But how do you expect me to be able to find him if only Rose can see him?"
"He's been trapped inside of Rose's mind the whole time. It's too complicated to explain to you right now, but by getting in contact with Rose, I'll be able to see him once again. Just try to bring Rose in as soon as possible, and let her know that John Smith's friend has come."
"All right, but do you need anything else?" Truman asked, still not able to understand anything about she's just told him.
"No, I think having Rose and Theta here will be enough," the woman managed to say with a smile. "After all, being a Time Lady, there's only so much this being can do to harm me, and knocking me down has about as much effect as a slap in the face. Aliens are able to put up with a lot before they can reach their breaking point."
"That's good to hear," Truman said, relieved that the being didn't appear to have seriously hurt her. "What name should I give Rose when I tell her about you?"
"Just give this to her" the woman responded in a whisper, handing Truman a small, crumbled piece of paper. "Theta will help her understand it, if she's not able to already."
Truman struggled to read the writing for a while, but upon glimpsing closely at it for a while, he was able to make out the following:
Theta:
I've made it here at last. Please guide Rose to my current location as soon as possible.
With lots of love,
S.F.
And there you have it! If you were able to make out the initials, then you already know the identity of the mystery woman (and if not, you can go over the small clues I give out in this chapter and figure it out from there). Did you all like the way I revealed it all, or could I have made it a little better? I'd really appreciate knowing your thoughts on this.
Next, we find out the full extend of what brought our Time Lady friend to Earth, and what she meant by "forces which are neither aliens nor humans", and how this will allow her to help Rose and the Doctor. Also, Truman will learn a little more about this room which appears to be trapped in a time warp and if there's anything he can do to set things right again.
