New York, 2010.

It is a bright day, wind is blowing to the east a little too fast for a comfortable temperature. Busy streets are covered with people trying to get to or from somewhere, bumping into each other along the way. Placed behind the rustling of people is a building, standing still amongst the chaos. The building is not easy to miss, but doesn't necessarily stand out. It is beautiful, but normal looking. Red bricks, a black, slightly decorative fire escape stairway along the side of the building. The windows are lined with ornate gold casing. Inside these apartments, we meet a young girl, 23 years old, frantically getting ready. It is 9:05. She should've been at work at 9. Her room is slightly messy, makeup scattered on her dresser, clothes hung over the chair. She's pretty, around 5'7, long brown hair, slightly unkempt, pulled up in a ponytail. No makeup, natural long eyelashes. Has a doe-like appearance. She collects her necessities into a small handbag, throws her apron around her neck, and dashes out the door. There is a name tag forgotten on her dresser, reading "Chloe". Exiting the elevator, she bumps into her downstairs neighbor, who is getting his mail. He turns and greets her with a smile. He is slightly older than her, maybe 35 years old. Tall, dark hair, and a five o'clock shadow.

"I knew it, I heard you scream at 8:50. I thought you were going to get up at 7?" He says to her, glancing up and down at her messied appearance.

"Yeah, yeah, plans fall through, you know?"

"Don't run into traffic, girl, don't get too caught up in your head!"

Just as she's about to walk out, Chloe halts and turns back to the man.

"Oh, god, yeah when I get back I can use your shower again, right?"

"Of course, you have the key."

"Cool!" She runs out without saying thank you, too late for formalities.

Chloe has finally arrived at a small grocery store located close to central park. Her and her manager, an old woman in her 60s, are standing awkwardly in silence in the cramped manager's office. Between them, on the wall, is a motivational poster (obviously designed by corporate) of two employees in uniform, shaking each other's hands. In bold lettering; "You are awesome!" surrounded by stars with smiling faces. A sigh let out by Chloe's manager breaks the silence. Chloe makes eye contact with the woman, who is sitting in a swivel chair, looking up at her.

"...Mrs. Hanson, I'm really sorry, I would've given the store a call but…" Chloe clasps her hands together, as if she's asking for forgiveness.

Mrs. Hanson remains silent.

"Yeah….so, anyway, I just happened to witness this horrible accident and I just had to do something! Can you really blame me, I mean, what would you have done?"

"If I saw a moped collision?"

"Yes!"

"…Ask if the drivers needed a band-aid….just get to work on time from now on. The rest will be unexcused after this one."

"Yes, ma'am. Understood."

Chloe walks out of the office. The grocery store is small, the checkouts feel cramped, but it has a cute aura to it. Even though it's a corporate company, it has a personality, a positive environment. The job is perfect enough for a college student. A young man comes up to her while she's walking to the front. Blonde hair, around 6'0. Looks younger than her by maybe 4 years. His name tag reads "Don" with a "1 Year!" badge right next to his name.

"A moped collision? Seriously, that's the best you came up with?" Don laughs as he matches her pace, walking with her down the supermarket isle.

"Yeah, well, I had to think of something that was significant, but not deadly and wouldn't have made any news. Pretty smart considering those conditions."

"...Okay, actually, yeah that one is pretty good….I'm guessing from your unwashed hair and left over makeup you just woke up maybe…" He checks his watch "….hmm 30 minutes ago?" Chloe pauses, stops walking, and turns to look at the young man, who has a smug and playful smile on his face. She can't help but let a small laugh escape her. "35. But I'm here now, so, shut up bag boy."

We meet Chloe again, around 8 hours later. It is now 5 pm and the sun is setting. Chloe is walking down the street towards her bus stop. She looks tired. She gets to a crosswalk and presses the button. On the street post, a poster is hung up. Chloe looks over, observing it while waiting for the walk sign to change. "Need help? A hand? Something fixed?" below this, in smaller letters reads "Call this number! The man who can fix all problems, big or small!" A number is typed below it, with an unfamiliar area code. She looks at it for a minute, then the walk sign changes. Indecisive, she quickly takes a photo on her phone, and jogs across the crosswalk.

Chloe walks into her apartment, defeated after a long day. She takes off her shoes and throws her bag on the bed, then plops down on it, looking towards the ceiling. She checks her phone. No new messages. A little sigh escapes her. She walks to her restroom and turns on the faucet to wash her face. After a stuttering, black liquid a little thicker than water spews out of the faucet. She jumps to turn it off and sighs in disgust. She stops for a moment, then begins to gather some items before making her way out of her apartment. She walks one flight down the stairs, down the hallway to the second to last apartment. She knocks three times. A man opens the door a moment later and is greeted by Chloe holding a towel, toothbrush, and change of clothes. She smiles coyly. "Hey….I really need that bathroom…I'm going on two days here." Inside the apartment stands the man we saw this morning who was getting his mail. He smiles back at her. "I was waiting for you. I got off of work early." He opens the door wider, inviting her in. His apartment is below hers, and has almost the exact same layout, but the insides look entirely different. His apartment is clean, neat, and modern. Lighting is dim and the TV is on. Chloe walks in comfortably, like she's been there before.

"I've called the landlord like 50 times in the past week and nobody has even replied to my calls. I'm just gonna end up calling a plumber on my own, this is getting ridiculous. Thank you so much, Jimmy, really." She says.

"No, no, not at all. Hey, I've got no one but me here so just feel free to come in anytime, you don't have to wait until I'm home."

"I know, yeah, but I mean I just feel more comfortable asking you first. It's just courtesy."

"Oh, we're back to courtesies now? C'mon, I hope we're still closer than that at least…"

Chloe's smile fades a little as she looks to her feet. "...We are but, still." There is a brief moment of silence, then she turns from him, making her way to the bathroom. "I'll be quick!" She closes the door behind her. Jimmy is left in the living room alone. He looks to the counter where he was preparing a snack tray of cheeses and fruit and two glasses of wine.

After the shower, Chloe is drying her hair, looking at herself in the fogged mirror. She looks down into the sink, staring at the dripping water. An uneasy feeling takes over her, almost like a mix of dread and curiosity. She leans in closer to the faucet, staring intensely at the droplet of water that is about to drip down. She snaps herself out of the strange trance and begins to put on her clothes. Once dressed, she leaves the bathroom. She looks over to the living room table to see what Jimmy has prepared, but he is not in the living room. Not knowing where he is, she calls out to him. "Jimmy, uh, I have work again tomorrow so I think I'm gonna head upstairs now. Thank you again!" Jimmy rushes around the corner of the kitchen, trying to catch her before she leaves. "Oh, but I-" He is cut off by the sound of the front door closing behind her. He is left alone, again, in the apartment, holding a glass of half drunk wine.

Chloe enters her apartment, looking obviously uncomfortable by what just happened. She grabs a snack and a glass of wine and sits on her couch. She begins watching TV but seems to get distracted by her own thoughts. The number. She thinks. She grabs her phone out of her back pocket and looks at the photo she took earlier of the poster she saw walking home from work. She studies it for a minute, thoughtful, and then she begins to dial the number. She presses call, and places the phone up to her ear. It rings for a little longer than she expects, but then, someone picks up. She hears a little bit of static, but no voice.

"Uh, hello?"

Silence…

"Um, yeah I got this number off of an ad on the street, do you guys do like, handiwork?"

Still silent…

"Hello? Hello?"

Suddenly, a man's voice breaks through the static. "Hello? Yes, who gave you this number?" A British man asks.

"Oh, no one, I just saw like a poster thing. Like a paper advertisement?"

"Right, okay, well where was this then? I didn't place an advertisement."

"It was at Park and 96th…at the crosswalk? Next to Central park. It said if you needed help to call that number. Something like "the man who can fix anything".

There is a moment of silence between them, then the man speaks up again.

"Do you need help?"

Chloe laughs a little bit at this question. "I mean, kind of, my faucet is being all weird. There is like this…black goo coming out of it instead of water. I'm thinking it's a filtration problem, but my landlord won't call me back."

She can hear a strange whirring noise coming from outside, almost like an alarm of some kind, but she doesn't recognize it, nor pay much attention to it. The phone call suddenly drops. She takes the phone down from her ear and stares at it with a confused and slightly offended look on her face. "Okay then…not much help." Suddenly, a knock at her door. She looks up at the door, hesitantly. Slowly, she begins to walk to the front door. She peers out the peephole to see a young man with brown hair, standing at six feet tall, wearing a white button up and a long brown coat. She pauses for a moment, then opens the door a crack.

"Do you need something sir?"

"Oh, yes, hi, you called and said you had a problem with your sink!" The man replied, the same British man she heard over the phone. She opens the door fully and stares at the man in the eyes, with an intense, serious look on her face.

"Well, that makes absolutely no sense."

"Did you not call?"

Chloe takes a step closer to the man. "I did! That's exactly why it makes no sense. Are you some kind of stalker or something? What, You saw me take a picture of that ad and followed me home?

The man is looking past her, towards the living room, scanning the room while she's talking.

"Definitely not, never done that. Do I look creepy?" He touches his face with his hands a bit.

"How did you get here so fast?"

"I ran."

"How did you know where I live?"

"I guessed." He looks at her and giggles. Chloe does not seem amused, just more irritated and suspicious.

"You here to like…rob me or something? Or kill me?"

"I'm here to fix your sink."

Chloe pauses for a moment and looks the man up and down. He seems quite unassuming, she thinks. And weak, she decides, after looking at him longer. For some reason she can't name, she isn't scared of him. She opens the door fully and grabs some textbooks sitting on the floor. She places them at the edge of the door, propping it open.

"Alright, then fix it. But the door stays open."

The man nods and raises his eyebrows as he awkwardly squeezes past her, avoiding her piercing gaze. He looks around at the messy apartment and points over to a door on the left questioningly. Chloe nods, standing by the front door with her arms crossed. He goes inside the bathroom. She hears the cabinets opening and the sink turning off an on. After getting too curious, she walks over to the bathroom. The man is turning the faucet on, but nothing is coming out. She looks him up and down again.

"Where are your tools?"

"I don't know if I'll need them yet."

"Who are you, anyway?"

"The Doctor."

"You have a PHD?" She scoffs.

The Doctor turns and looks at her, offended. "Multiple." He turns back to the sink and continues to fidget with it.

"What's your name?"

"Just "The Doctor" is fine."

"You're not doing a very good job of making yourself seem harmless. Won't even tell me your name."

The Doctor opens the cabinet and begins to inspect the pipes of the sink. He takes out some sort of tool and points it at the pipes. It begins to make a strange noise and a light comes out of the top. Chloe squats down, watching his behavior out of pure curiosity. At this point, confusion and curiosity has taken over her suspicion. The Doctor moves his tool to the back of the pipes. Then, a small thud is heard by the two. Chloe jumps back a little in surprise.

"Gotcha!" The Doctor says, smiling.

The thudding noise moves down the pipe heading towards the faucet. Suddenly, a black blob of goo breaks the faucet open and flies across the bathroom, landing on the wall behind them. Chloe screams in shock and jumps back, landing onto her butt onto the floor of the bathroom. The Doctor stands up and watches the black blob move very fast towards the shower. He points his device at it, before it crawls into the drain of the shower. He inspects the shower drain, peeking his eye into it. Chloe is still in shock, looking at the chaos that has just erupted in her bathroom. Her faucet is completely cracked open, water spilling out, there is a black streak of, god knows what, trailing from where the blob landed, to the shower drain, and a strange British doctor on his hands and knees peering down said drain. After a while, she finally speaks up.

"So that was like a rat, right? …Like a sewer rat that had been there too long…right?"

"No, sorry, that was a Skreittor. It's a water-based life form that, up until today, seemed to show no sign of intelligence. I wonder how it got to Earth…"

"What did you just say?"

"Well, you see, my sonic definitely said it was a Skreittor, but the past times I've seen them they've never showed any signs of intelligence or even that kind of maneuvering. More like a parasitic creature that-" He suddenly stops, and turns around to look at Chloe, finally breaking his eyes away from the shower drain. He moves closer to her, inspecting her face and staring very close at her eyes and mouth. Chloe's expression of suspicion comes back to her, as she moves back from him. He points his device at her and waves it up and down, then inspects it. "Human. 100%" He says. "Did you ever drink out of this faucet or brush your teeth? Even wash your hands?"

Chloe shakes her head, an innocent look taking over her face. "No, no, in fact, I haven't touched a drop of the water in my apartment since it turned that color! I just got this…feeling that something was dangerous about it."

"Good." He jumps up and helps Chloe stand up as well. "I'll send someone to replace your sink, don't worry. Sorry about the..mess…it's just a bit of Skreittor mucus, nothing ugly. But make sure you use gloves when cleaning and maybe some bleach as well." He says as he makes himself toward the front door, still propped open by the textbooks. "If it comes back again, any bigger, just call that number again."

He walks down the hall with a wink and out of Chloe's sight. She is left standing in her apartment, shell shocked by the events that just occurred. She recognized only a few words that came out of the man's mouth the entire time he was there. Who the hell was that? She wonders to herself. He definitely didn't fix anything. She looks over to the bathroom and slowly closes the door, leaving that mess for another day.